What is your Craft Texas 2010 Favorite?

With the exhibition Craft Texas 2010 closing at the end of the month, we thought it would be fun for staff to share their favorite pieces from the juried show. Surprisingly, no two staff members chose the same work! If you haven’t had time to see the exhibition, it’s not too late. The show is up through Thursday, December 30, 2010. Please note we will be closed December 25-27. If you’ve visited the exhibition, please share your favorites in the comments below!

From left to right, Catherine Winkler Rayroud’s paper cutting Mama Never Told Me,
Emily Black’s deer head sculpture A Woman’s Place is in the Home and  Gabriel Craig &
Amy Weiks brooch Four Legged Leaders in the wall frame. Photo by Jack Zilker.

Facilities and Operations Manager, Randall Dorn, likes Leslie Lewis’s Arachne because it is a personal reminder of two of his favorite things: spiders and his wife, Amber.

Julie Farr, Executive Director, chose Catherine Winkler Rayroud’s piece, Mama Never Told Me, because of the intersection between a very traditional craft practice of paper cutting and the contemporary commentary on how women are educated in our society.

The richly colored Crop Wing by Kurt Dyrhaug is the favorite for Asher Sales Associate and Gallery Attendant, Bianca Gutierrez. She is drawn to how the work seems to be a much smaller version of something that should be larger than life.

Selecting a statement piece of jewelry, Communications Director, Mary Headrick, chose Robly A. Glover’s Bobber Necklace #3 as her favorite work in the show. The work jumped out at her right away because of its bold colors, interesting use of materials, and fun shape the necklace takes.

From left to right, Danny Kamerath’s wooden cabinet Shafer,  Roger Deatherage’s Library
Chair and Brazos Dining Chair,  and Kurt Dyrhaug’s Crop Wing. Photo by Jack Zilker.

Education Director, Carol Klahn, selected Gale Gibb’s Matchbook Collection as her favorite work. She likes the depth and unity in the piece from afar and the unexpected surprise of multiple items when you get closer. It is a piece you can continue to look at and never tire of.

The beautiful and functional Library Chair and Brazos Dining Chair by Roger Deatherage are favorites for Marina Lewis, Volunteer Coordinator, who explains how all she wants to do is sit in them.

Donna Muniz, Finance Manager, described how Shafer by Danny Kamerath was her favorite because of the intricacy in how each of the drawers fits together, the wonderful selection of wood choices and how the piece perfectly soaks up the light in the area in which it is displayed.

Harlan Butt’s two pieces, Weminuche Horizon #1 and Texas Horizon Oak #1, are favorites for Gallery Attendant, Ashley Powell. She is blown away by the high-quality enamel depicting nature on the sides of the vessels and the intense labor behind the process.

On the left, Caprice Pierucci’s wooden sculpture, Convergence and through the doorway
Marianne McGrath’s ceramic installation piece, Yours, Mine & Ours… Photo by Jack Zilker.

Suzanne Sippel, Asher Gallery Manager, selected Four Legged Leaders by Gabriel Craig and Amy Weiks. She likes the combination of repurposed materials, including coins and metal. The piece displays a high level of skill behind bringing these materials together.

After helping artist Marianne McGrath install her piece, Yours, Mine & Ours…, Curatorial Fellow, Anna Walker, has selected it as her favorite. She likes how the artist piles together numerous, small and delicate ceramic pods to form an impressive structure that towers above viewers’ heads.

Web and Marketing Assistant, Jenny Lynn Weitz, loves the honesty and evidence of the artist’s workmanship in Caprice Pierucci’s work Convergence. Although the work is very large and durable, it appears delicate. Jenny Lynn describes how every time she sees the piece she wants to jump through the opening.

Nyala Wright, Associate Director of Fundraising, is drawn to Emily Black’s piece, A Woman’s Place is in the Home, because it challenges traditional notions of fascism and matriarchy.