Gerhardt Knodel Named Director Emeritus of Cranbook Academy of Art
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Oct. 22, 2014 – The Cranbrook Educational Community Board of Trustees has named Gerhardt Knodel a Director Emeritus of Cranbook Academy of Art.
Knodel will deliver a special lecture at Cranbrook Art Museum on October 26 at 4pm. The award will be presented to Knodel at the lecture.
This marks the first time the Board of Trustees has bestowed a Director Emeritus Award.
“Gerhardt’s contributions to Cranbrook continue to live on at the Academy every day,” says Chris Scoates, current Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. “His legacy helped shape this institution into one of the top-rated schools of art and design in the world. As a mentor, he helped to shape the careers of some of the top practicing artists today. We are not only grateful for his contributions, but for all of the work he continues to do on behalf of the Academy.”
Knodel has a long history with Cranbrook, serving for more than 37 years. He was head of the Fiber Department from 1970-1995 and Director of the Academy from 1995-2007. He served as a mentor to countless artists and designers, including recent ArtPrize award winner Sonya Clark and Nick Cave, whose work will be returning to Cranbrook in June.
During his lecture, Knodel will discuss how the field of textiles, once relatively isolated, now is an ubiquitous medium freely used in all disciplines of art. Knodel has worked through that history, and in his new body of work he is probing fresh associations with the textile medium in relation to contemporary issues and its opportunity to function in this time as an agent of change.
A reception will follow the lecture in Hartmann Gallery.
Knodel will discuss his latest exhibition, Let the Games Begin, which is currently on display at Wasserman Projects in Birmingham, Michigan, through November 7, 2014.
About Cranbrook Academy of Art
Cranbrook Academy of Art is the country’s top ranked, graduate-only program in architecture, design and fine art. Each year, just 75 students are invited to study and live on our landmark Saarinen-designed campus, which features private studios, state-of-the art workshops, a renowned Art Museum, and 300 acres of forests, lakes, and streams, all a short drive from the red-hot art, design, and music scene of Detroit. The focus at Cranbrook is on studio practice in one of ten disciplines: Architecture, 2D and 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media, and Sculpture. The program is anchored by celebrated Artists- and Designers-in-Residence, one for each discipline, all of whom live and practice on campus alongside our students. For more information, visit us at www.cranbrookart.edu.
