Tribal Roots in the Garden State: 2008 New Jersey Arts Annual Crafts

Tribal Roots in the Garden State, is one of a unique series of exhibitions cosponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts that highlight the work of visual artists and craftspeople in the state. This year, the juried exhibition includes 79 works by 37 artists. The textiles, needlework, glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry, and metal work in this show celebrate diversity and craft.

Two of the included works are installation pieces. Divine Goddess by Karen Ciaramello is a large work suspended from the ceiling. Created entirely from wool, the work was influenced by the various Native American headdresses found within the Rand Gallery at MAM. The Museum's front lawn is the site of a second installation piece, Whirling Dervish Basket by Harry Bower. This work illustrates Bower's decade-long practice of working with traditional weaving techniques as well as his use of nontraditional materials.

^{Funding for Tribal Roots in the Garden State: 2008 New Jersey Arts Annual Crafts has been provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by Exhibition Angels Bobbie and Bob Constable and Antoinette and Newton Schott.}