Evening star., 1922-10-29

N crafts. assembled by The
n American Federation of Arts,
will be opened in the National
Gallery of Art. National Museum. un-
der the auspices of the Smithsonian
institution, with a private view We'd
neSday afternoon between the hours
of and g.
This exhibition will be on view
here, free to the public, for little
over three weeks. after which II IS
to go on IL circuit of the principal
museums of the country, beginning
with the Pennsylvania Museum and
passing successively, month by
month. to the museum of the Rhode
Island School of Design. Providence:
Museum of Fine Arts. Boston; Car
negir Institute. Pittsburgh, and the
Museum of Art i'll Cleveland. Ohio.
1t was selected by Il jury of eX-
pertS. consisting Of {. Howard Walker
OF Boston. architect and writer, who
for number OF years has been
chairman of the jury of the Boston
Society of Arts and Crafts. H. l.. Ma
coubcr. secretary of the Boston So
ciety of Arts aud Crafts. Henry W.
kert. secretary of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art and president of the
Groler club: Bertram Goodhue. for
merry of the firm of Cram. Goodhue &
Ferguson. architects. the architect of
the new Academy of Science build
ing being erected in this city; Huger
Elliott. director of the Pennsylvania
Museum school of Industrial Art.
Philadelphia: Samuel Yellin of Phila-
delphia, craftsman, noted for his work
in wrought iron. Sarah Hendrie,
chairman of the jury of the Detroit
Society of Arts and Crafts; Helen
Plumb. secretary of the Detroit So
ciety of Arts and Crafts. Herman
Rosse of Chicago, instructor in de-
sign. Chicago Art Institute. and de-
signer of stage scenery. and Lydia
Bush Brown of this city, crafts
woman.
Craftsmen from all parts of the
country were invited to contribute
and between 100 and 500 articles were
sent in. From these the jury selected
about 200 all of which possess not
only excellence. but distinction in de-
sign and near as possible perfec-
tion in craftsmanship-a standard, In
other words, of the highest order and
to which only the most talented and
skillful could attain.
The purpose of the exhibition. how
ever. is to demonstrate to the people
generally the high merit of cotem-
porary American handicrafts and to
show by actual examples that there
are today craftsmen in this country
doing work which bears comparison.
technically and artistically, with the
best works that have been produced.
While small, this exhibition will
cover "a wide field OF endeavor. 1t will
include jewelry. metal work. silver,
enameling, book kbinding, wrought
iron. wood carving. Illuminating.
textiles, embroidery, lace, block print
ing, batiks. woven fabrics. pottery.
and even a little ship model of pic
turesque design by Henry B. Culver
of New York purposed for decora-
tion.
1t will be installed on the main
floor of the National History Museum
in the space between the rotunda and
the series of galleries occupied at
present by the McFadden. Evans,
tfonal Gallery of Art. Thus. the
handicrafts will be brought into close
relationship with the choicest ex-
amples of the art of painting. and
those who visit the one exhibition
will have the opportunity of seeing
the others. In the days of the rem
aissance the handicrafts were held
in as high esteem as the so-called
fine arts. and in not a few instances
those who were great in one were
equally great in the other. Indeed,
the progress of art in a country can
he better estimated by the output
of its craft shops than the output of
It's studios, for the craftsmen are
making useful articles beautiful and
their art is that of everyday life. If
the people of nation demand beauty
in connection with articles of utility.
they evidence a high state of civil
ization. and one in which art Is
bound to flourish. No little impor-
tance, therefore, attaches to this
museum exhibit of American handi-
craft which has hnen h1od
in this city and will be first shown
here beginning next Wednesday.
x X X x
A T the Corcoran Gallery of Art a
collection of etchings by Eugene
Paul Metour is now on view Mr.
Metour is professor Of languages at
the United States Naval Academy.
He is native of Britanny, of Celtic
stock, born in France about forty
two years ago, an architect by pro-
fession and writer of books as we'll
as linguiSt, etcher and teacher.
Furthermore, he served with distinc-
tion In the French army during the
war.
During the past five years, since
Mr. Metour has been at the Naval
Academy. he has assiduously applied
his etching needle to various views
and subjects in and around the his
torfc city, and. as it has been truly
said. the etchings now on view
record through this medium the i'm
pressions of one who finds infinite
Joy in that which Is quaint, pic
turesque and beautiful in the old colo
nial architecture, the ship yards. the
quays, the old streets and the natu-
raj surroundings of the city in which
he now resides. 1t is delightful to
come across a new talent, to be in
troduced to one who has So keen q
perception of the artistic and so ad-
mirable a skill in expression. and to
all who are familiar with or versed
in the etchers art the merit of these
works now on view proclaims itself
instantly upon acquaintance.
Mr.. Metour in his etchings has
translated the atmosphere Of An
napolis and he has made It's charm
obvious to ali. 1t Is quite customary
for those in this country to bemoan
the fact that one must go abroad to