Generations: Grimm, Hardy, Setziol, Shores is the first in a series of exhibitions created to strengthen understanding of the rich cultural legacy of Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery (now Museum of Contemporary Craft). This inaugural exhibition uses objects exhibited—or similar to those exhibited during the last seventy years at Contemporary Crafts—in conjunction with rarely-seen archival materials. Through these juxtapositions, the exhibition explores intersections between the artists and Contemporary Crafts, and between the Museum and the history of art in the Pacific Northwest and nation as a whole.

This exhibition focuses on the work of four artists—Ray Grimm, Tom Hardy, Leroy Setziol and Ken Shores—who have participated in dozens of exhibitions at Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery. Individually, they have influenced countless people through teaching at the university level and workshops, public art projects and numerous regional, national and international exhibitions. All of the artists, with the exception of Setziol who passed away in 2005, continue to create and exhibit work today.

As Contemporary Crafts concludes its residence at 3934 SW Corbett Avenue and prepares for its new identity as a museum in downtown Portland, the legacy of the exhibitions hosted throughout its seventy-year history grows increasingly important. Through this and future exhibitions in the Generations series, the depth of the museum’s archive will be made publicly visible. The richly layered stories of volunteers, artists, exhibitions and, by extension, the history of craft take on new meaning as the former Oregon Ceramic Studio transitions into a museum of contemporary craft. As stewards of a growing collection – 1,000 works of art as well as scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, slides, films, audiotapes and other archival materials – Contemporary Crafts will continue to research, develop and share our vital archive through exhibitions, education programs and publications.