International Arts&Crafts Exhibition and Crab Tree Farm

IntlAC.jpgMichael McDaid flew over from Ireland to join us for the debut of the GuildCraft Voysey Collection of Arts & Crafts carpets in Chicago. Danielle and I then drove down to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see the Victoria & Albert Museum’s International Arts&Crafts Exhibition. (The IMA was one of only two venues in the U.S. housing the exhibition.) After enjoying an excellent brunch at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, we toured the exhibition, and were particularly inspired by the rug designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Little house (seen on wall at left).

But even more impressive was our visit to Crab Tree Farm north of Chicago, where a private collector has created an awe-inspiring environment for what is probably the finest collection of English and American Arts & Crafts furniture and decorative arts anywhere in the world. The workshop there was in fact where the exhibition’s famous “Stickley Room” was actually made. So this was one of the instances where the museum exhibition, well done as it was, paled in comparison to the collector’s vision.

I spent most of my time on the floor analyzing the structure of all the antique rugs, including several notable Donegals like the one shown here.