Allen H. Eaton, Dean of American Crafts - Softcover

Van Dommelen, David B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0971183597 ISBN 13: 9780971183599

Publisher: Local History Co, 2004

Synopsis

THE ONLY BIOGRAPHY OF MID-20TH CENTURY AMERICA'S LEADING HANDICRAFTS ADVOCATE.

Eaton was a prominent member of the Oregon legislature around the time of World War I and later a nationally recognized proponent of handicrafts while living in New York and working for the Russell Sage Foundation. A sociologist by training, he was the first to point out the link between beauty and life, and to advocate the importance of handicrafts by immigrants, residents of the Southern Highlands and New England, the blind, and even prisoners in Japanese-American detention camps. A quiet and modest man, Eaton was a friend of everyone from the humblest quilter in the backwoods of Tennessee to Grandma Moses and Eleanor Roosevelt.

This is an important book for anyone interested in the rise of handicrafts in America, and also anyone who needs to be reminded of the devastating impact political shenanigans and wartime politics can have on an individual.

Janet L. McCall, Executive Director, Society for Contemporary Craft, describes Van Dommelen’s work as having ". . . contributed a fascinating chapter in the history of American craft with this biography of a gentle visionary who believed in the power of art to change lives, and devoted his life to pursuing social justice through 'handicraft'. Eaton's vision is still very relevant today."

About this title

From the Publisher

CULMINATION OF 20 YEARS OF RESEARCH. Thanks to this well researched and heartfelt biography, Allen H. Eaton (1878-1962) retakes his much-deserved place in the history of American craft. A tireless advocate for craft, Eaton almost single-handedly established the relationship between art, beauty and life, a relationship not previously acknowledged or appreciated until he pointed it out. His work brought prominence and respect to handicrafts produced by the people of Oregon, Southern Appalachia, New England, immigrants, the blind and even prisoners in Japanese-American internment camps. Widely known as the "Dean of American Crafts", this is his story.

Van Dommelen spent over twenty years researching the life of Eaton and conducting a number of in-person interviews with Eaton's colleagues, family and friends as he developed this first-ever biography.

EATON INFLUENCED POLITICS AS WELL AS ART. As a member of the Oregon legislature during the early 20th century, Eaton was a tireless advocate for the referendum system of government now such a popular feature of the western political landscape.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE. Eaton was forced out of the Oregon state legislature for bucking corporate interests in favor of public safety. He was also fired from his university faculty position, branded a traitor for associating with some who expressed dissenting political opinions during wartime. (The university eventually awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1938, recognizing not only its error in dismissing him but also his later achievements apart from the university.) These heartbreaking events caused Eaton and his family to leave their beloved Oregon and head east.

HIS LIFE'S WORK. In New York, Eaton joined the new Russell Sage Foundation, a platform from which he launched his true life's work, the elevation of handicrafts. His gentle demeanor, deep insights, and integrity earned him the respect of his colleagues, craftspeople, and the powerful alike. His most ironic friendship, perhaps, was with Eleanor Roosevelt who penned a foreword to one of his most controversial works, Beauty Behind Barbed Wire, a celebration of crafts in the Japanese-American internment camps (it was Franklin Roosevelt who signed the executive order creating the camps during World War II).

With over 50 photos.

About the Author

David B. Van Dommelen is professor emeritus at the Pennsylvania State University. He and his wife live in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania where he runs a private design firm.

About this edition

• Publisher: Local History Co
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0971183597
• ISBN 13: 9780971183599
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 215