The Arts and Crafts Movement, a fascinating period in decorative history, led to the unprecedented commercialisation of fine crafts and the empowerment of thousands of women and immigrants, who began to pursue new careers in design and handicraft. In 1893, the World's Fair in Chicago heralded the egalitarian art movement in America that led to the establishment of a plethora of metalwork and jewellery companies and studios by the turn of the century. Darcy Evon documents how these new trends spread throughout the Midwest and eventually the country, led by innovative pioneers who inspired an entire nation. They designed exquisite, original pieces of metalwork and jewellery by hand, starting with basic raw materials. Dozens of previously unidentified shops, artists, their creations, and accurate information on well-known historical figures, are featured for the first time in this important, major publication. Organised by trade name and location, this book is for collectors, dealers, and art historians, as well as artisans. AUTHOR: Darcy L. Evon is a freelance author and an arts and crafts scholar and historian. She has published articles on the Chicago Arts and Crafts Movement in Illinois newspapers and she is the historian for the Kalo Foundation in Park Ridge, IL. Ms. Evon is a former business technology columnist for the 'Chicago Sun-Times' and former publisher and editor of 'I-Street Magazine' that was focused on entrepreneurship and emerging technologies in Illinois. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and a certificate from the University of Chicago. She is an avid collector and has conducted research on arts and crafts metalwork and jewellery for more than a decade. 717 b/w and colour photographs
