On a recent trip to Washington D.C., I wanted to check out “The Art of Burning Man” at The Renwick Gallery. I arrived as soon as they opened and immediately made a beeline to the 2nd floor where the exhibit was on display. After viewing the exhibit I learned there was a new exhibit on the first floor called “Disrupting Craft.” As a big fan of skulls, I was immediately drawn to the hundreds of miniature terracotta skulls sprawled across the floor of the first room of the exhibit.

Assimilation? Destruction? – Sharif Bey

The Renwick Invitational 2018: Disrupting Craft presents the work of Tanya Aguiñiga, Sharif Bey, Dustin Farnsworth, and Stephanie Syjuco, four artists who challenge the conventional definitions of craft by imbuing it with a renewed sense of emotional purpose, inclusiveness, and activism.

The four artists work in an expansive variety of media including ceramics, wood, and fibers. They all share a dedication to social justice and to interrogating cultural identities and established historical narratives. By exploiting the conceptual toolkits of craft, they develop responses to the contemporary political landscape while also analyzing and challenging their own cultural histories.

“The Visible Invisible” – Stephanie Syjuco

The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to the 21st century. When it was built in 1859, it was known as the “American Louvre.” It really is a beautiful building in the heart of Washington, D.C.

“WAKE II” – Dustin Farnswoth & Timothy Maddox
“Palapa” – Tanya Aguiñiga

This amazing exhibit is on display until May 5, 2019 at the Renwick Gallery If you are in the Washington, D.C. area make sure you go to check the works from these four amazing artists. And best of all its FREE.

Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006