Bag 1935 - 1942

Curator: Editor: Here we have "Bag", a coloured-pencil drawing from sometime between 1935 and 1942, by Samuel O. Klein. It feels almost like a blueprint, and makes me wonder about the construction of these beaded bags. What catches your eye about it? Curator: What intrigues me most is the depiction of this everyday object as a subject worthy of artistic attention. What materials were accessible? Who had the time and skills for beadwork in that era, considering the socio-economic pressures of the time? The drawing gives it value in its artistic expression of this craft. Editor: I see what you mean. So you’re thinking about it in terms of the labor involved in the object, rather than just seeing the finished product? Curator: Exactly. Consider the process. Someone likely meticulously stitched these beads. This artwork invites us to acknowledge the conditions of its making. Were these sold in boutiques or craft stores? Was it part of the folk art movement? It emphasizes this type of labor. Editor: It's funny, I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes so much sense! This drawing isn’t just a picture of a bag. It highlights all the things that went into it, and gives value to these overlooked trades. Curator: Precisely. And we begin to move beyond simply aestheticizing objects, toward really trying to grasp what material reality they are steeped in. We recognize the craft and labor of people's livelihoods. Editor: That makes me see the artwork and the bag itself very differently now. Thanks for that! Curator: My pleasure. It's about learning to see through a materialist lens; considering who makes things, how they’re made, and what social structures enable or constrain that making.