‘Craft Across Continents’ at The Mint Museum presents contemporary craft objects by artists from around the globe

All objects in the exhibition are recent gifts from the private collection of Charlotte residents Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro who are avid collectors with a deep knowledge of contemporary craft. The couple has traveled extensively visiting artists’ studios, art fairs, galleries, and museums throughout the United States and abroad.

They are also longtime friends of The Mint Museum and founding members of the Founders’ Circle, the former national affiliate group for the Mint’s Craft and Design Collection. Lassiter also served as executive director of the Founders’ Circle, as well as on the board of the American Craft Council. 

Curated by the Mint’s Senior Curator of Craft, Design, and Fashion Annie Carlano, Craft Across Continents features 21st–century Japanese bamboo works by leading practitioners and innovative wood-fired ceramics, as well as masterworks in glass, including a sculpture by Zora Palova from Slovakia, a seminal installation by Danish maker Tobias Møhl, a mobile by Polish-trained artist Anna Skibska, and spectacular glazed ceramic vessels by British maker Gareth Mason. 

“Craft Across Continents brings you into the home of the collectors to experience what it is like to live every day surrounded by art,” Carlano says. “The galleries evoke the colors and comfort of the Lassiter/Ferraro home, with objects from various countries and of varied materials sitting side–by–side in conversation, on pedestals and platforms, suggesting the coffee table, side tables, and shelving of their domestic interior.”  

The exhibition is accompanied by an inventive catalogue with entries on Japanese ceramics and bamboo sculptures by world-renowned expert Joe Earle, as well as entries on Western objects by Carlano; and Rebecca Elliot, assistant curator of Craft, Design and Fashion; plus, contributions by renowned artists Sharif Bey and Nancy Callan who also have works in the exhibition. 

Craft Across Continents is generously presented by the Mint Museum Auxiliary, with additional corporate support from Moore & Van Allen. Individual sponsorship is kindly provided by Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro, and Rocky and Curtis Trenkelbach. The Mint Museum is supported, in part, by the Infusion Fund and its donors, as well as by the North Carolina Arts Council. Thanks to media partners WFAE and SouthPark magazine. 

Craft Across Continents Public Opening Celebration 

The public opening celebration for Craft Across Continents will take place 11 AM–6 PM December 9 at Mint Museum Uptown. Museum admission will be free both Saturday and Sunday of opening weekend.  

Special programming scheduled for December 9 includes: 

1 PM: Japanese art expert Joe Earle will present on how practice-based considerations of material and technique have interacted with local traditions and global movements to produce one of the world’s most dynamic craft ecosystems.  

2:15 PM and 3:30 PM: Two in-gallery conversations with collectors Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro who will discuss objects in their collection and their collection journey. 

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About The Mint Museum 
Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community. 

Contacts 
Clayton Sealey
Senior Director of Marketing at The Mint Museum
704.534.0186
clayton.sealey@mintmuseum.org 

Michele Huggins
Associate Director of Marketing at The Mint Museum
704.564.0826
michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org