The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College is pleased to present the first exhibition to feature the work of both Sam Maloof and Alfreda Ward Maloof. The exhibition “Dovetail: The Art and Furniture of Sam and Alfreda Ward Maloof” will be on view from August 28 through October 17, 2004. The opening reception will be held on Friday, September 10, from 7-9 p.m., and is open to the public. Sam Maloof will give a lecture to coincide with the exhibition on Saturday, September 25th, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Sam Maloof is acknowledged as one of the finest woodworkers of our time. He has designed and produced furniture for more than half a century. His furniture is in some of the most important private collections in the nation and the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and many other major museums. A Fellow of the American Craft Council, Sam Maloof has received many honors. He has been named a “Living Treasure of California” by the California Creative Arts League of Sacramento and received the American Craft Council’s Gold Medal Award. He also was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Alfreda Ward Maloof (1911-1998), an artist, teacher, and former Director of Arts and Crafts at the Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, met and married Sam while completing her MFA at Scripps College. She inspired Sam in his work and managed the Maloof woodworking business until her death in 1998. Alfreda also wrote Recollections from My Time in the Indian Service 1935-1943: Maria Martinez Makes Pottery (1997). Exhibition curator Kirk Delman has selected an array of furniture by Sam, along with his working drawings of furniture and watercolors from the 1950s, together with Alfreda’s photographs, works on paper, and objects from their extensive private collection of arts and crafts. On Saturday, Sept. 25, 7-8 p.m., Sam Maloof will give a talk in the Gallery. For more information, please contact the Gallery at (909) 607-3397.
The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery is located in Claremont, CA, at Eleventh Street and Columbia Avenue, adjacent to Baxter Hall. The Gallery is open to the public, free of charge, Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-5 p.m.