ASU Art Museum extends exhibition at New York City museum

The Arizona State Univeristy (ASU) Art Museum exhibition Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection is now extended to show at Museum of Arts and Design in New York City through Sept. 12, 2010.

New York City-based Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) requested an extension of the Intertwined tour installation after it completed a successful exhibition at the ASU Art Museum and a national five-city tour. This is the first ASU Art Museum-organized exhibition to travel to a major New York museum. Formerly the American Craft Museum, MAD is the leading U.S. museum for the exhibition and interpretation of contemporary craft. Holly Hotchner is the Nanette L. Laitman director at MAD, and explains its desire for the Intertwined exhibition:

“The Lieberman collection offers an expansive overview of the current level of innovation and experimentation in the field,” she says “This material gets right to the heart of the intersection between craft, art and design.”

Heather Lineberry is interim associate director and senior curator at the ASU Art Museum. She originally curated the ASU Art Museum Intertwined exhibition, along with nationally known basket-maker and scholar Jane Sauer.

“Sara and David Lieberman, with their impeccable eye and passion for contemporary craft, have assembled one of the best collections of contemporary baskets in the country,” Lineberry says. “They first collected more than 150 baskets for their function, appeal and grounding in ancient traditions, but their selections grew to include new works of great vitality that were more about expression and communication rather than function.”

Arizona art collectors Sara and David Lieberman have one of the most extensive collections of contemporary baskets in the country. Nearly 70 works included in Intertwined by regional, national and international artists show the breadth of the art form with traditional and functional works exhibited along with mixed-media sculptures. The artists have manipulated a range of materials like grasses, fish skins, porcupine quills, grocery bags, postcards and pistachio shells to create intriguing objects that push the boundaries of basket-making.

For the past 40 years, the Liebermans have created strong collections of ceramics, baskets and contemporary art. They originally are from Minneapolis, Minn., and permanently relocated to Arizona in 1996, where they became active in the arts and education communities. The couple strongly supported the development of the ASU Art Museum’s Ceramics Research Center, which exhibited their ceramics collection in 2003, and continue to aid and further the mission of ASU Art Museum today.

Museum of Arts and Design is located at 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019. The Intertwined exhibition runs March 16 – Sept. 12, 2010. Museum of Arts and Design general entry is $15 and free for members and children 12 and younger. Exhibitions held at ASU Art Museum and its Ceramics Research Center are free for everyone.