Saluting the Makers

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“Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia,” 2020

installation view at Vancouver Art Gallery (photo by Ian Lefebvre, VAG)

Given the renewed interest in crafts and materials during the pandemic lockdown, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s exhibition Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia couldn’t be timelier. On view until Jan. 3, its 300 pieces of ceramics, fashion, furniture, jewelry and textiles pay homage to groundbreaking works and the people who made them. 

Guest curator Allan Collier, associate curator Stephanie Rebick and interim director Daina Augaitis have selected pieces that reflect the modernism movement of the mid-20th century. 

“What did we do here?” Collier asks. “What did modernism look like?”  

Arranged chronologically from 1945 to 1975, the exhibition honours the many skilled newcomers who immigrated to B.C. after the Second World War, as well as local artists already established in their respective fields and the region’s First Nations. 

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Unknown Nuučaan̓ ułʔatḥ (Nuu-chah-nulth) weaver, “Ucluelet Basket,” 1944

grass, shell and glass (collection of John David Lawrence; photo by Ian Lefebvre,Vancouver Art Gallery)

While industry focused on functionality in the ’40s and ’50s the Nuu-chah-nulth, for instance, took a different approach to design, weaving their stories into products both utilitarian and decorative. Ucluelet Basket, 1944, is one of the first pieces to greet visitors as they enter.

Modernism was an international movement dominated by Americans and Europeans, but B.C. artisans gave it their own spin by infusing their pieces with local history and materials. Witness the 1951 steel-rod lounge chair from Victoria manufacturer Earle Morrison Ltd. Steel rod was cheap, local and plentiful, but by the late 1950s practicality was giving way to more expressive forms. This can be seen in a stunning display of jewelry in a nearby alcove where First Nations’ motifs dominate.

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Earle A. Morrison and Robin Bush for Earle A. Morrison Ltd., Victoria, B.C., “Airfoam Lounge Chair (#141),” 1951

steel rod, plywood, walnut and upholstery (collection of Allan Collier; photo by Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery)

A blaze of brightly coloured ceramics and fabrics herald the Swinging Sixties as B.C. designers discover new materials and media. Collier attributes this creative explosion, in part, to the realization that British Columbia could never compete with Ontario and Quebec in manufacturing, so “we sort of gave up on it.” The result is a rush of creativity aimed at local consumption.

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Hans-Christian Behm, “Vancouver Chair,” 1969

aluminum, textile, foam, paint and  braided rope (courtesy of the artist; photo by Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery)

This, for me, is where the show comes alive. Hans-Christian Behm’s Vancouver Chair, 1969, is a cheeky take on a Le Corbusier classic. Meanwhile, B.C. potters were discovering their own voices or, in Wayne Ngan’s case, rediscovering traditional Asian forms and glazes with pieces like Raku Pot. 

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Wayne Ngan, Raku Pot, circa 1970s

ceramic (collection of John David Lawrence; photo by Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery)

Dizzy Dome, 1974, by Setsuko Piroche is one of several three-dimensional pieces that reflect the era’s interest in volume and natural fibres. A collection of finely detailed Salish weavings complement the textiles. 

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Setsuko Piroche with her work “Dizzy Dome,” circa 1974

woven installation (courtesy of the artist)

The exhibition ends with a mini-skirted mannequin dressed in recycled videotape. Video Armour, 1972, acknowledges multimedia weaver and performance artist Evelyn Roth, who not only crocheted the dress but performed in it as well. 

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Evelyn Roth in her “Video Armour,” 1972

outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery during the exhibition “Pacific Vibrations,” 1973

“I would like to see people pay more attention to talent applied to making things in this province,” says Collier. “We had a broader understanding of art, craft and design in the ’50s. It was all seen as one … There are makers here who have been doing this a long time and have received very little acknowledgment.”  

Modern in the Making brings their stories to the forefront. ■ 

Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbiais on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery from July 18, 2020 to Jan. 3, 2021.

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