Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things Rebecca Elliot and Joel Smeltzer, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, North Carolina
A Celebration of the Reinstllation of the Mint’s Craft + Design Collection As I write this, a mirror 21 feet in diameter made from 18 panels of gold-plated beryllium (a metallic element) has just unfolded itself in outer space. It is part of the James Webb Space Telescope — the world’s largest space telescope — which will soon reach its final orbit 1 million miles from earth and begin capturing cosmic history ranging from our own solar system to the first galaxies in the early universe. The telescope is a marvel of science and engineering. A joint effort of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, it required decades of thinking, designing, testing, and exceptional craftsmanship by thousands of individuals in multiple countries.
A major new acquisition in Craft in the Laboratory is She Holds the Key, a wall hanging by Canadian artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders. This wall hanging depicts tennis champion Serena Williams in a confident pose and reflects the artist’s desire to elevate Black women through her art. Saunders draws her compositions on large pieces of fabric (up to 65 by 65 inches) and uses a punch needle and a rug tufting gun to insert yarn in vibrant colors and patterns. Photo by Brandon Scott/Courtesy of The Mint Museum.
Making the objects in The Mint Museum’s Craft + Design Collection was not as complex, but the artists, designers, and craftspeople responsible for these objects made from glass, ceramics, wood, fiber, metal, polymers, and other materials have much in common with scientists and engineers. All engage in inquiry, a process of exploring the natural or material world by asking questions, making discoveries, and testing them to gain a greater understanding. As with the telescope, making craft and design objects requires a great deal of technical knowledge and trial and error. Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things is the first project in the Southeast to highlight the parallels between craft and design, science, and engineering. It comprises a reinstallation of the museum’s permanent collection of craft and design — the first since the opening of Mint Museum Uptown in 2010 — and a 96-page catalogue, the first indepth publication about the collection since 1999. The reinstallation and book present new research on how the objects were made. Craft in the Laboratory is based on a tour of the craft and design galleries created several years ago by Joel Smeltzer, head of school and gallery programs at The Mint Museum, to provide STEAM (science, technology, engineering, 41
