ARTOMATIC 2.0

7/29/20 | 
​THE HISTORY OF CRAFT IN DC
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29| 7PM
ONLINE ZOOM TALK

Join us for a discussion on the history of art and craft in Washington DC by some of the leading experts on the subject: Brett L. Abrams, Rebecca Cross, Jaimianne Jacobin and Jack Rasmussen. 

Brett L. Abrams, moderator, received his doctorate in US History from American University in 2000. As an accomplished author, his books include a breadth of knowledge, including transgressive sexuality in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, and sports in the nation's capital and in popular culture. He currently serves as Senior Archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration and currently, Abrams is writing a book about the role of visual arts in the development of Washington, D.C. during the twentieth century.

Rebecca Cross, panelist, is a painter, set & costume designer, and ceramic artist.  She has work included in the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery and Embassies in Colombia and Nicaragua, along with hundreds of private and corporate collections. Shown widely throughout the UK and the US she has received grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, The American Scandinavian Foundation, and is a MacDowell Fellow. Owner and Director of Cross MacKenzie Gallery since 2006, she has curated and presented over 130 solo & group exhibitions, represented her artists at multiple art venues and fairs including Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy, SOFA, NY, The Architectural Digest Show, NYC, and more.

Jaimianne Jacobin, panelist, is the Director of the James Renwick Alliance. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Shenandoah Arts Council and Executive Officer of the Creative Crafts Council. She has a Bachelors in Ceramics from Finlandia University and a Masters of Curatorial Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Jacobin has curated exhibitions across the US and received a grant from the Center for Craft in 2016 to write the “The History of Craft in our Nation’s Capital”.

Jack Rasmussen, panelist, is the Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. He received his BA in Art from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, before moving to Washington, DC, to earn an MFA in Painting, MA in Arts Management, and MA and PhD in Anthropology at American University. as the Assistant Director of the Washington Project for the Arts when it opened in 1975 and left the position to open the Jack Rasmussen Gallery. He later helped launch Rockville Arts Place (VisArts), served for ten years as the Executive Director of Maryland Art Place in Baltimore, and three years as Executive Director of di Rosa.

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