Ribbed Glass Bowl c. 1940

Editor: This is Beverly Chichester’s "Ribbed Glass Bowl," created around 1940, and rendered with watercolor and drawing techniques. There’s a quiet beauty to this seemingly mundane object. What do you see in it? Curator: The beauty lies in the representation of process, doesn’t it? Look at how Chichester renders the glass, emulating the ribbed texture. This speaks to the methods of glass production, to labor, and even to the broader culture of domestic consumption in the 1940s. The materiality of the bowl becomes a focal point. Does this piece make you consider how such an object would have been manufactured? Editor: It does now! I hadn't thought about the process, but you’re right; the watercolor emphasizes the ridges. It almost looks mass-produced, yet there’s the individuality of the handmade painting, creating a curious tension. Curator: Exactly. We often separate ‘fine art’ from ‘craft’, but works like this challenge those boundaries. Is the artist celebrating industry or critiquing it? Consider the availability of mass-produced glass items at the time. Does Chichester elevate this object or simply document it? Editor: I think it’s somewhere in between. It elevates a common object, but the deliberate focus on its ribbed texture hints at the industrial processes behind it. The materiality of watercolor becomes so crucial to emphasizing glass manufacturing. Curator: And where does this place drawing, with water color on paper medium and process? How does the medium come together with the depiction to speak to industry and domesticity? Perhaps we are examining its availability more than either celebration or critique of it’s existence. Editor: That's fascinating. Looking at it from a materialist perspective makes you think beyond just the aesthetic qualities of the painting. Curator: Indeed. It encourages us to examine the object’s role in a larger network of production, consumption, and artistic representation. Editor: I'll definitely look at art with a more critical eye toward material and labor going forward. Thanks!