Helen Drutt

Helen Drutt English
BornHelen Ann Williams
(1930-11-19) November 19, 1930
Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S
Occupationcurator, educator, lecturer, author
LanguageEnglish
EducationTyler School of Art, Temple University

Helen Williams Drutt English (born November 19, 1930) is an American gallerist, educator, and author who is best known for her efforts to raise the perception of the so-called craft arts (jewelry, ceramics, wood, fiber) to the same level as fine art through her gallery, teaching, and lectures.[1] As a result of her national and international exhibits, lectures, and catalogs, she has been called the "godmother"[2] and "queen" of crafts.[3] She has received many honors, including a Lifetime Achievement in Crafts award from the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1993) and a Lifetime Achievement award from the Society of North American Goldsmiths (2003).

Early life, education

Helen Williams Drutt was born on November 19, 1930, in Winthrop, Massachusetts, and moved to Philadelphia as a child.[4] She earned a B.F.A. degree from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1952.[1]

Career

Drutt was a founding member of the Philadelphia Council of Professional Craftsmen, where she served as executive director and organized exhibits from 1967[5] to 1973. She founded the Helen Drutt Gallery in 1973 at 1625 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, and held her inaugural exhibit on February 22, 1974.[6] At the same time, Drutt was invited to develop the first college syllabus on the history of 20th-century crafts at Philadelphia College of Art.[6] By 1979, Drutt's gallery was compared in influence and importance to Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery.[7]

In 1982 the Helen Drutt Gallery moved to 305 Cherry Street in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia,[8] and in 1984 to 1721 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.[9] In 1988 a Manhattan branch of the gallery opened at 724 Fifth Avenue, New York.[10] In 1995 Drutt was invited by the City of Philadelphia to serve as its first cultural ambassador.[11]

Although the Helen Drutt Gallery closed as a physical space in 2002, Drutt has continued lecturing, writing, and curating.[12] Major exhibits since then include Poetics of Clay: An International Perspective, which exhibited over 125 artists from 14 countries surveying 50 years (1950-2000) of ceramics drawn from private and public collections; A View From America: Contemporary Jewelry ,1974-2003; Brooching It Diplomatically: A Tribute to Madeleine K. Albright; Challenging the Châtelaine!; Gifts from America: 1948–2013, comprising 74 works given to the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2014;[13] RINGS! 1968 - 2021; Bracelets, Bangles, & Cuffs: 1948-2024, at the Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, 2024;[14] and Beauty and the Unexpected, comprising of works given to the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden exhibited from 2023-2025.[15]

The Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Contemporary Studio Jewelry has been exhibited worldwide on several occasions. From 1985 to 1995 it traveled to 11 museums which include the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, Canada (1984), Philadelphia Museum of Art (1986-87), the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1994-95) and the Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Oostende, Belgium (1995).[16] The support of this exhibition expresses a primary concern and focus on preserving a segment of the history of contemporary jewellery. The expanded Helen Williams Drutt Collection was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it was exhibited in 2007 under the title Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection with an extensive catalog of the complete collection.[17]

Personal life

Drutt has been married four times: first to Larry Weiss, then to William Drutt (both marriages ended in divorce). Her third marriage was to poet Maurice English from 1982 until his death only one year later in 1983. Drutt founded the Maurice English Poetry Award in his honor.[18] In 2007 she married H. Peter Stern (1928-2018), co-founder of the Storm King Art Center, with whom she remained until his death in 2018.[19] She has a daughter, Ilene Weiss, and a son, Matthew Drutt.[20]

Awards and honors

Most of the honors listed here are sourced from "A Passionate Observer: A Tribute to Helen Drutt", the Clay Studio, 2009[21]

  • 1994: Mayor’s Arts and Culture Award, Philadelphia PA[21]
  • 1995-1999: appointed Cultural Ambassador for the City of Philadelphia by the Office of Arts and Culture[21]
  • 2003: Lifetime Achievement award, Society of North American Goldsmiths[22]
  • 2006: Philadelphia Craft Medal, Philadelphia Museum of Art[21]

Publications

  • Strauss, Cindi; Drutt, Helen Williams (2007). Ornament as art: avant-garde jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Stuttgart, Germany: Arnoldsche Art Publishers in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. ISBN 9783897902732.
  • Drutt, Helen Williams; Dormer, Peter (1995). Jewelry of our time: art, ornament, and obsession. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847819140.
  • Drutt, Helen Williams (2024). Bracelets, bangles, & cuffs, 1948-2024: an exhibition conceived by Helen Drutt. Memphis, TN: National Ornamental Metal Museum. ISBN 9798218419783.
  • Helen Drutt Gallery (1998). Brooching It Diplomatically: A Tribute to Madeleine Albright. Stuttgart, Germany: Arnoldsche Art Publishers. ISBN 9783897901520.

Lectures and Interviews

References

  1. ^ a b "Helen W. Drutt English's (BFA '52) Gift to Temple". Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Temple University. Tyler Art and Architecture. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Craft in America: Home: Helen Drutt English". Craft in America. PBS. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  3. ^ Glentzer, Molly (Oct 7, 2007). "Jewelry Still Makes Collector's Eyes Sparkle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  4. ^ McClelland, Jim. "Helen W. Drutt English: Ceramics' Champion". Ceramics Monthly. 53 (5 May 2005): 37–40.
  5. ^ Donohoe, Victoria (March 5, 1967). "Craftsmanship Takes a Turn for the Better". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. p. 122.
  6. ^ a b Donohoe, Victoria (March 3, 1974). "Hoped-For Turning Point for Crafts". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. pp. 11–H.
  7. ^ Wieder, Laurance. "The Gallery: Helen Drutt". American Craft. 39 (4 (Aug/Sep 1979)): 30–31.
  8. ^ Donohoe, Victoria (July 9, 1982). "Drutt Gallery: A Shot in the Arm for the Old City Neighborhood". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. p. 106.
  9. ^ Donohoe, Victoria (April 28, 1984). "On Galleries". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 4-D.
  10. ^ Katz, Ruth J (September 15, 1988). "Arts, Fine and Applied, in Philadelphia Tradition". New York Times. New York, NY. pp. C15.
  11. ^ Donohoe, Victoria (March 12, 1995). "Artist and Promoter of Crafts is Honored". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. MD-9.
  12. ^ Greenbaum, Toni (18 Nov 2016). "Contemporary Jewelry Takes a Stand". Art Jewelry Forum. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  13. ^ Fulk, Marion (9 February 2015). "Helen Drutt: The State Hermitage Museum Exhibition". Art Jewelry Forum. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  14. ^ "AJF Live with Helen Drutt". Art Jewelry Forum. 16 October 2024.
  15. ^ Royal College of Art (2024-11-26). Peter Dormer Lecture 2024: Helen Drutt: 'A Passionate Observer, Five Decades'. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Dormer, Peter, and Williams Drutt, Helen (November 19, 1995). Jewelry of Our Time: Art, Ornament and Obsession. Rizzoli International Publishers, Inc. p. 210. ISBN 9780847819140.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Strauss, Cindi (2007). Ornament as art: avant-garde jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. ISBN 9783897902732.
  18. ^ https://www.macdowell.org/artists/maurice-english
  19. ^ Sandomir, Richard (2018-11-15). "H. Peter Stern, 90, Co-Founder of Storm King Art Center, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  20. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. (29 March 2009). "A Discerning Eye, A Diva's Fervor: Helen Drutt Lifted Craft out of Obscurity into Artistry". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "A Passionate Observer: A Tribute to Helen Drutt". The Clay Studio. 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Society of North American Goldsmiths. Retrieved 21 February 2025.Society of North American Goldsmiths
  23. ^ Nye, Naomi Shahib (15 December 2020). "Helen Drutt English on the Essentialness of Creating by Hand". Literary Hub. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
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