Museum of Contemporary Craft’s permanent collection encompasses more than 1,000 objects that reflect a strong regional focus, highlighting many of the area’s most important artists working in craft, including Victoria Avakian Ross, Betty Feves, Ray Grimm, Lydia Herrick Hodge, Leroy Setziol, Ken Shores and many others. Primarily made up of ceramics from the 1950s–1970s, the Museum’s collection also includes works in glass, metal, fiber and wood. With an emphasis on modest works – many created at the beginning of artists’ careers – the collection reflects the Museum’s role in the Northwest’s rich craft heritage.

With improved storage capabilities at our Pearl District location, the collection is poised for growth. New acquisitions will better represent regional craft from Oregon, Washington, California, Montana and Idaho. Additionally, collections is interested in objects which are specifically tied to the exhibitions and history of the Museum.

Museum of Contemporary Craft encourages ongoing scholarly research on its permanent collection and the history of American Craft. In addition to our collection, the Museum also houses a resource center, where library materials and articles related to craft are available for reference.

For more information on the permanent collection, to make a donation or to make a research appointment, contact Nicole Nathan, collections manager, by e-mail at collections@MuseumofContemporaryCraft.org or by phone at 971.255.5526.

Unpacking the Collection
Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft
By Namita Gupta Wiggers
Softcover; 136 pages; ISBN: 0-9728981-3-1
Release date: July 13, 2008
$35 | Members: $31.50

The first publication to document Museum of Contemporary Craft’s collection and its ties to changes in craft over the past seventy years, Unpacking the Collection introduces the Museum through artwork, essays, texts, archival photos and an exhibition chronology. Featuring essays by David Cohen, Janet Koplos and Glenn Adamson and text by Namita Gupta Wiggers, the book vividly illustrates the evolution of a community resource, connections between the collection and the Museum’s history, and the importance of honoring the Northwest’s rich artistic heritage.

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Images (left to right): Lino Tagliapietra, Linda Apodaca, Sharon Marcus, Kyoko Tokemaru; Photos by Dan Kvitka