the wrong william morris

Today Nate and I went to the Dayton Art Institute to see an exhibit called "William Morris: Myth, Art, and the Animal." I didn't exactly check to see what the exhibit included. I just got excited to see some Arts and Crafts works. w00t!

Or not... I knew something was wrong when the brief bio in the program outside the doors to the exhibit placed the artist in the late twentieth century.

This William Morris does glass blowing and achieves some impressive results, to say the least. Birds and skulls were consistent motifs, along with tribal themes - think "noble savage." We weren't crazy about the skulls or the dead birds, but the sculptures of live birds were lovely and lifelike. There was a video showing him working with his team on a particular work, and the amount of skill it takes to create these things is amazing. It looked like incredibly hot, hard work, but the results are obviously worth it.

So, check him out: click here.

But... not the William Morris I thought! Disappointing. Maybe another time. At least it was "Free Exhibit Admission" Thursday.