Tribal Craft -- A Collector's Seduction
March 14 through August 14, 2010
Jacobs Education Center, Maloof Foundation
Thursdays and Saturdays, 12 Noon - 4:00 PM
Exhibition and gallery events are free of charge

What is it about tribal craft that causes people to become passionate collectors, among them world famous woodworker Sam Maloof? An exhibition highlighting 80 objects from the Sam Maloof Collection, Knox and Carlotta Mellon Collection and John S. Scott Collection answers the question: it is the quality of the craft.

Drawing from tribal craft produced in Oceania, Africa and early America, the show acknowledges the typical criteria adopted by collectors. Some seek to assemble encyclopedic collections of craft produced by a particular tribal people. Others focus on authenticity and rarity, eschewing all pieces made for the tourist trade. Condition is the deciding factor to some. Many collectors prefer categories of pieces, such as ritual masks, sacred ancestor figures, or utilitarian objects. To Sam Maloof and the the other collectors in the show, however, the quality of each object's craftsmanship--regardless of provenance or purpose--was what mattered most.

Opening Reception: Sunday, March 14, 2010, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Gallery Talk: May 23, 2010, 2:00 PM "Collecting Artifacts in New Guinea", John Scott, Exhibition Curator

click here for Highlights of the Tribal Craft exhibit