Formal references to practical objects like pitchers and vases hint at Betty Woodman’s early career in functional pottery, but these objects are no ordinary vessels. Woodman’s experimental approach, as well as her theatrical amplification of color, form, and ornamental pattern, renders these works fanciful, exuberant, and otherworldly. She integrates global art historical traditions into aesthetically pleasing, corporeal meditations on domestic and gendered spheres. We chose to include these works because—like so many of the works in this exhibition as well as the show itself—they undo the arbitrary hierarchy between craft and fine art.

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