Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture ed. by Andrew Kelly (review)

A meticulous and comprehensive exploration of one state’s contributions to the Index of American Design, Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture sets an example worth following. After nearly eight decades of relative obscurity, the entire Index of American Design is finally available for online perusal, thanks to the National Gallery of Art. Artists working for the Works Progress Administration compiled this remarkable collection between 1936 and 1942. Traversing thirty-seven states, they produced over eighteen thousand renderings of important examples of American folk and applied arts. This work was to be published and distributed to libraries across the nation, but World War II interfered and this goal went unrealized until recently. With Kentucky by Design, editor Andrew Kelly sets in motion a deepening and expansion of the original project’s work, creating the possibility that more such state-level work will follow.

Beautifully designed and thoughtfully organized, Kentucky by Design begins with carefully researched essays that contextualize the index in terms of history, politics, personalities, and aesthetics. Kelly wisely chose experts who know the decorative arts well, but whose backgrounds and experience differ. As they analyze the index, two important general observations emerge. One concerns the obvious preponderance of Shaker items in the Kentucky catalog. The other concerns the virtual absence of Appalachian and African American pieces. Individual theories are presented as to these choices on the part of index organizers, some of which overlap and some of which conflict. Collectively, this material prepares readers well for encountering the catalog itself. As solid as it is, there is one disappointing feature of this section: the lack of introductory headnotes introducing writers and providing insight into their backgrounds, experience, and potential biases. In spite of this omission, however, the essays are effective in their purpose.

The heart of Kentucky by Design is its second section, centered on the artists’ fieldwork. This beautiful and carefully curated catalog presents the renderings themselves. Whenever possible, an artist’s work is paired with a photograph of the actual item it depicts. In some cases, as with artist George V. Veszolles’s rendering of a sugar chest, the original item was not available. A photograph of a similar chest allows comparison; a picture of sugar tongs and a plate showing the types of sugar that might have been stored in the chest further elucidate its history. Along with additional visuals, a written text accompanies each item, delineating its significance. As with the volume’s introductory essays, citations are provided.

Between the catalog and the appendices lies an editorial mystery: an excellent essay on John Jacob Niles and his dulcimers, written by Ron Pen. This connects to the index in terms of content. Handmade musical instruments clearly comprise an interesting part of Kentucky’s decorative arts legacy. Dulcimers are not, however, among the items documented. This inclusion raises questions: Why does Kelly include here an item excluded by the original effort? Is this an attempt to address the lack of Appalachian material in Kentucky’s catalog? If so, where is a corresponding essay on African American material? Furthermore, why is this essay located as it is, between the catalog and the appendices? This case underscores the need for explanatory headnotes, which, unfortunately, appear only in the appendices.

Six well-chosen appendices follow the catalog. Among them are transcripts of interviews with Adele Brandeis, coordinator of Kentucky’s Index contributions, and Holger Cahill, national director of the Federal Art Project. Also included is the Index of American Design Manual, 1938, which delineates the decision-making process employed by index personnel in documenting items. A checklist of Kentucky items created by the National Gallery of Art follows a selected bibliography, and a detailed index to the volume itself is the last element of the book.

Though there are a few minor flaws that could be ameliorated by including headnotes or a detailed “contributors” section, Kentucky by Design constitutes an excellent resource for those interested...