permanent collection

The permanent collection of the Museum of Arts & Design documents the work of artists in the craft mediums of glass, clay, metal, fiber, and wood. Over 2000 objects comprise the collection, which ranges from jewelry and items of personal adornment to furniture and architectural installations. While the majority of the works were made by American artists, the collection is international in scope, with notable works from Europe, Asia, and Australia. Taken as a whole, the MAD collection highlights the artist’s creative engagement with materials and process in both functional and non-functional objects.

Harumi Nakashima, From the Ecstatic Series: Struggling Form, 2002
Glazed stoneware
40 x 18 x 18 in.
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Horace W.Goldsmith Foundation, 2004.

Wendell Castle, Music Rack, 1964
Oak, rosewood; bent lamination, joined, pegged
55 1/2 x 25 x 20in.
Museum purchase from artist, 1964. Donated to the American Craft Museum by the American Craft Council, 1990.
Photo: John Ferrari

Mary Lee Hu, Bracelet #62, 2002
18k and 22k gold
2 7/8 x 3 5/8 x 2 11/16 in.
Museum purchase with funds provided by Ann Kaplan, 2002.



Cindy Sherman, Madame de Pompadour Nee Poisson (1721-1764) Soup Tureen and Platter, 1990
Hardpaste porcelain, decals, glazes
11 1/2 x 22 x 14in.
Gift of Nanette L. Laitman, 2000.
Fabricated for Artes Magnes by Le manufacture Ancienne de Limoges.
Photo: Eva Heyd

David Sengel, Poe No Mo', 2000
Wood, paint; carved
23 x 20 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.
Museum purchase with funds provided by Jane and Arthur Mason, 2001.


Michael James, Crash Site, 1996
Cotton, hand and machine quilted
77 x 94 in.
Gift of the artist, 1997.

Hiroshi Suzuki, Dual Rivulet VII, 2005
Outer skin fine silver 999, inner skin Britannia Standard silver 958
8 x 14 x 14 in.
Museum purchase with funds provided by Nanette L. Laitman and an Anonymous Foundation, 2005.

Boris Bally, Tableware--Five Piece Placesetting, 1991
Sterling silver, ebony (treated with tung oil)
Dimensions variable
Gift of the artist, in honor or Alex and Doris Bally for their lifetime of support and inspiration, 1993.