Arts WACH: The body at work

By Brian Mcconchie
8/28/26

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) – In this week’s Arts WACH, William Starrett takes you to the Columbia Museum of Art to examine the work of art that is the human body.

The body is essential to craft. This particular genre of art is rooted in physical labor and material intimacy, and the pieces are often intended to protect our bodies or to assist in nourishing them.

The “Body Matters” exhibition presents works crafted out of wood, ceramic, glass, textiles, and sweetgrass.

The artists, both historical and contemporary, reveal their deep engagement with the body through representations and objects that address life cycles and support bodily functions.

“Body Matters” celebrates the importance of the hand in handwork and encourages people to consider their own relationships with objects both in and outside the art gallery, celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.

Original post here.