Joseph Cornell as Maker January 22, 2007

Explore Joseph Cornell's Wonderland as a QTVR

I think Joseph Cornell was one of the original makers: he understood that the manufactured things around us can be disassembled into their component parts and recombined into new things. Our Interact page has a QTVR showing a room full of some of the thousands of items Cornell collected and used as raw materials for his work. My favorite is a box of pocket-watch dials. Imagine how much you would pay for that at a yard sale these days.

I was surprised to see that there is no page about the maker movement on Wikipedia, and I think I shall suggest that one be created. More about makers and American art in a future post...

Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination closes February 19, 2007.

• Joseph Cornell, QTVR, American Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum