John Garrett
John Garrett conducts a “dialogue with material,” wrote Marcia Morse in American Craft Magazine. Garrett wants his pieces to inspire thoughts of abundance, of saving, of interior and exterior worlds, and, most of all, of the rewards of looking at things with a fresh eye. What emerges from his materials and process are these ‘curtains’ that move and sway with the breeze as if they have a life of their own.
Renowned artist, John Garrett has exhibited internationally throughout the United States, Europe and Asia for over thirty years. Garrett has continually explored one dimensional and sculptural forms, allowing us to take notice of everyday materials that are often discarded or ignored. His masterfully executed techniques are evident in a multitude of materials, including pieces that are woven, tied, nailed or riveted.These everyday materials have included crushed and rusted metal, painted aluminum, aluminum tabs ,crushed cans, plastic buttons and plastic flowers. His brilliant technical skills are emulated in each work of art, masterfully crafted into a vibrant and complex structure. In 1983 and 1995, he was awarded National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and in 2010 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Craft Council, in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievement and leadership in the field.
EDUCATION
1976 MA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 1972 BA, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITONS
2014 BelconnenArtsCentre,Canberra,Australia
2012 Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
2010 Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA
2007 The Bemis Center, Omaha, NE
2006 Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
2005 Arts pace Gallery, Center for the Arts, Jackson, WY
2004 Artspace 116, Albuquerque, NM
2003 UW-River Falls, WI
2002 Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
1998 Central Museum of Textiles, Lodz, Poland
1997 Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA
1996 Craft Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
1993 MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA
1993 Netherland Textile Museum, Tilburg, The Netherlands
1990 American Craft Museum,(Museum of art and Design), NY
1989 Musee de Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France
1988 Milwaulkee Art Museum, WI
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Arkansas Museum of Art, Little Rock, AR
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI
Erie Museum, Erie, PA
High Museum, Atlanta, GA
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Musee de Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France
Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC
Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, NM
Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, OK
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC