We love the funk!
On May 9, Barbara Tober, chair emeritus Museum of Arts and Design, hosted a private lunch in honor of the the new exhibition, Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture.
“I have been with this museum for many many years, and I have watched it grow and prosper and I’m so happy that you’re all in it today and enjoying it,” said Tober.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 9: Renee Cox and Barbara Tober attend MAD ‘Funk You Too’ Exhibition Luncheon Hosted by Barbara Tober at Museum of Art and Design on May 9, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC/PMC)
Funk ceramics first emerged on the West Coast in the 1960s, created by a group of artists who shared an anti-establishment viewpoint towards expectations of “good art.” Carrying Funk into the future, new artists are tapping into the power of humor to address some of the most pressing social and political issues of our day.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 9: Tim Rodgers and Barbara Paris Gifford attend MAD ‘Funk You Too’ Exhibition Luncheon Hosted by Barbara Tober at Museum of Art and Design on May 9, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC/PMC)
Director Tim Rodgers welcomed guests including Steven M. L. Aronson, Ariane Batterberry, Lady Liliana Cavendish, Suzi Cordish, Renee Cox, Susan Gutfreund, Maria Eugenia Maury Haseltine, Beverly Jacoby, Elizabeth Jacoby, Elbrun Kimmelman, Steven Ladd, William Ladd, Helen Little, Christopher Mason, Bob Morris, HE Sheikha Paula Al Sabah, Pat Schoenfeld, and Erin Vanderhoof.
Guests in attendance were given a special tour of the thrilling show. Curator Barbara Paris Gifford guided attendees along and stated, “Funk You Too! brings together 50 artworks from the 1960s to the present day that highlight clay as a compelling tool of critique and satire. In the exhibition, pieces by artists of the originating Funk Art generation are placed next to work by contemporary artists who are expanding on Funk’s legacy of humor, subversion, and expressive figuration.”
Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture is open through August 27.
