Fluting Iron c. 1938

Editor: So, this is Regina Henderer's "Fluting Iron," likely made around 1938 using watercolor and charcoal. It’s just… there. Stark and almost sad in its stillness. What story do you think it whispers, sitting so quietly? Curator: It hums a domestic tune, doesn’t it? But under that melody, I hear the iron’s weight—both literal and symbolic. It speaks of labor, doesn’t it? Of pressed linens and perhaps pressed lives. See how the zigzags form a kind of landscape. It looks worn but steadfast. What do you feel when you look at it? Editor: I feel…removed. Like this object is from another era, almost a relic. It's mundane, yet here it is, preserved. Does its ordinariness give it a unique importance? Curator: Exactly! It's about seeing the beauty in the everyday, you see. The attention Henderer gives to the texture, the rust… it’s almost reverential, right? Does it change the way you view domestic items at all? Editor: Absolutely. I hadn't considered the artistic merit of something so...functional. Now I see a historical marker and a beautiful object that evokes time, domesticity, memory and care. Curator: Memory and care. I love how you've pinpointed those qualities. Because after all isn’t all art some kind of memento to keep some past alive.