Featured Member Project

Featured Member

From Tradition/Innovation, three works by artist Fong Choo, Autumn Marble, Dancing Karmel, and Tangerine. Photo Credit: Luis Quiles, 2007.

When the National Endowment for the Arts announced the American Masterpieces initiative, the Southern Arts Federation (SAF) considered what would fit the bill. SAF has a long history of touring exhibitions, and the Southern region is known for its craft and traditional art. So early this year, SAF launched Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art, a rich website companion to an exhibit touring nine states with the help of the American Masterpieces grant. Tradition/Innovation is a celebration of the contributions of master craftspeople and traditional artists in the South.

SAF hired curators Jean McLaughlin and Kathleen Mundell to develop the concept for the exhibit. Once that was established, they consulted with SAF’s state arts agency staff, folklorists, historians, curators, and museums to find artists and craftspeople whose work individually and collectively represented a sampling of the region's best work.

Behind the more than 100 works are 58 traditional artists and contemporary craftspeople, living and working in nine Southern states. Their own voices, histories, and insights provide a unique perspective. The multimedia site shares the artists’ backgrounds, images of their art in the exhibit, and the stories behind their work. It also organizes the artwork by medium, so that viewers can see the variety of ways in which different artists work in the same medium, and learn about their process. An accompanying visitor’s guide encourages thinking about the creative process and how contemporary craft and traditional arts fit into modern living.

The touring exhibit and companion website have received great acclaim from visitors as well as the artists. Tradition/Innovation appeals to a wide audience, so there has been a great response from people who are interested in traditional or contemporary arts.

In addition to the support from the American Masterpieces initiative, three of the artists in Tradition/Innovation have received NEA Visual/Crafts Artist Fellowships, and six others have been awarded an NEA National Heritage Fellowship, which is the highest honor the country can bestow on a traditional artist.