EDMONDS, Wash., December 2, 2021 – Holiday spirit is returning to Cascadia Art Museum with its annual exhibition of vintage Christmas cards by noted Northwest artists and designers. The exhibition is from December 2, 2021 – January 9, 2022.
For most of the 20th century, regional artists created original works of art to send to their fellow artists, friends and families to celebrate the Holiday Season. The cards were created using an array of various mediums such as woodcut and linoleum blocks; etching and drypoints; screenprints, as well as watercolor, oil, collage and other materials.
This collection includes examples by many familiar names as well as some creative individuals now forgotten by time. The earliest card is a 1909 watercolor by John Davidson Butler (1890-1976), given to his parents the same year he exhibited his paintings at the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle. This card stands in sharp contrast to the unconventional and somewhat bizarre foldout produced by the iconoclastic Seattle architect Robert Reichert (1921-1996) nearly fifty years later. Many of the cards reflect the era in which they were created. Most notable is the 1952 Charles W. Smith (1922-2009) image of a tired Santa, resting in a Hardoy chair with a Calder-like mobile hanging from above.
A book featuring many of the cards from our collection is available in our Museum Store.
About Cascadia Art Museum
Cascadia Art Museum is an educational, nonprofit organization that celebrates the rich tradition of the visual arts and design in the Northwest during the period 1860-1970. The museum provides enriching experiences for the community and visitors alike through original exhibitions, public programs, publications and educational outreach. Cascadia Art Museum seeks to reassess the hierarchy of traditional art history by regularly including the work of women and minority artists who made substantial contributions to the region’s cultural identity.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
