Photos courtesy of Ezra Shales.

In this program, Professor Ezra Shales will present new ways to view and interpret both intentional and unintentional art. Through the examination of everyday objects, he will demonstrate how a single artifact can serve as a revealing time capsule, offering insights into the culture and values of its time.

The presentation will feature a hands-on "show-and-touch" experience with a selection of objects. Audience members will be invited to compare a design displayed at London's Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 with one from today's Plasticene era, encouraging discussion about how design reflects changing technologies, materials, and society.

The program will be held in the Woodstock History Center Library, 26 Elm Street, Woodstock. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Ezra Shales Biography

Ezra is the author of The Shape of Craft (2017) and Made in Newark: Cultivating Industrial Arts and Civic Identity in the Progressive Era (2010).  He has also written numerous articles and contributed to exhibition catalogs for artists Polly Apfelbaum, Neil Brownsword, Kim Dickey, Shari Mendelson, and Dan Walsh.  He learned much of what he knows about art while working in New York City’s flea markets, as a museum preparator/art handler and as an educator at The Brooklyn Museum. Ezra is currently a professor in the History of Art department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.