Emery in the Shape of a Strawberry c. 1937

Curator: Ann Gene Buckley created this whimsical watercolor on paper, around 1937. It's titled "Emery in the Shape of a Strawberry." Editor: It's incredibly delicate. The single form suspended in so much negative space… it almost floats. There's a curious dreamlike quality to its simple subject matter; quite ornamental! Curator: Indeed. Consider the function of an emery, typically used to sharpen needles, a crucial tool in the needle trades. Yet Buckley elevates this utilitarian object, rendering it in soft watercolours. There’s a distinct dialogue here between the labor it implicitly supports and the sheer beauty of its decoration. What thoughts come to mind? Editor: That strawberry form...It teeters between functional object and delectable confection! Those frills at the top look like icing, don't they? And the tiny, stylized flowers feel almost edible. Does this embellishment diminish or celebrate the tool’s use value, I wonder? Is she hinting at feminine labor and domestic adornment of that labor? Curator: Possibly. The layering of frills crafted of the strawberry, might indicate mass manufacturing as ruffles were often made from the cuttings of left over material. This highlights an era's shift in needlework production from hand made to machine. It blurs distinctions between fine art and decorative-art. What is really "beautiful?" Editor: Absolutely, questioning such arbitrary categorizations and their latent prejudices enriches my view of art. I sense also a celebration of simple pleasures made available in manufactured domestic items for the masses; objects easily discarded after use. Almost a memorial. Curator: Agreed. I leave pondering our constant re-evaluation of labor and leisure. Editor: And the beautiful dance of utility and artifice that still delights today!