David Revere McFadden


David Revere McFadden was Chief Curator and Vice President for Programs and Collections at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. from 1997 until his retirement in 2013.

Career

He served for two years as Executive Director of the Millicent Rogers Museum of Northern New Mexico in Taos, New Mexico. From 1978 to 1995, McFadden served as Curator of Decorative Arts and Assistant Director for Collections and Research at Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. McFadden did his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Minnesota, and received his graduate degree in the History of Art, with a secondary major in Chinese history. He served for six years as President of the International Council of Museums Decorative Arts and Design Committee.
McFadden has organized more than one hundred exhibitions on decorative arts, design and craft, covering developments from the ancient world to the present day. Exhibitions highlighting important and sometimes overlooked areas of design include tiles, keys and locks, pottery and porcelain, glass and silver. Most of these exhibitions were accompanied by catalogues. Thematic exhibitions curated by McFadden include Wine: Celebration and Ceremony, which studied the social and material culture of wine throughout history; L'Art de Vivre: Decorative Arts and Design In France 1789–1989, organized an official manifestation of the bicentennial of the French Revolution, Scandinavian Modern 1880–1980, the first American exhibition to survey modern design from all five Nordic countries over a one-hundred-year period; Hair, a landmark exploration of the visual and design history of human hair; Toward Modern Design: Revival and Reform in Applied Arts 1880–1920; Good Offices and Beyond: The Evolution of the Workplace, a survey of designs for the office in the twentieth century; Structure and Style: Modernism in Dutch Applied Arts 1880–1930, the first American exhibition devoted to Dutch applied arts from that half century. For the Museum of Arts and Design, McFadden has organized exhibitions that include Defining Craft, Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation—Contemporary Native American Art, Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting, Pricked: Extreme Embroidery, Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, Slash:Paper Under the Knife. McFadden's other exhibitions have included such diverse subjects as eighteenth-century European porcelains, English Majolica of the nineteenth century, puppets, American art pottery, and Hungarian jewelry and silver, Art Nouveau ceramics, contemporary art quilts, and jewelry.
After his retirement in 2013, McFadden has not actively participated in independent curatorial or writing projects.

Reception

Not all exhibitions were well received. In her review of the 2007 exhibition “Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting,” in the New York Times, Martha Schwendener wrote that it was not "a benchmark for introducing such crafts’ coolness or radicalism to a vast art audience. Rather than exploring transgressive takes on knitting, the exhibition, organized by David Revere McFadden, the museum’s chief curator, devotes most of its space to art that mimics the look or logic of knitting and lace and translates it into different materials."
In her October 19, 2009 review in the New York Times of the exhibition “Slash: Paper Under the Knife” curated by McFadden, Karen Rosenberg wrote “Slash” looks a lot better than the other two shows, but only because it’s in the museum’s year-old home at Columbus Circle….Otherwise, this show sticks to the museum’s conservative, crafty-contemporary template. The art is impressively detailed and eager to please, though rarely challenging. And from a design standpoint, it’s late to the party; neo-Victorian, laser-cut works by Tord Boontje have become ubiquitous in galleries and gift shops.”

Achievements and Awards

McFadden has published more than 90 books, articles, catalogues, and reviews worldwide, and has delivered more than 200 lectures and papers to national and international audiences. He has spoken at such cultural institutions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the École du Louvre in Paris. He has served on many international panels and juries, and on professional, civic, governmental, and advisory boards, most notably: The Arts Advisory Board of the American Federation of Arts; the Committee for the Restoration of Gracie Mansion, New York City's Mayoral Residence; the Exhibition Committee of the American-Scandinavian Foundation; and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Smithsonian Institution's Material Culture Forum
For his work in cultural affairs, McFadden has been named Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland ; Knight 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star of Sweden by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden ; and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France. Three of McFadden's exhibition projects and/or catalogue were awarded the Presidential Design Award for Excellence.

Publications

Fakes and Forgeries. Exhibition catalogue entries for decorative arts..
Silver: Gallery Guide..
The Art and Mind of Victorian England ; guide to the furniture, ceramics, and metalwork in the exhibition..
"Recent Accessions in Silver: Alexander Petrie and David Willaume, Jr.," The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin, LXI: 5–20.
"Institute Exhibits Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," Arts Magazine,
I, no.13: 4–5.
"The Rococo." Video Program, University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Extension, for KTCA-TV series: From Enlightenment to Revolution: Our Eighteenth-Century Heritage.
"An Aldobrandini Tazza: A Preliminary Study," The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin, LXIII: 43–56.
"The Baldwin Bequest: Recent Accessions in Silver," The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin, LXIII: 131–143.
Porcelain in the Collection of Cooper-Hewitt Museum ..
"A Midwest Sampler: The Braman Collection," The Clarion: America's Folk Art Magazine, : 43–47.
"Design for History: The Cooper-Hewitt Museum," Connoisseur Magazine, 201: 202–204.
Cooper-Hewitt Newsletter.
Glass in the Collection of Cooper-Hewitt Museum ..
Furniture in the Collection of Cooper-Hewitt Museum .
HAIR; catalogue of the exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1980.
Tiles in the Collection of Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
"Decorative Arts at Cooper-Hewitt: A New York Treasure," article in catalogue of 26th Annual East Side House Winter Antiques Show. : 23–25.
Contributor of Chapter 1, in Images in Porcelain, by Jan Axel and K. McCready
Pottery in the Collection of Cooper-Hewitt Museum; handbook of the collection.
"Spheres of Influence: Robert Adam and the Decorative Arts," Connoisseur Magazine, vol. 209 : 30–33.
Book review: Charles Rennie Mackintosh: The Complete Furniture Drawings and Interior Designs, by R. Bilcliffe, in Drawing Magazine, vol. II, no. 3 :.63-65.
"American Opinion: An Important Step in Reviving the Role of the Museum,", Form Function Finland, no. 1 : 24–27.
Exhibition review: "Margie Hughto," American Ceramics, vol. 1, no. 1 : 49.
Juror's statement: Glass Art Society Exhibition Catalogue, Huntington, West Virginia, Huntington Galleries, 1980.
City Dwellings and Country Houses: Robert Adam and His Style; catalogue of the exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1982. Essay: "Spheres of Influence: Robert Adam and the Decorative Arts."
"Robert Adam and His Style," National Journal, : 10–11.
"Craft and Design: The Scandinavian Connection," Craft International : cover and 8–11.
"Excellence by Design: Metalwork from Scandinavia, Metalsmith, vol. 2, no. 4
: 7–13.
"Hot Water Urn by Thomas Heming 1777–1778," Metalsmith, : 38–39.
Silver in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Collection
Book review: The Wedgwood Family Circle, by B. And H. Wedgwood, in The Eighteenth Century: A Current Bibliography, new series 6, ASECS, 1984.

Book review: The Dictionary of Wedgwood, by R. Reilly and G. Savage, in The Magazine Antiques. : 1184, 1188.
Statement: "Curators in Wonderland: A Survey of Wishful Thinking," Antiques World, vol. III, no. 5 : 40.
"American and British Silver," Apollo, vol. CXVII, no. 253 : 222–226.
"With Loving Detail: The Scandinavian Marriage of Craft and Industry," Industrial Design Magazine, vol. 30, no. 3 : 24–29.
Scandinavian Modern Design 1880–1980, author and general editor..
"Documents of Design: Silver at Cooper-Hewitt Museum," The Magazine Silver, part I: vol. XVII, no.1 : 8–15; part II: vol. XVII, no.2 : 8–13.
"Historical Revivals in Glass," Glass Art Society Journal : 11–17.
"Astrid Sampe: An American Perspective," essay in catalogue Astrid Sampe—Svensk Industritextil, exhibition held at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden, 29 February – 23 April 1984. .
Scandinavian Modern: 1880–1980, essay from catalogue issued in Danish. .
"The Design of 'Scandinavian Modern'," Scandinavian Review, vol. 72, no. 1 : 31ff.
"Documents of Design: The Silversmiths' Legacy," The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Antique Show 1984 Catalogue : 41–48.
"Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York: Design for the Nation," Theta House Charity Antiques Show Catalogue. : 76–81.
"A Question of Choice," Sweden Now, vol. 18, no. 6 : 22–25.
"Design is Also a Verb," Form Function Finland, No. 2,.
New American Glass: The State of the Art in the States, Introductory essay for a catalogue of an exhibition at Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden, 1985.
Juror's statement: "New Glass," in Neues Glas, Germany,1985.
General editor and author, Wine: Celebration and Ceremony, catalogue of the exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt. Essay titled "Celebration and Ceremony: Patterns of Ritual,".
"Classics in Context," in E. Gaynor, Finland Living Design, : 12–13.
Tapio Wirkkala, gallery guide for exhibition, IBM Gallery of Science and Art, New York. 1985.
Juror's Statement: Society of Connecticut Craftsmen's 50th Anniversary exhibition, 1985.
"The 1985 Platinum Jewelry Design Competition," Metalsmith, vol. 6, no. 1 : 24–29.
"Earthly Delights: Floral Designs in the Decorative Arts," Catalogue of the 1986 New York Flower Show, The Horticultural Society of New York, 1986: 35–37.
"Light, Glass, and Architecture," The Glass Art Society Journal, 1986: 7–10.
"Design Comment: An Interview with Lella Vignelli," The Glass Art Society Journal, 1986: 30–34.
"Whatever Happened to the Decorative Arts," panelist statement, Glass Art Society Journal, 198: 27.
Introduction to Karmason and Stack, Majolica.
Introduction to Robert Ebendorf Retrospective Exhibition.
Treasures for the Table; Silver From the Chrysler Museum . .
"L'Art de Vivre" special supplement guide, Vogue Decoration, International edition, no. 19, Spring, 1989, with article on "Cooper-Hewitt Museum: The Collections," and foldout time line "French Creativity: Two Captivating Centuries," and "Guide to the Exhibition. Published concurrently in English and French.
"Past and Present: Recent Acquisitions in Ceramics at Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Design," Ars Ceramica, no.5 : 44–49.
L'Art de Vivre: Decorative Arts and Design in France 1789–1989, introductory essay and general editor, with additional authors. .
"Objects," co-author, in Guide to Indexing and Cataloging with the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, edited by Toni Petersen and Patricia J. Barnett. : 121–162.
"Historicisme et exotisme: l'argenterie à Boston, New York, Providence et Philadelphie au XIXeme siècle," Revue du Louvre : 285–292.
"The Landscape of the Table," Exhibition Catalogue: Theta 43rd Annual Charity Antiques Show : 31–33.
Chairmania: Fantastic Miniatures, with George Beylerian and Rita Reif.
"Telling Time: A Personal Acknowledgment," in The Jewelry of Tone Vigeland : 50
Discovering Symbols and Patterns in the Millicent Rogers Museum. With M.A. Allday, R. A. Karch, B. Barrett.
"Juror's Statement," in Spotlight '98, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts,
Gatlinburg, TN, 1998
"Urban Ikebana," essay for collaborative installation by Akihiro Kasuya and Neil Tetkowski, Cast Iron Gallery, New York.
"Taking the Trauma Out of Art," an interview with Suzanne Ramljak, American Ceramics, vol. 13, no. 1 : 10–11.
"Michele Oka Doner: Beyond the Limits of Imitation," in Michele Oka Doner Ceremonial Silver catalogue of an exhibition, Primavera Gallery, New York, 1999.
Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary Quilts by African American Artists,, brochure to accompany exhibition at American Craft Museum and subsequent tour.
Rorstrand: Swedish Art Nouveau Porceelain from the Robert Schreiber Collection.
"Craftsmanship in a Changing World: The Muse and the Mouse," The International 20th Century Arts Fair New York Catalogue : 19–25,
"The Expert View," Chelsea Crafts Fair Catalogue 1999. : 24–26.
"The Architecture of Ornament: The Jewelry of Arline Fisch," in Elegant Fantasy: The Jewelry of Arline Fisch : 9–11.
"Artifice and Authenticity: Defining Craft," Defining Craft 1: Collecting for the New Millennium :9–15.
"Remembering the Future: Collectors and Collecting of Venetian Glass," Venetian Glass: The Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu Collection. 10–12.
"Chairs, Fashion, and Time," catalogue essay for The Chair Show 4 : iv.vi.
"What Came First, the Artists or the Trends?," The Crafts Report : 44–45.
"Interview with David McFadden," Surface Design Journal ;6-ll.
"Body and Soul: Fiber Arts at the American Craft Museum," SOFA New York 2001 catalogue : 22–27.
Changing Hands:Art Without Reservation 1/Contemporary Native American Art from the Southwest, with Ellen N. Taubman. .
"Continuity/Contiguity: The Ceramic Art of Gerry Eskin, exhibition catalogue.
"Practical Dreamer: The Glass of Giles Bettison," Object Magazine, Australia :26–29.
"Changing Hands: A Major Native American Art Exhibition at the American Craft Museum," Southwest Art, vol. 22, no.3 : 150–157.
"La voix nouvelle des Indiens dans la céramique américaine," Revue Céramique & Verre, no.126 ; 46–47.
"Magic in the Mundane: Jewelry from the Donna Schneier Collection," Zero Kara: The Donna Schneier Gift to the American Craft Museum. : 10–15.
"Thin Skin," Corporal Identity: Body Language : 18–22.
"Merging Art and Design Through Craft: An Appreciation of Murano Glass," Murano: Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection : 21–24.
"Craft, Design, or is it Art? Museum of Arts and Design, N.Y." MAGazine, a publication of the Metal Arts Guild of Canada : 19
"An Art of our Time: Wood Sculpture Today," Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection : 10–23.
"Holding One's Breath for Eternity: The Glass Worlds of Paul Stankard," Paul Stankard: A Floating World/Forty Years of an American Master in Glass. : 9–10.
Jack Lenor Larsen: Creator and Collector :20–23.
"Expecting the Unexpected: The Genius of Seaman Schepps," in Amanda Vail and Janet Zapata, Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design : 6.
Juror's Statement, Mesa Contemporary Art Center, 26th Annual Contemporary Crafts,
2004.
"Suzanne Tick: Giving Materials Their Own Voice," Fiberarts : 48–51.
"Eva Hild: Sinuous Shapes," American Ceramics, volume 14, no 3 :16–21.
"Dual Vision: A Conversation with Simona and Jerome Chazen," and Windows Into the Soul: Vision and the Presence of Self," Dual Vision: The Simona and Jerome Chazen Collection, : 10–15; 20–26.
Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2, Contemporary Native North American Art from the West, Northwest, and Pacific, catalogue of the exhibition, with Ellen N. Taubman.
"Of Hammers, History, and Household : The Holloware of Myra Mimlitsch Gray, Metalsmith, vol. 25, no. 2 : 35–40.
"Dreams and Visions: A Theater of Daily Life/The Work of Torben Hardenberg," SOFA 2005 : 35–37.
Juror's Statement, "Earth, Fire and Fibre XXV," The Biennial Alaska Juried Craft Exhibition, Anchorage Museu;m of History and Art, 2005.
Juror's Statement, "Craft Forms 2005," The 11th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Craft.
Design Language Interpretive Edition, by Tim McCreight. .
"Patronage," in Ceramic Millennium; Critical Writings on Ceramic History, Theory, and Art, edited by Garth Clark. : 301–316.
"Marta Klonowska: New Talent/The Most Important Artists Working in Glass You've Never Heard Of," Glass; The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly, no. 103 : 38–39.
"Alejandro Alonso : An Interview with David Revere McFadden," American Ceramics, vol. 15, no. 1 : 14–15.
"The Voice in the Veins," in Judy Chicago: Chicago in Glass, LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2006, p. 2–5
"Over the Top: New Work by José Chardiet," in José Chardiet: Coalescence, Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, December 1, 2006 – January 12, 2007, pp. 5–6
"1970s," Eight Decades of Design; celebrating the New York Design Center's 80th anniversary : 27.
Juror's statement, "RISD Routes: Contemporary Craft by New England Alumni," Fuller Museum of Craft., 2007.
"Is Scottish Craft Really Scottish," The Cutting Edge: Scotland's Contemporary Crafts, National Museums of Scotland, 2007: 121–135.
'Jeffrey Mongrain : Secrets and Revelations, « catalogue article for Daum Museum
"A Season of Abundance: The Maple Tree Series of Sana Musasana," catalogue essay in Sana Musasama: Ambivalent Beauty,," The Grotta
House
Book Review: "Fired With Passion: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics," by Samuel J. Lurie and Beatrice L. Chang.. Arts of Asia, July–August 2007: 136–137
Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting. .
Pricked: Extreme Embroidery.
MADBook; collections handbook
Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary.
Forward Thinking: Building the MAD Collection
"The Seder Plate: Form and Evolution," in New Works Old Story; 80 Artists at the Passover Table, The Dorothy Saxe Invitational. : 23–27.
"Between Art and Nature: The Glass of Steffen Dam," in End of My Garden: Steffen Dam, Heller Gallery, New York 4–25 April 2009: 6–13.
Slash: Paper Under the Knife (catalogue of the exhibition held at the Museum of Arts and Design, October 7, 2009 to April 4, 2010.