Unsealed: Bottle Cap Art | The Woolseys | The Patent Drawings | How To | The Race Question | The Blockbuster
The Galleries: Masterworks | Troops | Signed | Flashers | Other Shapes | Mine | Bottle Cap Inn | Two Monuments
In the Fall of 1994 Aron Packer and I co-curated a large-scale survey of bottle-cap sculpture, including figures, baskets, contemporary art, chains, and the newly discovered constructions of Clarence and Grace Woolsey. Sponsored by Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, it included the first large-scale exhibit of the Woolsey work since their own Pioneer Caparena in Iowa in 1972. It was also, to my knowledge, the largest survey ever of bottle-cap art, then and now.
Here are photos from the show, which took place at insideART on North Avenue in Chicago. You can also scroll down to see a list of lenders.
Lenders
| Piece | Artist | Lender |
| BASKETS | ||
| Red-cross basket | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Curvy basket | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| 3-layered basket | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Cap-encrusted jar | Anonymous | Cheri Eisenberg |
| Colorful basket | Anonymous | Aron Packer |
| Donation basket | Anonymous | Aron Packer |
| Wide basket | Anonymous | Aron Packer |
| Organic basket | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Nailed basket | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Basket | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Basket | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Extra-wide basket | Anonymous | Collection of Keith Sadler |
| Loopy basket | Anonymous | Collection of Keith Sadler |
| Tall basket | Anonymous | Collection of Keith Sadler |
| Schematic basket | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| CHAINS | ||
| Silver-and-rust chain | Anonymous | Hypoint Farm/Jane S. Cieply |
| Red, white & blue chain | Anonymous | Collection Mitchell Darch/Keith Sadler |
| CONTEMPORARY | ||
| Red and black snake | Leroy Archuletta, New Mexico | Bill Swislow |
| Chair | Gregory Cooper, Illinois | Gregory Cooper |
| Chest | Gregory Cooper, Illinois | Gregory Cooper |
| Mirror | Gregory Cooper, Illinois | Gregory Cooper |
| `All Seeing Eye’ | Rick Ladd, New York | Rick Ladd |
| Mirror | Rick Ladd, New York | Rick Ladd |
| Figure | David Montgomery, New York | David Montgomery, Courtesy Carl Hammer Gallery |
| Bathing beauty | David Montgomery, New York | David Montgomery, Courtesy Carl Hammer Gallery |
| Mirror | Mr. Imagination, Illinois | Gregory Warmack/Mr. Imagination, Courtesy Carl Hammer Gallery |
| 3 small figures | Mr. Imagination, Illinois | Gregory Warmack/Mr. Imagination, Courtesy Carl Hammer Gallery |
| Totem | Mr. Imagination, Illinois | Gregory Warmack/Mr. Imagination, Courtesy Carl Hammer Gallery |
| FIGURES | ||
| Large figure | Anonymous | Susan Derex |
| Seated figure w/cap | Anonymous | T.C. Farley |
| Ceramic-bodied figure | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| Figure with hat | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| `I was brainwashed’ | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| `King Cap’ | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| Bucket-handed figure | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| Junior Achievement figure | Anonymous | Hall/Glascock Collection |
| Figure on music box | Anonymous | Carl Hammer Gallery |
| Multi-armed figure | Aron Packer | Aron Packer |
| Lucy plays bass fiddle | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Seated figure | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Tall formal figure | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Tall formal figure | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Seated formal figure | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Free-standing trio | Anonymous | Lisa Stone/Don Howlett |
| Blue-hair figure | Anonymous | Lisa Stone/Don Howlett |
| Pair of musicians | Anonymous | Lisa Stone/Don Howlett |
| Tall formal figure | Anonymous | Lisa Stone/Don Howlett |
| Dog in uniform | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| 12 misc. figures | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Flasher couple | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Button-faced figure | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Painted turtle | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Wire-bodied figure | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Happy dog | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Buckhorn flasher | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| `Sausage Man’ | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Metal-bodied figure | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Two-headed figure | Bill Swislow | Bill Swislow |
| Horseman | Anonymous | Bill Swislow |
| Seated figure on bench | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| Tall formal figure | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| Polo player | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| Reclining figure | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| Figure with carved lips | Anonymous | Jim Zanzi |
| Figure with keys | Anonymous | Jim Zanzi |
| Lamp | Anonymous | Jim Zanzi |
| Seated figure | Anonymous | Jim Zanzi |
| Tall formal figure | Anonymous | Jim Zanzi |
| FURNITURE | ||
| Cane holder | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Plant stand | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Umbrella stand | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Side table | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| Twisted plant stand | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| MINI-FURNITURE | ||
| Loveseat | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Couch | Anonymous | Bonnie Grossman, Ames Gallery |
| Rocking chair | Anonymous | Dan & Marlene Pohl |
| Rocking chair | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| White chair | Anonymous | Ray Yoshida |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||
| 8 trivets | Anonymous | Judy Bruce |
| Bottlecap Inn, Miami | Joe Wiser, Florida | Photos by Gary Monroe |
| WOOLSEYS | ||
| Snake on pole | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Judy Bruce |
| Cross on platform | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Carriage and horses | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Small humanoid figure | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Building | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Schoolhouse | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Wagon | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Tree | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Suzanne Craig |
| Bunny | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Marjorie Freed |
| Building | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Marjorie Freed |
| Road grader | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Marjorie Freed |
| Windmill | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Hypoint Farm/Jane S. Cieply |
| Alien | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Hypoint Farm/Jane S. Cieply |
| Pointed-roof building | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Hypoint Farm/Jane S. Cieply |
| Bicycle | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Hypoint Farm/Jane S. Cieply |
| Bunny | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Eugenie Johnson |
| Alien | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Eugenie Johnson |
| Larger mailbox | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Bill Swislow |
| Wishing well | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Ray Yoshida |
| 3 bears | Clarence & Grace Woolsey, Iowa | Collection of The Four Corporation and Shelly Zegart |
Unsealed: Bottle Cap Art | The Woolseys | The Patent Drawings | The Race Question| The Blockbuster
The Galleries: Masterworks | Troops | Signed | Flashers | Other Shapes | Mine | Bottle Cap Inn | Two Monuments