The trip from Lancaster, Pennsylvania took almost two days and when Ivan Barnett finally pulled his gold Impala into the field in Bennington, Vermont, he was listening to Dylan and hoping for good weather. He set up his tent for a weekend of sales at the first-ever American Craft Council craft fair and after three days of soaking rain drove away with $5000. in orders. To Barnett, fresh out of the Army, the money he made that summer of ’72, was a fortune.
The trajectory of Ivan Barnett’s career in craft spans almost 40 years and its arc tightly parallels the evolution of the American craft movement itself. The trip to Bennington launched his life in craft, one that has involved nearly all aspects of that world: making, writing, collaborating, consulting and now, owning one of the country’s premier fine craft galleries-Patina Gallery in Santa Fe. With the Homage to Sandro exhibition, artist Ivan Barnett will return to his love of creating and introduce entirely new works, assemblages and sculptures in wood and steel.
Characteristically, Barnett’s new work begins where the last body of work left off. His new wall sculptures and mobiles are distinctly different from earlier work but reflect a clear continuum of concept and thought. Barnett will again work with found objects, worn bits of wood, stone and shell, and combine them with the rusted sheet steel that has recurred in his works since the earliest days of his career. After working for a time in shades of charcoal and black, Barnett resumes the use of color and richly toned palettes.
The title of the exhibition, Homage to Sandro, refers to Alexander Girard, nicknamed Sandro, post WWII designer and Eames’ colleague at Hermann Miller. Considered one of America’s pre-eminent mid-century designers, Girard was an avid collector of folk art. His famous collection of 100,000 works from around the world is exhibited in the Girard Wing of Santa Fe’s Museum for International Folk Art. Barnett’s exhibition is an homage to this great designer, proceeds from which will benefit the preservation of that extraordinary collection.
Barnett’s career achieved a high profile in the early eighties when articles in Architectural Digest and Better Homes and Gardens extolled his artwork, especially wood and steel weathervanes. His portfolio includes notes from Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and pictures of the White House Christmas tree where his ornaments were hung. The New York Times reviewed an exhibition with his work and galleries across the country clamored to show it. It was then that Alexander Girard acquired some of Barnett’s work, pieces that now reside in that famous museum.
Homage to Sandro is Barnett’s fourth exhibition at Patina, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary. The scheduling of each exhibition permits Barnett the rare opportunity to focus exclusively on his own artwork and return to his passion for creating. For this artist, parent and husband, gallery owner and director, such time is precious and must be stolen from an always hectic schedule. He is most at peace in his studio and most content when engrossed in his work. |
