Lectures at the MFA - Martin Puryear and Craft

The line between craft and art is often a sticky one, and artist Martin Puryear has both navigated and transcended this truth across the arc of his career. Looking closely at the pivotal time Puryear spent as a student in Scandinavia in the mid-1960s, consider the artist’s rich and complex relationship with contemporary craft. Explore Puryear’s formative moment spent in northern climes, specifically his series of brief but impactful meetings with the acclaimed 20th-century woodworker, educator, and writer James Krenov, then make connections to circles of contemporary craft today. Michelle Millar Fisher, Ronald and Anita Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts, Department of Contemporary Art Wednesday, October 8, 2025