The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest by Lawrence Kreisman, Glenn Mason

Abstract

In termsof thewriting,much of thebook tends toward somewhat dry narration of political conflicts rather than attempting to draw rivetingpersonal portraits or continually advancing interpretive arguments. And thebook could have used amuch more robust conclu sion,placing Putman's findings about Seattle in conversationwith other scholarlywork about theworkings of Progressivism. That said, Put man's book isa valuable contribution that will definitely interestnot only scholars but also many lay-readersof PacificNorthwest history. Robert D. Johnston University at Illinois at Chicago Craftsman style,and survivingArts and Crafts objects ina variety ofmaterials, Kreisman and Mason masterfully convey the essence of the movement and its talented practitioners in many artisticfields. To establish a context for the advent of theArts and Craftsmovement, the authors take great care to describe how themovement's ideals came to the Pacific Northwest. The authors emphasize the role of themajor expositions inPortland (1905) and Seattle (1909) and the educational effortsof other public institutions,such as libraries,art museums, and colleges, in stimulating interest in theArts and Crafts ethos. InPartOne of the book, the authors provide the national and international context and describe thedesign philosophy of key Arts and Crafts thinkers and artisans and how theydisseminated their message. The remaining three parts focus on architecture, applied arts, and artistic expression through painting, print making, and photography. Appropriately, the crafts man styleof architecture and itspublic and private application iscovered at length.Those who love bungalows will not be disappointed in the authors' discussion of the subject. Of particular interest is the discussion of how Native American hand-crafted objects became a focus and inspiration of theArts and Crafts movement in the Pacific Northwest and how thisdevelopment helped keep alive traditional Native American crafts in the region.Also of great value toboth scholars and lay readers is the authors' recovery and discussion ofwell known and not sowell remembered artistsand crafts persons of the various artistic endeavors of themovement. The collective biographies and critical evaluations form a beginning point for furtherconsideration of their lives and work. An outstanding feature of thisbook is its high design quality and the execution of a layout that expertlydeploys illustrations and photographs to support and expand on the text.Timber Press should be commended for THEARTSAND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST by Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2007. Illustrations, photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 400 pages. $39.95 cloth. In amajor social and cultural study,Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason's The Arts and Crafts Movement in thePacificNorthwest sur veys the impact of that artisticmovement in Oregon andWashington between 1900 and 1925. The authors attempt to"examine products and buildings by regional designers, architects, and artisans in order to convey how theArts and Craftsmovement influenced urban and rural lifestyles"(p. ii). The key question they ask is how regional practitioners of theArts and Crafts aesthetic adapted designs developed in the eastern United States and overseas to reflectthe climate, landscape, and lifestyleof thePacificNorthwest. The study is wide rang ing,well researched, and provides examples from all corners of the two states to support the authors' presentation. Drawing on awealth ofwritten documen tation, a large repository of buildings in the Reviews 627 the thoughtful and high quality production represented by thisvolume. This readable and handsome work describes and analyzes an important aspect of the art and culture of the Pacific Northwest during the early twentieth century and serves as a valuable reference for further research. Scholars, collectors, and interested layreaderswill all enjoy and benefit from reading thisbook. William R Willingham Portland, Oregon in 1853. The bulk of the material isprovided by threedifferent writers ? Celinda Hines, Gusta vus Hines, and Harvey Hines ? with added material from others wherever available. Unfortunately, since theHines trip was not historically noteworthy and, admittedly, came offwith very fewhitches, the effectof having threedifferentpeople describe the same non incidents isa littlelike making the reader hike fifteen miles of the trail, then backtrack and do it again twomore times before proceed ing to achieve some actual forward progress. Whenever some slightvariances inviewpoint might add interestto thenarrative, the editor frequently intrudesand exacerbates the repeti tiveeffect by quoting directlywhat will be said in the very next paragraph. On page 143, for example, he writes: "Harvey in...