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Founded in 1947 by John Tanner, Desert House Crafts was a unique blend of Native arts and crafts, local artists and their crafts, bringing together furniture, ceramics, textiles, and other objects for the modern home. It was important center for modern design and decorative arts and helped shape a distinctly Southwestern expression of midcentury modernism. It was a fixture in Tucson until its closure in 1978.
In this presentation, Sandy Tanner Elers (John's daughter) and Diane Dittemore, ASM associate curator of ethnology emerita, explore the people, objects, and ideas connected to Desert House and its role in Tucson’s emerging design culture. Through the work of artists, craftspeople, designers, and architects associated with the enterprise, this lecture examines how traditional materials, regional influences, and modernist principles came together to create a new visual language for desert living.
This program is part of Tucson Modernism Week, presented by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation.