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"Wharton Esherick: An Artistic Legacy Through Necessity" examines how the symbiotic connection of fine and applied arts is as relevant for artists today as it was for Esherick, and how artists have used fine art training to pursue creative careers in design, fabrication, and related fields.

Wharton Esherick (July 15, 1887-May 6, 1970) was a leading figure in the American Studio Crafts Movement which developed after 1945.  These artists used new techniques and non-traditional materials, embraced utilitarian aspects of craft, and produced unique art objects that fused abstract form with function.  Wharton Esherick: An Artistic Legacy Through Necessity, explores the productive relationship between applied and fine arts within his work, while placing the artist鈥檚 practice in conversation with recent alumni from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Wharton Esherick attended the Philadelphia School of Industrial Art and then studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1908 to 1910.  Following school, he had several painting exhibitions and worked various jobs as an illustrator.  In the 1920s, Esherick began to focus on sculpture, woodworking, and design in response to technological and economic changes, as well his own changing artistic interests.  Maintaining his vision as an artist, Esherick considered his furniture to be first and foremost works of art.