Exploring Joan Dobbs Henry's Mid-Century Modern Artistry

Belgians

Talent, perseverance, and unbending determination to do the one thing she loved more than anything else - this was Joan Dobbs Henry. Say what you will, and there were many naysayers, Joan Dobbs Henry, was a woman who was never swayed from her commitment to creating art HER way.

As a MCM artist who attended California College of Arts and Crafts in 1948/1949 she learned very quickly to appreciate the vast diversity of what we think of as ART and that CRAFT could express as much creative genius as traditional art forms. While this site really only highlights her drawing and painting, there were so many other things she delved into - jewelry, sculpture, woodworking, glass-making. Everything was fair game.

By sharing stories of her resilience and determination in the face of obstacles, this website aims to shine a spotlight on her contributions to the mid-century modern art scene while also acknowledging her quiet roar into the vast wilderness of expectations that were put in front of her as a woman in a time and place that told her what she couldn't be and never what she could. Quietly, tenaciously, she simply did what she had to do, what she felt compelled to do. Quietly, tenaciously, she never gave in, she never bowed, she never apologized...she just kept doing. Fine art critics criticized her for "prostituting" herself and doing commercial art. Well, she had a family to support, so she did what she had to do - and she was genius at it.

Why should there be snobbery around the skill and talent it took to draw an intricate silver tea set? Oh, it wasn't an oil painting?! So what? Can anyone deny that it is art? Sure - many people will. Drawing a silver tea set doesn't require spilling emotional blood on the canvas. Drawing a silver tea set doesn't push the boundaries of acceptability. And still I say - so what? It took skill, talent, and a commitment to render something that is three dimensional into two dimensions - no small feat.

So I hope that here, on this website and through her works, you will be reminded of the power of creativity to transcend barriers. I invite you to join us on this journey as we delve into the world of Joan Dobbs Henry, an artist who earned her place in history.