Contemporary American Craft Art: A Collector's Guide

Only an art enthusiast would presume to teach the uninitiated how to judge esthetic quality and technique when buying contemporary crafts. Mayer, who writes on home furnishings for the Associated Press, takes up the challenge in this delightfully informal guide. She tells novice and seasoned collectors how to find their way around studios, street fairs and art expos; gives advice on how to buy from galleries or commission works from artists; and offers guidelines on insuring, displaying and storing objects. Supplementary sections list collector groups, media resources, organizations. Mayer's alert survey packs 200 color reproductions into a dizzying cross-section of the U.S. craft scene. The craftspeople represented display audacious imagination in their search for new forms and rethinking of traditional ones, whether in glass, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry, metal or wood creations. (April)