Houston Center for Contemporary Craft Blog

Transference and the Glass Armonica

2012-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

We are incredibly lucky to be showing the multimedia exhibition, Transference, by glass artist Andy Paiko and experimental sound artist Ethan Rose, in the small gallery at HCCC.

Their piece is based on the idea of the singing wine glass—the amazing ability of glass vessels to produce sound when rubbed with a wet finger along their top edge. This phenomenon has fascinated people since at least the 16th century (and personally I’ve been fascinated by it since I discovered it for myself at a bar mitzvah at age 13), but it was never more popular than in the mid 1700s. At that time, Benjamin Franklin, the statesman and inventor, took it upon himself to make the singing wine glasses easier to play.

Benjamin Franklin’s glass armonica.
Source: pbs.org.

Using the same ingenuity and focus that brought the world electricity, bifocals and the urinary catheter, Franklin set about improving this curious instrument. First, he had glassblowers create 38 vessels of graduating sizes. Then, he nested them on a spindle that rotated by pressing peddles—much like those on a piano [image of armonica]. In fact, the whole instrument, which he called the glass armonica took the shape of a piano (an interesting side note on naming: Franklin said he named the instrument for the “musical country” of Italy because it seemed particularly well suited for “soft and plaintive” Italian music. Read it in his words here.

Players could sit in front of this instrument and place both hands on the rotating spindle of glasses before them. Whereas the horizontal layout of the singing wine glasses meant a player could only make two notes at a time, one with each hand, on the armonica, each finger could hit a separate note. The invention opened a world of possibilities and became an instant success. Mozart and Beethoven composed for the instrument and several well-to-do families purchased armonicas for home use.

Thomas Bloch plays his glass harmonica made by Gerhard Finkenbeiner.

But the armonica’s fame was short lived. Just 20 years after its illustrious debut, there was widespread concern that the instrument’s ethereal notes had a serious negative effect on players’ moods, causing depression and neurological disorders. Though there were likely many reasons for this precipitous downfall, one of the most convincing (and certainly the most juicy) is that the armonica’s bad reputation came from its association with Franz Mesmer, the inventor of hypnotism and from whom we get the word “mesmerization.”

As legend has it, Mesmer would use the instrument to lull his patients (his work was considered more or less “medical”) into an entranced state where they could not be held responsible for their actions. This loss of decorum, so out of line with late-eighteenth-century social morays, caused the instrument to be seen as suspect.

Whether this was the main reason the armonica went out of fashion or not, within decades the instrument was hardly known and by the turn of the 20th century, it had all but disappeared, a lost footnote in the history books. That is, until Ethan and Andy unearthed it.

Ethan Rose and Andy Paiko were introduced by mutual friends while both were living in Portland, Oregon. Recognizing a shared interest in recovering and repurposing antiquated objects and technologies, Ethan and Andy worked to find a subject for a collaborative installation. On a camping trip, they visited the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention. It was there that they got the idea for this exhibition.

Using the armonica as their source, Ethan and Andy have created an exquisite installation showcasing the possibilities of the material—specifically glass vessels--to create sound. By removing the player from the installation (glass mechanisms, like record arms with fabric tips, meet the surface to create sound), the artists have placed the attention on the objects themselves; they have created a perfect environment for contemplating the properties of glass, the capabilities of material, the processes of creating and hearing sound, and the legacies of history.

Installation view of Transference: Andy Paiko & Ethan Rose
at Houston Center for Contermporary Craft
Photo by Kim Coffman

But don’t take my word for it—hear Andy Paiko and Ethan Rose speak about the piece themselves in these incredible videos below. And come on in to see the show—it’s up until May 13, and it’s worth seeing multiple times.

-- Susie Silbert, HCCC Curatorial Fellow

Coming Soon--Bridge 11: Lia Cook

2012-01-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to report that after a relatively smooth installation process this week (there are always some bumps along the way), the curatorial team at HCCC has finished installing Bridge 11: Lia Cook. When I went home for the day yesterday, there were only two pieces left that needed to be hung, and I came in this morning to find that Anna Walker, Curator, and Susie Silbert, Curatorial Fellow, had finished the installation. The exhibition is exquisite. I have been looking forward to it since the proposal was brought to the exhibitions committee meeting last year, and I am especially delighted that this show and HCCC will be a part of FotoFest 2012.

Above, clockwise from top left: Susie Silbert (HCCC Curatorial Fellow) up on the genie
lift during the installation of Bridge 11: Lia Cook. Partial view of Bridge 11: Lia Cook at
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Ashley Powell (HCCC Curatorial Assistant) and
Anna Walker (HCCC Curator) on the genie lift while installing Bridge 11: Lia Cook
at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photos by Ashley Powell.

Lia Cook has been on the forefront of the textile-arts and craft communities for decades due to her visual innovations, as well as her technical mastery. Bridge 11 includes large-scale weavings of photographs created on an electronic Jacquard loom. The information present in each photograph has been translated into a computerized code for the loom to read. This is similar to the way a computer is able to break down a digital photograph into pixels, or tiny portions of information that construct the image when combined. The weavings present the viewer with traditional aspects of weaving, such as texture and pattern, as well as the intrinsic qualities of photographs, including time and memories. Cook’s work also investigates human vision, representation, and basic human emotional reactions.

Bridge 11 was organized by the Society for Contemporary Craft (SCC) in Pittsburgh, PA, and Cook’s work is part of the 11th biennial Bridge Exhibition Series. The series was first presented in 1988 to establish and heighten the public’s awareness of the powerful work being produced by contemporary artists. SCC has presented solo exhibitions by 28 artists working in a broad range of craft media, including clay, metal, fiber, wood and glass.

As Anna, Susie, and I unpacked the work and ascended in the genie lift to hang the weavings on the walls and from the ceilings, I started thinking about the Bridge Series and began to wonder how it started, the way in which artists were selected, and why the title was chosen. I decided to contact the exhibitions department at SCC to learn more. Kate Lydon, the Director of Exhibitions, kindly took the time to speak with me earlier this week.

Above images: Susie Silbert and Anna Walker in the large gallery installing Bridge 11:
Lia Cook Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photos by Ashley Powell.

Some of the first topics we spoke about were the series’ origin, the mission, and the significance of the title. Lydon has been at SCC for quite a while and informed me that, in the early years of this series, the dialogue about the divide between craft and fine art was growing immensely. Since then, she believes this conversation has started to fall by the wayside and isn’t as significant. With this in mind, the series had a goal to bridge the gap and blur the lines between craft and fine art, to show high-quality work by mid-career artists working in the traditional craft media. When I asked her whether the original mission still stands today, she responded by explaining that the divide is not highlighted as much, because the conversation has subsided; however, this series and the title provide an opportunity to reference it historically.

The idea of showing mid-career artists goes back to the title of the series and the theme of a bridge. The idea was to explore the gap between early and late-career craft artists. So, not only is the bridge used to lessen the gap between craft and fine art, but also generations of makers.

Lydon informed me about SCC’s selection process and how they search for artists not only creating high-quality works but also creating with a concept behind the work. The processes the artists are using are taken into consideration. Since the exhibition is comprised of three solo-artist shows, exhibiting work of different scale and media is important. The diversity and contrast helps to highlight the uniqueness of each artist’s work.

We are very excited to be a participating venue for Bridge 11: Lia Cook, and we hope you will join us for the opening reception this Friday, February 3, 5:30 – 8:00 PM.

Bridge 11: Lia Cook will be on display February 4 – May 13, 2012, in the large gallery, along with Transference: Andy Paiko & Ethan Rose in the small gallery. Alyssa Salomon–The Handmade Print will be on view February 4 – April 8, 2012, in the Artist Hall.

--Ashley Powell,
HCCC Curatorial Assistant

CraftTexas 2012 Juror Jade Walker

2012-01-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

CraftTexas 2012 is just around the corner! The call for artists will close on March 15, and the exhibition will run from September 29 - December 30, 2012. All of us at HCCC are looking forward to this, our seventh in a series of juried exhibitions showcasing the best in Texas-made contemporary craft. We are especially excited to have Jade Walker, an Austin-based artist and Director of the Visual Arts Center and the Creative Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, as one of our three jurors.

Walker is an active participant in the Texas visual arts community and, along with her day job as the director of the Visual Arts Center in the department of Art and Art History at the UT Austin, she has her own rigorous studio practice. On January 20th, an exhibition of her work, titled Contact, will open at Lawndale Art Center, our awesome next-door neighbor. The exhibition features an array of characters--some fictional and some real--permeated by physical breakdown and includes several sculptures and sculpture-based installations that are inspired by the physical repercussions of trauma on the human body.

Jade Walker, Figures # 6.
Fabric, hat rack, mixed media 59” X 40” X 60" 2009.
Photo courtesy the artist.

Jade Walker, Figures # 6 (rear view).
Fabric, hat rack, mixed media 59” X 40” X 60" 2009.
Photo courtesy the artist.

On October 5, 2011, the LVL3 exhibition space in Chicago had a post on their blog naming Jade Walker their “Artist of the Week,” and it included a short interview with the artist. When asked how to explain her work to a stranger, Jade responded, “My practice is a mixture between an exploration of materials (fabric, rubber, found objects, crusty old paints, tool-dip and whatever else I can get my hands on) and my desire to reproduce the human body. I am interested in the mechanics of gender, both physically and symbolically, and that interest patinas the work as well.”

Walker’s exhibition at Lawndale could not be on display at a better time, as it will be an incredibly enjoyable opportunity to acquaint ourselves with her as a person and as an artist. CraftTexas 2010 is most definitely one of my favorite exhibitions that have been on display since I became part of the HCCC family in early 2010, and one of the reasons is the incredible variety of work that is submitted. Work in every craft medium, as well as both functional and non-functional work, is selected. I am thrilled to see what craft artists around Texas are currently making, and we hope that Walker enjoys participating in the jury process just as much as we enjoy putting the exhibition together.

Jade Walker, Trophy Room (detail 1).
Vacu-form panels, plastic, leather, found objects.
Site-Specific installation: 12’ X 11’ X 8’
Domy Books 2009. Photo courtesy the artist.

Jade Walker, Trophy Room (detail 2).
Vacu-form panels, plastic, leather, found objects.
Site-Specific installation: 12’ X 11’ X 8’
Domy Books 2009. Photo courtesy the artist.

The CraftTexas series began in 2002 and is one of the most exceptional and significant exhibitions in the Texas craft community. And, for HCCC, it is an event deeply rooted in the core mission of our organization. It serves as a starting place for the general public to appreciate the depth and breadth of craft being made in our own communities and across the state.

--Ashely Powell, Curatorial Assistant

To learn more about how to apply to CraftTexas 2012, click here.

If you would like to read more about Jade Walker and view more photos of her work, check out her website: http://jadewalker.org/

Click here to read the Lawndale press release that includes info on her exhibition.

Thoughts on SPUN

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Needlepoint artist and Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoints (SPUN) founder, Mary Smull, came to HCCC for two events in early December. Smull is one of the artists featured in HCCC’s current exhibition, Beyond Useful & Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft. Curator Anna Walker shares her thoughts on her work and the events.

I’m guilty of procrastination. There, I said it. I think it is something that everyone struggles with to some degree. I definitely remember it as a common excuse for many of my friends in school. What I find interesting about procrastination is the different ways and various projects that are unique to the procrastinator.

For instance, I’m known for beginning a project, getting it most of the way complete and then leaving the ending undone. This is true of the simplest tasks, such as mailing a birthday gift to a friend. I buy the gift, wrap it, and then it sits for weeks--sometimes months--in my office awaiting a short trip to the post office.

Through my personal experiences of “unfinished labor,” I am able to better appreciate the motivations behind Mary Smull’s Unfinished Needlepoint series. Smull purchases unfinished needlepoints and completes them using only white thread, visually calling attention to that which was left undone, but also recognizing the labor invested by an anonymous hand. At the beginning of December, Smull brought her “Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoint” (SPUN) to our large gallery. A bright blue banner signaled the event, and representatives in matching blue t-shirts were there to assist visitors in completing stitches for the cause. (Click here to see the event photos.)

At Friday’s group therapy session, Finish Fetish, with artist Mary Smull.

SPUN representatives who helped “get it done.

Each visitor brought stories about their own unfinished projects, and we even had a visitor bring her own unfinished needlepoint in hopes that she would be inspired to complete it after talking with the artist. We talked extensively about the feelings associated with incompletion, guilt, avoidance, curiosity, even apathy. Looking back on the conversations, one area we did not spend as much time talking about were the reasons or thoughts on why works were left unfinished. Was it out of boredom with the project, competing external demands, or pure forgetfulness?

I have to be honest--I even procrastinated on writing this post and on the previous assignment from Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell, which you can read about here. What caused me to not even begin these projects? I would like to think it is because I had competing external demands, and that is partly true. However, for me, I recognize a fear of whether the finished project lives up to my initial expectations and standards. During Friday night’s discussion, Finish Fetish, we talked specifically about writing projects. How some of us never feel resolved about writing, and I agreed--writing can always be changed; it seems to constantly be under revision, editing, and perfecting. Perhaps, this is why I feared beginning the post, as I knew I might not reach the “finish.”

Above is an HCCC volunteer/SPUN representative assisting a
visitor at one of the unfinished needlepoint stations.

The counterpoint to SPUN’s blue t-shirts: a group of ladies from “Oktoberfest,”
clad in pink t-shirts commemorating 27 years of gathering together.

You can follow Mary Smull’s “Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoint” on her website http://www.unfinishedneedlepoint.org. Her work is part of the current exhibition, Beyond Useful & Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft at HCCC through Sunday, January 8, 2012.

-- Anna Walker, Curator

AIR Interviews: Leslie Shershow

2011-12-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

This week, we share the second in a series of interviews with our current artists-in-residence (AIRs). Leslie Shershow is a metalsmith and jeweler from the small town of Belfast, Maine. After graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art with a BFA in metals, she stayed in the Boston area to further develop her jewelry at her studio in Somerville, MA, exhibiting her work in various group shows around the country. Prior to joining HCCC as an artist-in-residence, she taught metalsmithing to children and adults in various art centers and colleges in the Boston area and managed the metalshop at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts for several years. She has been with HCCC since August and will be here through March, 2012.

Diamond Rings by Leslie Shershow (plastic). Photo courtesy the artist.

Leslie Shershow. Diamond Ring, 2011.
Copper, brass, silver, auto paint. Photo courtesy the artist.

Tell us a little bit about your work.
Right now I'm inspired by wonky home improvements and functional crafts. I find much beauty in the way a novice craftsman might fix his home--I'm interested in the evolution of a domestic structure due to regular maintenance. I tend to work the same way--by starting with an object and scrounging for the part that will turn it into a functional piece of jewelry. The theme is pretty nostalgic for me--I grew up in Maine, so I use fishing and nautical imagery, along with funny home-maintenance things my dad used to do.

How did you get your start making jewelry?
I had first learned a little metalsmithing in high school crafts class and hated it. I melted my first project! Later, in college, when it was time to choose my major, I was really impressed by the work that came out of the metals department, so metals is what I chose.

Where do your ideas come from?

Everything, really. I guess my work comes out of interests that keep surfacing over and over again.

Leslie Shershow's necklace from the Home Improvement Series. Photo courtesy the artist.

Leslie Shershow's bracelet from the Home Improvement Series. Photo courtesy the artist.

What artist or designer do you admire, and why?
Iris Bodemer is one of my favorite jewelers (among many). I admire her because, in a lecture, she told us she took out a bank loan in the form of a gold block and proceeded to slice it into jewelry. That is very admirable to me.

In your bio, it says that you’ve taught metalsmithing to both children and adults. What do you enjoy most about teaching? What is it like teaching metalsmithing to children?
I really enjoy the challenge. Metalsmithing embodies so many different techniques, and many times, there are multiple ways to do something. I mostly taught small classes, so I had to work with each student individually to see what methods work best. Teaching children can be really difficult. Metalsmithing is a tedious and time consuming practice, and there isn't much instant satisfaction. It's hard for kids to sit down and sand for hours, especially when they're wound up from a day at school and candy they got from 7-11.

What are you doing when you’re not creating?
I like hanging out with the other lovely AIRs and HCCC staff, visiting museums, and going for runs. Lately, my boyfriend and I have been working on a large stained-glass terrarium to prevent our cats from eating our plants.

Metalsmith and jeweler, Leslie Shershow. Photo courtesy the artist.

Describe yourself in five words.
I like to make things.

Being a Northerner, is there anything you find humorous or strange about Houston? I think it's funny that a lot of people in Houston's public places are either really dressed up or in their gym clothes. I come from a place of in-betweeners.

Needlepoint & Group Therapy with Mary Smull

2011-12-01T10:24:00.001-08:00

Needlepoint artist and Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoints (SPUN) founder, Mary Smull, will be at HCCC for two events this weekend. Smull is one of the artists featured in HCCC’s current exhibition, Beyond Useful & Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft and will be hosting two community events this weekend in the large Gallery at HCCC.

Mary Smull and participant at a recent SPUN event.
Mary Smull, Old Woman, 2008. Found unfinished needlepoint completed by
artist using only white yarn. 19 ½” x 23”. Photos courtesy the artist.

Smull’s work and SPUN deal with completing an object of labor--something that was abandoned and unfinished, despite the arduous effort put into the project. She is creating a sense of absolution for this occurrence that most everyone has experienced in one way or another. With our anticipation for these upcoming events, we thought it would be amusing to share some of the works that have been left unfinished by our staff members and artists-in-residence.

I sent out an email requesting a photograph of an unfinished work, a brief description, and why it was left incomplete. Fittingly, I received zero responses. This is most likely due to the inherent guilt people experience when time is invested in a project that has been left incomplete indefinitely and their reluctance to be an example. Humorously, because of this, I was now left with an incomplete project, being unable to actualize this blog post in the way I had intended.

I am hoping that the event on Friday evening will give me more insight into the realm of incompletion and all of the intense emotions that come with this territory. So, if you find yourself filled with anxiety or guilt about projects that have been abandoned around your house, then please join us for a conversation with Mary Smull for Group Therapy – Finish Fetish, Friday, December 2, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM.

If you are unable to join on Friday, Mary Smull will also be present on Saturday, December 3, from 1:00 - 4:30 PM, to host a SPUN session in our large gallery. SPUN is a community needlepoint project, founded by Smull in 2009 to “eliminate the worldwide phenomenon of unfinished needlepoint,” and has been rescuing incomplete works through performances across the country. You are invited to participate by completing stitches in unfinished needlepoint projects. Needlepointers of all abilities are welcome! Once complete, these works will be archived as part of SPUN’s collection. To learn more, visit the SPUN website here: http://www.unfinishedneedlepoint.org/

This is a great opportunity to release a little residual guilt or anxiety you may have and also help support SPUN’s mission, to prevent any needlepoint project from going unfinished. We hope you will join us for these two exciting and engaging events!

--Ashley Powell, HCCC Curatorial Assistant

How to Diagnose SOFA Fatigue

2011-11-27T10:37:00.001-08:00

This week, HCCC Curator,Anna Walker, and Curatorial Fellow, Susie J. Silbert, share their thoughts on theirrecent trip to SOFA Chicago and the inevitable “SOFA Fatigue” that follows. This phenomenon occurs after spending severaldays looking at hundreds of objects and talking with numerous individuals atSOFA, the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art fair on Navy Pier. The annualevent takes place the first weekend of November and is the longest running artfair in Chicago (18 years). This year, the fair featured over 60 galleries withwork from around the world. After several days of air kisses, handshakes,conversations and close-looking at objects, our curatorial duo returned toHouston enlightened but fatigued.

SOFA Chicago 2011. Photo courtesy SOFA Chicago.

What Are the Signs ofSOFA Fatigue?

Glazed Expression

With so many galleries and asection of five featured partner exhibits, there is a lot of art to go through.SOFA is a serious event, and many of the galleries make the most of their small10’ x 10’ space. For example, Ornamentum featured the work of three jewelry artists: Eunmi Chun,Caroline Gore,and Laura Prieto-Velasco.While these artists were highlighted with work displayed prominently on thewalls, one could spend hours investigating the many drawers of works by other Ornamentumartists.

While we walked through the aisles,the “Solo at SOFA” booths provided a nice pause and rest for our eyes betweenthe many spaces that were filled with work. These were spaces to feature thework by a single artist, and the booth featuring Devin Burgess didnot disappoint. His carefully formed works were elegantly displayed in front ofstripes of contrasting colors. With a similar attention to space and the carefulselection of works, Heller Gallerychose works that filled the walls without overwhelming the area.

Eunmi Chun, Gorilla (Brooch), 2010.
Human hair, gold leaf, small intestine of cow, seeds, silver.
13 x 14 x 10 cm

Laura Prieto-Velasco. Charm (Ring), 2011.
Iron wire, latex paint, twist ties, gold plated silver. 3 x 2.2 x 1.8”.
Photo courtesy Ornamentum, Hudson NY.

Devin Burgess, Traces.
Blown glass, wheel cut surfaces. 23x16x12 inches.

Shoulder Strain

Shoulder strain is a common signthat your colleague has attended SOFA Chicago. Each day at the event presents anew opportunity to not only view work but talk with individuals, exchangebusiness cards and, in the case of a few friends, acquire catalogues. Thegentlemen at Thalen & Thalenhad a beautiful catalogue available for sale alongside the delicate silverworks. Each of these paper items was added to the familiar blue tote bagcarried by all that includes the large, “official” SOFA catalogue.

Besides gallery areas, SOFAincludes a resource area for nonprofit organizations to set up tables and promotememberships and publications. Among these tables, we met with many of ourcolleagues from fellow nonprofits, including the venerable Namita Wiggers,curator from the Museum of Contemporary Craft,and one of the jurors for the NCECA 2013 Biennial we arehosting at HCCC. Along with Namita, ceramicist Cristina Cordova will be a juror for NCECA 2013.Cordova shows with Ann Nathan Gallery and had a wonderfulcollaboration on display with Pablo Soto.Speaking of jurors, we also met with Jean McLaughlin, ExecutiveDirector of Penland School of Crafts,and one of the jurors for the upcoming CraftTexas 2012 exhibition at HCCC next fall. (The call for artists is open now through March 15, 2012, at https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=866&sortby=fair_name&apply=yes.)

How to Prevent SOFA Fatigue

Take Breaks

For us, taking a break meantfinding a spot to sit and read one of the many publications available for freefrom the resource area at SOFA. These included American Craft Magazine,Ceramics Monthly, Glass Art Quarterlyand Metalsmith Magazine.While we would have loved to have a seat on the sumptuous work by Vivian Beer at Wexler Gallery, we knew better and instead sought out an available bench.

Take Snacks

Take actual snacks—a granola baror an apple will do. Without snacks, one might begin to consider thepossibility of eating from the decadent collage of frozen-in-time glasswarecreated by Beth Lipman at Heller Gallery.We are excited to see what this amazing glass artist creates for an upcomingexhibit, The Tool at Hand,curated by Ethan Lasser of the Chipstone Foundation and opening at theMilwaukee Art Museum in a few weeks. In this exhibit, 14 artists werechallenged to make a work using only one tool. The show will then travel toHCCC in the summer of 2013.

Beth Lipman, Whatnot I, 2010
Glass, glue, wood, paint. 84 x 42 x 30
Photo courtesy of Eva Heyd

Start Early

SOFA opens to the public at 11a.m. However, if you have a VIP pass, you can get in at 10 a.m., and it’snecessary to go early if you want to see any work. We enjoyed marveling at workby Mark Peiserat Wexler Gallerythat caught the light and presented a luminescence, drawing us in from far away.The jewelry exhibition of work by current and recent Cranbrook graduates, along with the Geography exhibitionby Art Jewelry Forum,were also not to be missed. Walking through and identifying the work in theCranbrook booth was an artistic experience in itself, thanks to the finelydrawn map by Amy Weiks.

Starting early not only appliesto the fair, but also to the networking that happens when hundreds of professionalsin one field descend upon a city. We were happy to connect with neighbor PaulaOwen, President of the Southwest School of Art,and learn about an upcoming exhibit featuring the work of Sonya Clark.

With these helpful tips and links, you’ll be ready tomake the most of your next trip to SOFA and avoid the glazed eyes, soreshoulders, and zombie-like state of SOFA Fatigue!

--Anna Walker & Susie Silbert

Heidi Gerstacker Trunk Show – Coming Soon!

2011-11-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

This week, Asher Gallery Manager, Suzanne Sippel, shares her thoughts on Houston metalsmith and jeweler, Heidi Gerstacker.

I have worked in the Asher Gallery at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft a little over four years. When I first started here, my mind was boggled by how many jewelers I represented, along with the sheer breadth of aesthetics and techniques. Having spent some time with fine jewelry in my former life, it was fun to start looking at fine-craft jewelry and seeing each piece as part of a larger oeuvre and not necessarily as client-driven work. There’s a great feeling when artists explain their techniques and passions. This was something I really enjoyed as I got to know Heidi Gerstacker.

Heidi has been represented by the Asher Gallery since November 2002 and has also been an active part of HCCC since its inception. She is active in the arts community in Houston and is part of its bloodlines. Having attended jewelry classes at Bellaire High School and earning her MFA from the University of Houston, Heidi is an integral part of Houston’s metalsmithing tradition. As we got to know each other, I was struck by how rare this is. We may have many transplants and late-bloomers, particularly in fine craft, but there are few born-and-bred Houston career artists.

Working primarily in sterling silver, Heidi has created a consistent body of work over the years. Upon hearing marquise, most people think of diamonds or bad romance novels, but those in the know think of Heidi’s work. This shape forms the basis of her production jewelry. The crisp clean edges of the marquise bring out the strength of the precious metals and the precision of the maker’s hand. I believe this is what accounts for the timeless look that her pieces hold. They would and will feel modern, regardless of the era. But this is not the only part of Heidi’s aesthetic. She looks for the balance between having production pieces and defining one-off studio work. This is a difficult line for many artists to walk—creating works that can support their careers, while still producing the art that drove them into their fields initially.

Heidi Gerstacker, Marquise Pendant, sterling silver, moonstone, 2010.
Photo by the artist.

Leaf Brooch, sterling silver, moonstones, 2011. Photo by the artist.

It is this balance that you will find at Heidi Gerstacker’s Trunk Show at the Asher Holiday Soiree on November 17th. You’ll find both stunning original pieces and the classic jewelry that has made Heidi a household name on the Houston jewelry scene. This is a special event for the Asher, as it is our first trunk show with Heidi in many years. It’s also rare to find so much of Heidi’s work at one time, so do not miss this opportunity!

We’ve scheduled this event to fall on the first evening of the Houston Museum District’s Member Sale. With a current membership (at HCCC or any of the museums in the District), you’ll receive a 20% discount off your purchases (some restrictions may apply). We have made it as easy as possible to add to your collection of Heidi Gerstacker jewelry or to cross names off your holiday gift list. Now it is up to you to visit us! Heidi’s trunk show will take place Thursday, November 17, 5:30 – 8:00 PM, and Saturday, November 19, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Please come early for the best selection—once we’re out, we’re out!

--Suzanne Sippel, Asher Gallery Manager

AIR Interviews: Celia Butler

2011-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

This week, we are posting the first in a series of interviews with our newest artists-in-residence. Celia Butler, from Carbondale, IL, is a mixed-media artist who holds a MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. She has been with HCCC since August and will be here through the end of November. Be sure to come in and check out her studio before she leaves! To learn more about HCCC’s Artist-in-Residence Program, click here.

Celia Butler. Sugar Gazing, 2011. C print. Photo courtesy of the artist.

What kind of work do you make?

I make work about fantasy and the over-idealized female, which I see as a strange combination of adolescence, sexuality, and perfection. The images I create are of a youthful and innocent female wearing a sugar bow some place on her body. Currently, I'm working on a life-sized porcelain doll that I will photograph similarly to my other photographic work. I'm also working on some heavily adorned, adult-sized baby bibs for the doll to wear. And, yes, I realize this sounds weird.

What is sugar pulling? Can you explain the process and how it became part of your work? Sugar pulling is a process in which you literally pull a hot sugar mixture until it becomes glossy and ribbon-like. Most people are familiar with ribbon candy, which is made with the sugar-pulling method.

I had previously been making work about adornment but decided that, instead of using bows made from real ribbon, I would use ones made from ribbon candy. Making the bows from sugar facilitates a critique on the contemporary idealized female because it implies an oversaturation of sweetness, innocence, and fragility. Candy's oral nature also suggests sexuality.

Celia Butler. Photo by Erin Sweeny and Brittany Nelson.

Are there any artists or designers who you are inspired by?
I think that artists who have successfully managed to make their studio practice their full-time job are pretty inspiring.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still making art.

What is your favorite thing about Houston?
Favorites are hard—and I've only been here for two months—but Houston's art scene seems to be busy and well supported.

Can you tell us something we’d be surprised to know about you?
My cell phone is broken and displaying everything upside down and backwards. If I haven't responded to your text, it's because I'm still trying to figure out what it says.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?
I'm assuming I'll be dead before that ever happens, so the casting director can just choose for me.

Jennifer Ling Datchuk Video

2011-10-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk writes about her experience working with Mark and Angela Walley to create a short documentary that addresses the core issues surrounding her work and her artistic process. Four of Datchuk’s pieces are currently on display in the in-house-curated exhibition, Beyond Useful and Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft. Datchuk has enthusiastically shared this video with us, and with all of you, as well as providing us with a little insight into its making and content.

Ceramic Artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk invites us into her home for an intimate look into her artistic process and the personal experiences that have shaped her perspective of race and identity. Datchuk’s family history unfolds as she creates a piece entitled “worry”. Also, featured in the film is her loveable dog Scooter, who joins her every step of the way. Learn more about the artist at http://www.JenniferLingDatchuk.com.

It’s never easy watching yourself on video. It’s one thing to create works of art, display them in a public gallery and let them speak for themselves. I’ve always been comfortable talking about the core issues surrounding my work and my distant relationship with my parents but, initially, I wasn’t prepared to say it on camera and have it live forever on the Internet.

The Walleys were amazing to work with and made the whole situation extremely comfortable. Angela asked great questions, and Mark captured every perfect moment, especially those involving my dog, Scooter. What was created was a short, four-minute biography video about my life and artistic process. It tells my personal experiences of race, identity and family and why I choose to create the work that I do. These topics can sometime feel too heavy and difficult to talk about, and I am glad that there are elements of humor in the video.

In the video, I construct one of my unfired handkerchief pieces. I use found and handmade molds to slip cast and create the wall plaque and chicken-foot pieces. After the building process, the piece is bisque fired and then a clear glaze is applied. The piece is also adorned with a traditional Chinese blue and white transfer. Once the firings are completed, I hang the piece on the wall and start to determine how the handkerchiefs are placed.

I dip the handkerchiefs in a mixture of porcelain slip (liquid clay) and wallpaper glue. I work quickly, while the slip-glue mixture is still liquid, to dip and then tie and knot the fabric pieces together. Once complete, it will take a few days for the piece to dry and form a slightly hard shell. I do not fire the pieces because this shell will age and yellow over time and convey a timelessness that a static and fragile fired piece could not.

This video has allowed me to share my story, and it has been worth it every step of the way. The feedback I have received has been wonderful, and I still find lots of people who share my story. Scooter can tell you, we are more alike than we are different.

--Jennifer Ling Datchuk

To find out more about the Walleys and their films, check out their website.

Soundforge: In Process (Updates # 4 & #5)

2011-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

This fall, HCCC will premier a work two years in the making. In the fall of 2009, while still in residence, metalsmith Gabriel Craig began collaborating with Houston-based music composer, Michael Remson. Their project, Soundforge, will be an interactive, multimedia installation that explores forging metal as both a means of fabrication and an act of percussion. Gabriel Craig has graciously agreed to give us regular updates from his studio on the fabrication of the project.

The feet were cut from 1/8 in. steel sheet in a pyramidal pattern, tact welded together,
seam welded on the inside, then welded cosmetically on the outside corners
before being ground. They were then welded to the armature at right.

Update #4

In my artistic process, there are several galvanizing moments in each project that energize me and allow me to proceed in what is an otherwise difficult and trying vocation. The first of these moments is always the conception of the project, that initial spark of an idea. “Hey, what if I …” In Soundforge, I am well past that now. The second moment usually occurs well into the fabrication of a work and is the realization that, yes, the initial idea can, and is currently, being realized. Call it a moment of actualization.

Welding the first foot onto the armature newel.

I had that actualizing moment recently, as I completed fabricating the feet of the armatures for Soundforge. After some fitting and situating, I welded them on and, behold, Soundforge can stand! Having no previous large-scale steel fabrication experience, this was trying. With silver, I could just force the thing into place; however, plate steel has a much stronger will. The fact that, structurally, the work functions is boon to confidence and more generally a milestone in the creation of the project. I can see it coming together, and I know, finally, that it will work.

It is these energizing moments – where vision meets reality, where the hand approximates the imagination – that make being an artist worth the doldrums. Yes, I know that is a bit cliché, but it is true. I had one of those moments, and I am sharing it. Soundforge stands!

A shot of the first free-standing armature just inside my studio,
adjacent to my lush mid-western garden.

Update #5

Since my last update, I have welded three-inch vertical supports onto the armature cross
braces. This has increased the overall sturdiness of the armatures and
also created a logical space for decoration.

The past few weeks have been among my favorite on the project. A lot of the tedious and trying fabrication is done, and now I am at the anvil all day – every day. I am making small forgings, listening to music and books on tape, losing myself for hours as I sweat in the near-hundred-degree heat of my shop. It’s not Texas-hot to be sure, but 90 degrees with 90-percent humidity, plus a forge running, is not exactly mild.

After forging 36 three-inch ornamental finials, I worked on
their layout within the 3 x 12 inch frames on the armature.

My interest and love of moving metal is at least in part why I got into this project, and I have been able to watch myself improve in strength, stamina and toughness everyday. Manual labor, in any form, can be a meditation, but aside from enjoying the work, I am intermittently aware of the battle between the work and my body. Hard labor has a decidedly penal connotation in my mind, but I think there can be no other way to describe forging such thick material, by hand, for such durations. Don’t mistake this for a complaint, because I do not loathe the work, but rather it has caused me to consider labor as more than simply a romantic extension of my idyllic principals.

I have also been meaning for a while to sneak in a shot on my studio assistant,John Eagan.
A recent graduate of the metals program at Wayne State University in Detroit, John has been a
huge help working with me two days a week since June. John has helped me with a lot of the heavy forging,
wielding a sledge, since I don’t have a power hammer. He is also meticulous, as any respectable
metalsmith should be. Here, he is drilling holes in a newel for the cable that will suspend the keys.

There is a cost to smithing – beyond the material and the tools, that is. Smithing is bought in scale burns, calluses and stinging hands in the morning. The cost of 36 finials is that of aching joints, tired feet and singed arm hairs. But for each hammer blow, I am more tenacious, sinewy and graceful in my work. Forging might cost more physically than most other forms of manual labor, but there is something compelling about the hammer, which makes it perhaps the most revered tool throughout human history. It draws people in. Most people think wielding a hammer is about power – the sledge in the carnival game where one tries to ring a bell. Yes, power is the hammer’s attraction; it is a tool that reflects our aspirations of strength. It is also, perhaps, the simplest of all hand tools. However, this is deceiving because anyone worth their salt with a hammer knows that strength does not matter if you miss your target. To watch someone experienced with a hammer is nearly always a moment of wonder. Everyone can understand the simplicity of the hammer--you swing it, and you move something. In the hands of an expert, we can see skill personified; we recognize an unpretentious tool performing extraordinary work. The hammer is the ultimate vernacular tool, and it is the efficient use of it, as an action or performance, which allows us to see skill manifest.

Here are a few of the ornaments welded onto the armature. It really does
give a visual weight to the work. Once the newel finials and keys are in place, the armatures
will have a much more substantial feel. Compositionally, I feel like I am doing a line drawing in iron.

When Michael Remson and I set out on this odyssey, I think that we wanted to capture forging as a performative action that both embodies and demonstrates skill. In itself, this is a complete thought. However, no matter the efficiency or inexperience of the person wielding the hammer, striking will always make a sound. Hammering is a multivalent action in this way. I think we are just a few short weeks away from demonstrating this and also seeing how far that idea can be pushed. On one level, hammering aspires to extreme skill, but on another level, it participates in a much different conversation. But that is for another post…

--Gabriel Craig

Staff Favorites from "Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists in Residence."

2011-09-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

With the closing of Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-in-Residence rapidly approaching, we asked the staff of HCCC to share what their favorite pieces are and why. The exhibition contains works by 36 artists who have participated in the Artist-in-Residence Program here at HCCC during the past 10 years. If you’ve seen the show, please share your favorites in the comments below! If you haven’t, then hurry in, the show closes this Saturday, September 3!

Julie Farr, Executive Director, had a particularly difficult time picking just one favorite piece. Farr explains, “I think it’s because so many of these artists have become our colleagues and friends, and we’ve seen them in process and progressing during their residencies. When the exhibition first opened, I was excited to see how far everyone pushed themselves by making new, meaningful works. I love that both the residency experience and HCCC are a safe haven for exploration, growth and creativity in action.”

Communications Director, Mary Headrick, chose 6 Degrees by Cathy Cunningham-Little. “I think it’s an absolutely stunning installation. The suspended rain-drop-like forms, the amount of light and reflection they create, and the fact that the artist created them from silvered glass is fascinating. These are complemented by the metal pieces below, which cast wide and interesting shadows."

Cathy Cunningham-Little, 6 Degrees
Etched, stainless-steel ladles and silvered
blown glass. Variable dimensions.

Curator, Anna Walker, chose the imaginary children by Bethany Rusen for two reasons. “One, I’m drawn to works that have a haunting presence and anthropomorphic gesture. But also, I grew to love this piece during installation. Constructed of a nylon fabric stuffed with polyfill, then dipped in clay slip, the forms are awkward, pliable and yet also brittle when handled. On the wall I have a similar reaction to the work as when I held it, and I enjoy that those two interactions complement each other.”

Education Director, Miriam Mendoza’s favorite is Friends by Ann Trask. This piece is made from used tea bags, reclaimed wood pieces, fimoclay, tea-stained muslin and wax. Miriam greatly appreciated the artist’s use of everyday objects, things many people would deem as trash, and re-contextualizing them into objects with meaning. These tea bags are not just trash, but a remnant of the experience of enjoying a cup of tea with a friend. The tea bags have become symbols of the artist’s many relationships and friendships. To Miriam, the piece conveys an important message of not taking for granted the objects and people present in our everyday lives. Miriam also finds the piece to be aesthetically pleasing.

Ann Trask, Friends. Used teabags, reclaimed
wood pieces, tea-stained muslin, wax. 73” x 50” x 4"

Jenny Lynn Weitz, Marketing and Web Assistant, chose Darryl Lauster’s Runners Up Presidential Plate Series. “I like the fact that Lauster is attempting to commemorate the losing candidates by depicting them on hand-cast porcelain transferware, and even though the stories behind each portrait involve a lot of important political, social and economic issues, I find the installation humorous and sad at the same time.”

Associate Director of Fundraising, Nyala Wright’s favorite is also Darryl Lauster’s Runner’s Up Presidential Plate Series. Nyala chose this as her favorite because the installation of plates is historically informative with an outstanding sense of humor.

Darry; Lauster, Runners-Up Presidential Plate Series. 28 individual
hand-cast porcelain transferware plates. 12” x 12” x 1" each

Two staff members also chose Jason Kishell’s Stilted Lemon Growth. Suzanne Sippel, Asher Gallery Retail Manager, wasn’t sure how to describe why, but said, “I like the monstrous lemon, and considering the dreadful things I put lemons through with my tea... well, this is their revenge!”

Curatorial Fellow, Susie Silbert, states, “With so many great pieces in the exhibit, it’s hard to choose just one favorite (well, for me just one favorite is always an issue). Today, I would choose Jason Kishell’s Stilted Lemon Growth. Its craftsmanship is amazing—Kishell’s commitment to his materials and ideas is evident in his close attention to detail in all aspects of the work’s execution, from the detailed veining of the roots on the lemon’s surface to the multi-axis lathe work on its many wooden legs. Stilted Lemon Growth looks like an emissary from a fully formed world inside Kishell’s imagination, leading me to wonder who the other inhabitants may be. The object has the playfulness of a fairytale, the high definition of a video game and enough surface information to keep me interested for quite some time.”

Jason Kishell, Stilted Lemon Growth.
Porcelain, polymer clay, wire,
Indian rosewood. 9” x 11” x 19”

Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell, chose Rough Neck by Edward McCartney. McCartney’s clever use of materials is what really struck her, the way he has re-contextualized motor oil through its usage in an object of adornment. Just as so many other valuable natural resources are used to make jewelry, oil has now been fashioned into charms or gems of “black gold,” reminding us of how much of a commodity it is to our contemporary society.

SPIN 7: Look Forward One-Night Exhibition & Dance Party

2011-08-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

SPIN 7: Look Forward One-Night Exhibition & Dance Party
Friday, August 26, 8:00 – 11:00 PM
at Houston Center for Photography, 1441 West Alabama

All of us at HCCC are thrilled that Houston Center for Photography (HCP) invited us to partner with them this year for the event, Spin 7: Look Forward. This is the 7th annual Spin “friend-raiser” at HCP, and this year’s theme, Look Forward, is fitting for both organizations, as HCP celebrates its 30th anniversary and HCCC celebrates its 10th.

The one-night exhibition and dance party is a fantastic opportunity for the organizations, their audiences and the Houston community to mix and mingle, celebrate the summer, and participate in the creation of an interactive experience.

In 2008, I had the pleasure of volunteering at Spin 4: Lens Libs, a party inspired by the word game, “MAD LIBS.” That evening, my responsibility was to go around the gallery and rotate photographs in and out of the giant “MAD LIBS” games that decorated the gallery walls from ceiling to floor. We used the photographs that people had submitted in advance or that partygoers brought with them to “fill in the blanks” on the walls, which created a sensational communal experience. I am sure this year’s event will be just as imaginative and amusing!

For Spin 7, party guests are asked to bring photos that reflect their personal outlook or opinion on the future of photography and/or craft. These photos will be exhibited for one night only. In addition, artist Lori Hepner is designing a light-and-motion installation, which will respond to participants' tweets regarding the future of photography. A DJ, photography-based games, interactive photo booth, cold beer, and delicious food will round out the party. We hope you will join us tomorrow to celebrate the bright futures of HCCC and HCP!

--Ashley Powell, Curatorial Assistant at HCCC

Ticket prices:
 **HCP and HCCC members: $10 
Advanced purchased (on HCP's website): $15 
General Admission/at the door: $20

** In order to purchase discounted tickets online, HCCC members should email Marina Lewis at mlewis@crafthouston.org to receive your online code.

Get your tickets online here.

Crafting Live(s): Ten Years of Artists-in-Residence -- Spotlight on Fiber Artist, Greg Rubio

2011-08-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Guest Curator, Keelin Burrows, writes about past artist-in-residence Greg Rubio and his work in Crafting Live(s): Ten Years of Artists-in-Residence. The exhibition is on view at HCCC through September 3, 2011. Burrows is currently the Windgate Charitable Foundation Curatorial Fellow at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Greg Rubio, a Texas native, obtained his BFA from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi in 1996 and his MFA from the University of Delaware in 1998. As an accomplished painter and draftsmen, he has made an impact on the Houston and international art scenes, earning a Fulbright scholarship to study in Mexico in 1999 and a Cultural Affairs Grant through the United States Embassy to study in Spain in 2005. His cross-relationships and interests in Latin, Hispanic, and American cultures have influenced his work, constantly driving him to re-examine his natural and constructed surroundings.

Rubio was a resident artist at HCCC from September 2007 to August 2008. At that time, he was creating functional archery targets from old clothes and sheets, which he tore, cut, assembled and sewed into compositional arrangements. He enjoyed the process of destroying and mending recycled materials into something of beauty and personal significance. Apple Barge Archery Target and Mayan Snake Square with Japanese Flowers Archery Target, both from 2006, are examples of his early fabric works.

Greg Rubio. Apple Barge Archery Target. Photo by Christopher Zaleski.

Greg Rubio. Mayan Snake Square with Japanese Flowers Archery Target.
Photo by Christopher Zaleski.

Drawing from his family heritage of archery and sewing, Rubio created compositional narratives through iconography, color fields, and stitching. Each target expresses a personal story or moment of self-inquiry. Apple Barge portrays imagery and subject matter of the seaport along the Texas Gulf Coast, where the artist grew up and currently lives and teaches. Mayan Snake Square with Japanese Flowers represents cultural traditions and rituals learned through personal history and travels abroad via a more abstract composition.

For Crafting Live(s), Rubio built upon these past themes and narratives, creating Rope Dart. Consisting of various knotted ropes and a railroad spike, the sculpture at first appears to be a vast departure from his earlier work. However, upon closer examination, the process of cultural exploration through material and technique becomes apparent. Maritime life, a defining feature of coastal Texas, literally and figuratively ties together the community of Corpus Christi. Rubio, having learned various knotting techniques from his father, who was a fisherman and a sailor, incorporates several knots into his work. Some of these include a seizing bend knot in the main yellow coil; a blowline knot that secures the two ropes together; and a snelling knot, which holds the railroad spike in suspension.

Greg Rubio. Rope Dart. Photo by Jack Zilker.

During his residency at HCCC, Rubio attended the Chung Tai Chan Center, where he learned and practiced tenets of Zen Buddhism. Although Rubio learned to make rope from a basket weaver during his residency, he chose to use found ropes from the local fishing community of Corpus Christi. These objects are “attachments” that carry personal and cultural associations for the artist, referencing an industry that defined his upbringing and sustained his home town. Additionally, the metal railroad spike, a remnant found along the tracks near his studio, also carries personal significance and associations with the evolving industrial landscape of his local community. The spike, referred to as dart, circles back to Rubio’s personal and family history with archery and sewing.

Corpus Christi Marina. Image courtesy Greg Rubio.

Kingsville rail road tracks. Image courtesy Greg Rubio.

Perhaps, most interesting is the way in which Rope Dart, and Rubio’s work in general, complicates categorical distinctions. Knotting, when viewed in the context of manual labor and fishing, is often situated as a “folk” tradition in Western cultures. However, when viewed through the ideological lens of other cultures, such as those in ancient China or Japan, where the distinction between art and craft did not exist, the practice and tradition of knotting is elevated to an art form. From a Western perspective, knotting today might be viewed as a “studio craft,” due to an original emphasis on functional value and process. Regardless of terminology, Rubio draws from this knotting tradition, weaving together personal and cultural meanings, and establishing artistic significance through material, technique, and concept.

What are the current AIRs up to?

2011-08-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

This week, we stopped by the Artist-in-Residence studios to find out what they’re working on. Next time you visit us, make sure to stop by to meet the artists and learn about their current and upcoming projects!  

After a great feature in the Houston Chronicle last month and the jewelry she displayed at our Martini Madness! Kickoff Party at ROAK, metalsmith and mixed-media artist, Kristi Rae Wilson, has been very busy. Recently, we caught her carefully soldering an armature for the piece pictured below.

Kristi Rae Wilson working in her studio at HCCC.   

Kristi Rae Wilson soldering silver.   Part of Kristi Rae Wilson’s studio at HCCC.

The soldered armatures above are attached to the pink piece in the middle.

Ceramic artists, Marcia Erickson and Jamie Diaz, have been with us for just a couple of months, but they have jumped on board quickly and are busy making martini glasses for our upcoming Martini Madness! 10th Birthday Bash on September 22! Marcia told us she has been implementing new patterns and colorful glazes into her work, and every time we walk by Jamie’s studio, she’s working on the wheel!

Ceramic artist Marcia Erickson  in her studio at HCCC,
showing us  her handmade martini glasses.
Look at the colors and textures!

Jamie Diaz in her studio at HCCC, working on the wheel…   

Jamie Diaz making martini glasses for Martini Madness!
We’re looking forward to seeing the finished pieces!

We found metalsmith and jewelry designer, Lisa Wilson, working on one of her latest pieces outside, in the Craft Garden.

Lisa Wilson finishing up a commissioned  piece made of copper.   

Jessica Dupuis has been working on a new piece for this fall’s Artist Hall show, In Residence 2010, in which 2010 artists-in-residence will display new works. Join us on September 30 for the opening reception, where you’ll see all of our new fall exhibitions, including Beyond Useful and Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft and Soundforge.

Jessica Dupuis working on her latest piece.

To learn more about our current Artists-in-Residence and the AIR Program, click here. To find out more about our Martini Madness! 10th Birthday Bash, follow this link.

All photos courtesy of HCCC.

Soundforge: In Process (Update #3)

2011-08-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Still image from Soundforge Preview Clip

While work continues in the studio on the armatures, I thought in this installment I would share a sneak peek at the video component that will be part of the work. Click here to see the video.

HCCC at the GHCVB!

2011-07-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau or GHCVB is where visitors and Houstonians alike can find information about things to do in the Bayou City. Inside their downtown building are cases or kiosks for different organizations in town to stage a display and provide information about what they do. Recently, GHCVB asked us to put together items for a display in one of their main kiosks. We stopped by today to drop off the makings of what we hope is an exciting display. Check back in a few weeks, when we publish the final results!

The empty kiosk waiting to be filled with items that
offer insight into craft-making processes.

Yarn and other supplies for the kiosk.

Ceramic tools that will be used as props in the display.

A sneak peak at the new banner designed
by Jenny Lynn Weitz for the kiosk.

Soundforge: In Process (Update #2)

2011-07-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

This fall, HCCC will premier Soundforge, a work two years in the making. In the fall of 2009, while he was an artist-in-residence at HCCC, metalsmith Gabriel Craig began collaborating with Houston-based music composer Michael Remson. Their project, Soundforge, will be an interactive, multimedia installation that explores forging metal as both a means of fabrication and an act of percussion. Gabriel Craig has graciously agreed to give us regular updates from his studio on the fabrication of the project. Click here to read update # 1.

In creating the physical work for Soundforge, the first problem to solve was how to assemble a portable armature that could support the musical keys. The original concept renderings I did called for gate-like structures with curvilinear ornaments, influenced by 18th- and 19th-Century European ironwork. In early 2011, as I began to listen to Michael Remson’s early drafts of the musical score, it became clear that I would need to redesign the ornamentation to fit with the sharp, pulsing, rhythmic soundscape he was creating.

The design featured in this early concept rendering has been
overhauled to mirror the aesthetics of the soundscape more closely.

For both logistical and aesthetic reasons, one of the first changes I made was to make the armatures modular and able to be disassembled to allow for easy transport and installation. I solved this problem by giving the cross braces of the three armatures threaded tenon ends, by drilling the newels and forging, drilling, and tapping custom pyramidal nuts.

Threaded tenons allow the armatures to come apart for easier transport.

Forging those tenons by hand seemed like a good idea at the time, but it took almost two weeks, even with the help of my studio assistant, John Eagan. It took another workweek to thread the uneven hand-forged tenons, not to mention the fact that I went through five cutting dies! The nuts were a bit easier, though hand forging one-inch steel stock is no picnic either—I am not big, nor particularly strong, just tenacious. The result is very functional, though, and, upon seeing the first armature assembled, I am beginning to get excited as the project comes together.

These tapered ends were cut off…

…chamfered, drilled, tapped, and countersunk in order to
transform them into fastening nuts for the armature.

A close-up image of the armature’s mechanics.

The armature standing for the first time!
It still needs feet and ornaments, but that is for another post.

Arline Fisch: Creatures from the Deep

2011-07-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

In 2008, the Racine Art Museum (RAM) commissioned internationally acclaimed jewelry artist Arline Fisch to create a special installation for its Windows on Fifth Gallery. Bringing her work to a grand scale, Creatures from the Deep showcases Fisch’s use of knitting and crocheting techniques to create larger-than-life sea creatures made of wire. HCCC has reconfigured the touring version of this installation, transforming the small gallery into an underwater world of floating jellyfish. When planning the show, Fisch decided to organize the jellyfish forms into families. Each of the families in the installation varies dramatically in form and color, suggesting different species of jellyfish, corals and sea anemones.

Fisch pioneered the application of textile techniques to sculptural work in metal that pushed the boundaries between jewelry and dress. Her integration of weaving, knitting, crocheting and braiding of metal into the creation of jewelry was a groundbreaking technique that has become standard among her contemporaries.

Arline Fisch, Orthocanna
(Orthocanna -- Marrus Orthocanna Siphonophore), 2008.
Coated copper wire. 60" x 9" x 9" to 108" x 9" x 9".
Collection of the artist. Photo by William Gullette.

Photograph of an actual Orthocanna.

For Creatures from the Deep, Fisch took inspiration from RAM’s physical proximity to the waters of Lake Michigan and decided to revisit her interest in the forms and colors of jellyfish.

Arline Fisch, Black Sea Nettle (Chrysaora achlyos), 2008.
Coated copper wire 84" x 108" x 16".
Collection of the artist. Photo by William Gullette.

Photograph of an actual Orthocanna.

Fisch’s sculptures are made using the various textile techniques she uses in her jewelry. She uses small-gauged, coated magnet wire, which is commonly used for industrial purposes.

Come immerse yourself in this incredible handmade underwater environment and learn about the creatures that were the inspiration for this body of work. Arline Fisch: Creatures from the Deep will be on display through July 30, 2011. Our summer hours are: Tuesday - Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM, closed Sundays July 3 - September 4, 2011.

Soundforge: In Process (Update #1)

2011-06-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Artist rendering of the proposed installation in HCCC’s Small Gallery, 2010.

Soundforge is physically and logistically the largest project I have ever undertaken. That, in itself, makes me anxious. However, I have heard it said that if you are comfortable in what you are doing, you are not growing. The ambitious scale of the physical work, along with the deep involvement of other collaborators, is a challenge in the truest sense. I hope, at the end of September, we can all see how this challenge was met.

After living in Houston, I moved to Savannah, Georgia, for three months to be the Artist-in-Residence at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and then returned to my native Detroit after nearly a decade away. Over the harsh, cold winter, I set up a small iron shop in my garage that is now only just equipped to handle the task at hand. I built the shop from the ground up for this project. I started by buying a welder, a 200 lb anvil (affectionately named Bernice for my deceased grandmother), and fabricating a forge. With these tools, I knew I could build the rest of the tools I would need to actually start building the project.

Left: the fabricated steel structure of a propane forge with a foam mold being prepared for insulation.
Right: the cast refractory in interior and painting completed.

Test firing the forge.

Bernice, a 200 lb. anvil from 1903,
remilled, refinished, repainted, and stenciled as
the Art Deco beauty she was. Be still, your beating heart.

The Shop, finally put together, and featuring: a Mig welder, an abrasive chop saw,
anvil, welding table, drill press, forge, shelving, hand tools, etc.

My training as a jeweler, my dedication to exploring the margins of craft, and my somewhat limited exposure to blacksmithing techniques allowed me to dream my way into this project, but I am constantly struggling to prove I am technically equal to the challenge. After 10 years as a metalsmith and several summer flings with blacksmithing, any naivety I had about the difficulty of blacksmithing has now been dispelled. Summer is here in Michigan, and I find myself every day in the shop, no longer building tools, but finally building the work. Let the pain (work) begin…

Six (of 30) hand-forged tenons.
These will eventually act as lateral braces for the armatures.

HCCC Says Goodbye and Good Luck to Randall!

2011-06-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, we said good bye to Facilities and Operations Manager, Randall Dorn. Randall has been a force to be reckoned with at HCCC for the last seven years, doing everything from exhibit installation to website management, accounting and loads of heavy lifting. In honor of his years of service, we screen-printed special “Randall Rocks” t-shirts, held a send-off party, and this week, we salute him by posting his farewell interview. We’ll miss you Randall, but glad you are just down the street at the MFAH!

What is your favorite Book?
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin, the third book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Favorite Band?
The Who

Favorite artist/Asher Gallery artist?
Lotus Bermudez. I've known Lotus for just over eight years now and have upwards of twenty of her pieces scattered throughout the house. Besides all that, she bought me lunch today.

Which craft medium do you like best? Wood, Ceramic, Glass, Metal, Fibers, Mixed Media?
Metal

What exhibition was your favorite to install? Why?
My favorite exhibit to install was the most recent one, Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-in-Residence. It was an appropriate send-off exhibit for me, as it almost acted as a retrospective of many of the people that have come through the Craft Center and touched my life in multiple ways. It was great to see many of these familiar faces at the exhibit opening. It was also a pleasure to share installation duties with the talented Anna Walker, Keelin Burrows and Ashley Powell.

Over the past 7 years, which HCCC event did you enjoy the most? Why?
This probably isn't the type of event that you mean, but I'm going to go with the blacksmithing workshop that Dave Koenig graciously put on for the HCCC staff members. It was a good staff bonding experience that not only got us out of the office, but promoted the ideals of the HCCC mission statement as well. Besides, who doesn't like swinging a hammer around and beating things with it?

What will you miss the most about HCCC?
I will miss the people that I have worked with over the years. I have developed a fondness for more than a few of you and hope that the connections that I have made will be enduring ones.
What is the new position that you are leaving us for?
General Accountant, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

What about this new position excites you?
I am excited to be taking the next step in my career path of accounting, as well as being able to focus my efforts in that field.

Belated Report from Renegade Craft Fair Austin

2011-06-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

We’re sorry we neglected to post the past few weeks! We have been busy installing our two new exhibits, Arline Fisch: Creatures from the Deep and Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-in-Residence. For those of you who came out to the opening last Friday, we are so glad you joined us! If you haven’t stopped by, Arline Fisch is open through July 30 and Crafting Live(s) is open through September 3.

Besides getting our galleries ready, we have been busy promoting HCCC at different events. We were excited to have a booth at Renegade Craft Fair last month in Austin, Texas. Renegade Craft Fairs happen all across the United States, and this is the second year they have been to Austin. It is a free public event featuring hundreds of different craft artists and vendors alike. This year, HCCC had a booth featuring work by current artists-in-residence (AIRs), demonstrations by ceramist Jessica Dupuis, and origami making with HCCC staff.

Some vessels by past AIR, Clark Kellogg.

A display of jewelry-in-progress by current AIR, Kristi Rae Wilson.

Many families and visitors stopped by to make different origami objects, including helmets, balloons and bookmarks. The activity was inspired by our current exhibit, Joan Son -- Part Geometry, Part Zen: A Personal Exploration through Paper.

A visitor works with HCCC staff to make a
helmet out of origami paper.

The fair included many vendors from across the U.S., and among the displays were a few familiar faces from Houston. Roxy, from Grrr Feisty and Etsy Houston, shared a booth with Maria, of reigrüche Studio. Their vibrant booth featured lots of fun upcycled jewelry, fabric headbands, and other unique treasures.

Part of Grr Feisty’s display

Work from reigrüche Studio

Also sharing a booth were Lora, from b.bags, and Emile, of Emilee Rose Designs. Lora’s handcrafted bags, made from upcycled fabrics, can also be found on etsy.

b.bags eco-friendly booth design

Finally, when we thought the craft world couldn’t get any smaller, we ran into ceramist, Carole F. Smith, of McCheeks Mayhem, and Teresa O’Connor, owner of Hello-Lucky, located in the Heights. Carole was an artist-in-residence at HCCC in 2007 and currently has work featured in Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-in-Residence.

Carole Smith of McCheeks Mayhem, left, and Teresa O’Connor, owner of Hello-Lucky.

We had such a great time in Austin at Renegade, talking to people about HCCC and craft. If you missed it in May, Renegade will be coming to Austin again in the fall for a holiday sale, over the weekend of November 26 and 27, 2011. Make sure to check it out—it’s a great way to support craft and buy handmade.

Houston Welcomes the American Association of Museums Conference!

2011-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

The American Association of Museums (AAM), the world’s largest museum service organization, will hold its annual conference in Houston, bringing more than 5,000 museum professionals from around the world. The 105th AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo™ will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from May 22-25, 2011.

Houston is excited to host the AAM conference and showcase the city's diverse museum, cultural and educational communities. The AAM conference and its 170 thought-provoking sessions will afford attendees from more than 55 countries the opportunity to advance leadership, deepen professional practices and promote innovation in museums that serve children, families and lifelong learners as informal education institutions. This marks the first time that this event will be held in Houston and Houston’s museum community is ready.

The AAM 2011 Local Host Committee has planned lots of exciting events and activities in conjunction with the conference for the community. From the PODA Project and free community performances at Discovery Green to a community service project at the Houston Museum of African American Culture to the first ever AAM Public Session Track to the Art Car Parade......there are lots of fun ways for Houstonians to participate! Visit www.aamhouston.org to sign up for blog notifications and keep up with all the exciting activities that are coming soon.

Houston is proud to host AAM’s first-ever Public Session Track, which extends beyond the traditional professional development and networking opportunities offered in the conference to sessions designed to build the relationship between museums and the communities they serve. Each Public Session Track is unique. Examples are a session for parents and caregivers, another for museum board members and trustees, another for folks who want a behind-the-scenes look at the world of collections and the role of the registrar in a museum. There’s also a special roundtable session for folks who want to get involved in our museum community….from donor to docent and everything in between.

To read more about the Public Session Track, visit http://www.aam-us.org/am11/publicsessions.cfm.
Keep up-to-date on what's happening this week on the American Association of Museums 2011 Annual Meeting blog http://aamhouston.wordpress.com/

What is your favorite piece in the exhibit "Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard"?

2011-05-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

With the closing of Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard at the end of the month, we decided to ask the staff to share their favorite pieces from this expansive exhibition, which is comprised of Gralnick’s work from the past seven years. The show is up through Saturday, May 28, 2011. If you’ve visited the show, please share your favorites in the comments below!

Julie Farr, Executive Director, writes about enjoying the works in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy. She loves that Gralnick honors the original intent of the gold by preserving people’s sentimentally charged objects as plaster artifacts of emotion.

Communications Director, Mary Headrick, is fascinated by all of Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy. "I like the dual effect of first seeing a piece that is visually intriguing and then reading the text, which gives each piece a deeper meaning. After you see a few pieces, the whole concept really clicks. They're all so clever. My favorites are probably Rhinoplasty, Zoloft, and the Italian Shoes.

Education Director, Carol Klahn, chose the Coin Collection Picture Gallery in Part III: Transubstantiation and the Historicized Object as her favorite because of her love of art history. She loves the ambiguity of the tiny paintings and that many of them seem to be variations on historical designs. She enjoys that there are many things that are familiar about the designs of the miniature gouache paintings, but that it is hard to pinpoint all of the influences. She also likes these because she is a fan of gouache paintings and loves the way they contrast with their gold frames.

An avid coffee drinker, Volunteer Coordinator, Marina Lewis enjoys Lisa Gralnick's #7 Starbucks Coffee. It reminds her of how expensive coffee can be and to enjoy it.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part I: #6 Zoloft (detail)
Plaster, gold and acrylic, Photo by: Jim Escalante

Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell, chose #6 Zoloft in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy. She found the piece to be clever and a bit humorous because the artist has managed to put a price or value on happiness / mental health. She also likes the way Gralnick used only a portion of the gold needed to equal the monetary value on the medicine bottles, and with the rest of the gold she made a beautiful necklace with beads in the shape of Zoloft pills.

Asher Gallery Manager, Suzanne Sippel’s favorite is #4 Violin in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy. She appreciates this piece because it was cast from Gralnick’s own violin and the investment the artist has in this piece because of that incredibly personal touch. She also identifies with this piece because Gralnick is displaying herself as not only an artist but a musician as well.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part I: #4 Violin
Plaster, gold, violin strings and acrylic
Photo by: Jim Escalante

Asher Gallery Sales Associate and Gallery Attendant, M’kina Tapscott, chose # 3 Cell Phone in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy as her favorite because this piece works on multiple layers. It is a historical account of technology because of its dated and antique look, resembling a home phone of today more than a cell phone. The work is also a documentation of the price of gold at that time and how it has increased over the years.

Asher Gallery Sales Associate, Zoya Tommy, likes the #1 Sink in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy because it is the focal point of the show. She is interested in the way it’s positioned in the show and the way it stands out because of its isolation. She also appreciates this piece because of its domesticity and she has seen other works that use sinks and finds it interesting to see how different artists work with this subject.

#17 Duncan Painting in Frame in Part I: Commodification and the Sensible Economy is Curator, Anna Walker’s favorite. She appreciates that it is a reference to an art object, a painting in this case, and how the value would usually be based on the image. However, Gralnick has removed the image, causing the viewer to confront how we value art. Walker also likes how well executed the gold corner of the piece is, from transitions in texture from canvas to frame.

Jenny Lynn Weitz, Web and Marketing Assistant, likes every single piece from Part II: Phenomenology and Substantialism because of the heavily personal stories behind each melted item. “I think that Lisa did a great job cataloguing the owner’s reasoning for selling their valuable gold belongings to her to melt, and then create the pieces for Part III. Through the label descriptions, we can see that some of the items in Part II are there because of broken marriages, deceased relatives, economic hardship, all of which are incredible emotional, intriguing… it makes me want to know more about all the previous owners, see pictures of them or know how they feel about this exhibition.”

View of Part II: Phenomenology and Substantialism
Photo by Jack Zilker

Nyala Wright, Associate Director of Fundraising, chose the Fourteen Unusually Small Rings in Part III: Transubstantiation and the Historicized Object because of their delicateness and beauty. They make her wish she had tiny fingers so she could wear them.

If you've had a chance to visit the exhibition share your favorite below. We hope you will stop by to see this great show before it closes May 28!

Curator Anna Walker on Texas Biennial Art

2011-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

You may have been reading about different exhibitions around Houston that are participating in the 2011 Texas Biennial. Our exhibition, Joan Son – Part Geometry, Part Zen: A Personal Exploration through Paper, is part of this event. However, the Texas Biennial is new to Houston and began as an artist-driven event in Austin, Texas, that has grown to include many cities across the state.

The other weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a Contemporary Arts Curators’ Meeting in Austin, co-hosted by the 2011 Texas Biennial and Arthouse at the Jones Center. (The day of panels and discussions was well covered by Kelly Klaasmeyer of Glasstire.) While the Curators’ meeting was productive and engaging, I wanted to take time to share a few images of work I saw over that weekend. Hopefully, you will find your way up to Austin in the coming weeks and be able to see some of these great shows.

Debra Broz is trained in china restoration and has work in the current exhibit, New Art in Austin, at the Austin Museum of Art. Pictured here is lepus loprachoa (cockatoo hare). Other works from her Oddities series include feeding, pictured below.

Debra Broz, lepus loprachoa (cockatoo hare).

Debra Broz, feeding.

On display at the Pump Project Art Complex is work by Gabriel Dawe, as part of the 2011 Texas Biennial. Dawe creates large-scale installations with sewing thread, a material traditionally used in “women’s work,” and had an electrifying piece in the corner of the space. A piece from plexus no. 4 at the Dallas Contemporary is pictured below.

Gabriel Dawe, plexus no. 4.

Also part of the 2011 Texas Biennial, Margarita Cabrera’s project, Florezca, involves selling indigenous Mexican folk art and craft from a repurposed taco truck. Cabrera works at the intersection of contemporary art and collaborative social projects, and all of the proceeds go back to the artisans to promote fair labor and trade.

Right here in Houston, Box 13 is a place to go to see more great work by artists from the 2011 Texas Biennial. I particularly like the upstairs installation by Laurie Frick, A long walk thru cardboard, pictured below.

Laurie Frick, A long walk thru cardboard.

Anna Walker, Curator

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Opening of Joan Son Exhibit Tomorrow!

2011-04-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Please join us tomorrow evening for the official opening of this fantastic exhibit with celebrated paper artist Joan Son.

Joan Son - Part Geometry, Part Zen:
A Personal Exploration through Paper
April 9 – August 13, 2011

Reception with the Artist
Friday, April 29, 5:30 - 8:00 PM

Joan Son, Grounder, detail. Paper. 2011. Photo by Ashley Powell.

Joan Son, Winds of Grace, installation view at HCCC.
Paper. 2011. Photo by Ashley Powell.

In her solo exhibition, Joan Son – Part Geometry, Part Zen: A Personal Exploration through Paper, celebrated paper and origami artist, Joan Son, focuses on the themes of the elements found in nature—fire, water, earth and air. Known for her large-scale installations of origami butterflies, Son has covered the walls of the Artist Hall with nearly 500 butterflies. In addition to this colorful installation, the exhibit features sculptural and traditional artworks made throughout the Houston artist’s career.

Joan Son has worked in the medium of paper, based in the discipline of origami, since 1993, when she debuted her art in the windows of Tiffany & Co. However, her interest in origami began many years earlier, when she folded her first paper crane as a teenager. She has created numerous large-scale installations for public and private venues, as well as small works for museum shops, such as the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Her work has been exhibited in many Houston venues, including the C.G. Jung Center, the Chase Bank Lobby Gallery, Archway Gallery, the Williams Tower Gallery and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where she was a participating artist in CraftTexas 2008. All of her works are crafted one at a time, using the finest Japanese and international papers. She is a member of Origami USA and attends their conventions in New York City, where she studies with origami masters from around the world.

In celebration of contemporary visual art in Texas, HCCC is participating in the 2011 Texas Biennial project by joining in with over 60 arts organizations across the state with this exhibition. The full list of participating organizations and further information on the project, including the 2011 Texas Biennial exhibition on view in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, from April 9 - May 14, is available at www.texasbiennial.org.

Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell, on Installing Michelle Samour’s Lightbox

2011-04-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Michelle Samour’s show, Truth and Transience, is comprised of three parts. The pieces Eyes of God: Conversations about Science and Faith and Bundle are both wall installations. The third piece in the exhibit, Reflecting Pools: Beautiful Viruses, is a 10-by-3.5-foot light box that sits on the floor in the middle of the gallery radiating fluorescent light. The light box was constructed specifically for this installation and is filled with bright hand-made paper shapes the artist calls viruses.

The imagery Samour uses to create her viruses is from actual diseases such as SARS, Smallpox, Ebola, Avian and AIDS. She has created a self-contained aquatic garden of viruses that invites the viewer to contemplate the heavy issues that surround disease and medicine in our contemporary society—such as efforts to control the spread of disease; the control of mass hysteria; the creation of vaccinations; and the political, social and economic factors that surround development of vaccines.

Michelle Samour, Reflecting Pools: Beautiful Viruses (detail),
Pigmented hand poured paper/vellum, light. Photo by Robert Schoen.

Samour makes these viruses out of abaca, a fiber found from the banana tree. She mixes the abaca fibers with water and macerates them in a machine called a beater until it resembles a fluid paste. The fluid paste or slurry is then colored with light, fast pigments. The shapes that are floating in Reflecting Pools: Beautiful Viruses are drawn using a squeeze bottle. The slurry is simply squeezed out of the bottle into various shapes, pressed and then dried.

These vibrant and beautifully translucent papers were carefully distributed and organized on a layer of milk plexi-glass and then glass. Samour first worked slowly and purposefully, positioning the viruses on the layer of milk plexi-glass. After the works were in place, the next step of the installation was inserting the sheet of glass on top of one layer of plexi-glass and abaca. Unloading the glass and carrying it into the gallery was an arduous task and required the strength of three men: Alfonso Cipriano, head carpenter at MFAH; his supervisor; and Randall Dorn, Facilities and Operations Manager at HCCC.

Above from left to right:
Randall Dorn, Facilities and Operations Manager at HCCC; MFAH staff member;
Alfonso Cipriano, MFAH Head Carpenter; Anna Walker, Curator at HCCC;
and Ashley Powell, Curatorial Assistant at HCCC.

Once the glass was in the gallery, all of us, including Michelle Samour, Curator Anna Walker and myself, cleaned the surface of the glass. We made sure to remove any and all smudges, dirt, fingerprints, etc., so that this labor-intensive task of lowering the glass down into the box only had to happen once. Handles with giant suction cups were attached to one side of the glass, and the rest of us stood back, held our breath and watched as the glass was lifted and then slowly lowered into the light box. Once that was in place Samour added another layer of abaca viruses. The two layers provide a sense of depth to the light box and it takes on the appearance of a pool of water containing floating microscopic agents, reminiscent of what would be seen if these viruses were viewed under a microscope. I think a sense of relief washed over all of us after this part of the show had been safely put together, and the exhibition was two thirds of the way complete.

Alfonso Cipriano (MFAH Head Carpenter) and
HCCC Curator, Anna Walker.

Ashley Powell
Curatorial Assistant
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell on Michelle Samour’s Installation

2011-04-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Anna Walker, Curator, and I had the fantastic opportunity to assist artist Michelle Samour in the installation of her show, Truth and Transience, which is now up in the small gallery through May 15, 2011. Getting to know the artists, being able to watch them work and becoming a part of the creative process is always an awesome experience and working with Samour was no exception.

The show includes two wall installations, with the walls covered in hand-made pigmented abaca paper circles that have designs meticulously painted in gouache. In the middle of the gallery is a 10 by 3 ½ foot light box that glows.

Curator, Anna Walker, installing Michelle Samour's
Eyes of God: Conversations about Science and Faith

The piece, Eyes of God: Conversations about Science and Faith, was the first piece of the exhibition to go up. Samour brought a template the size and shape of the space she wanted to fill with her abaca circles. This template, which you can see in the picture above, was taped on the gallery wall and provided the exact area for her abaca circles. The oval shape resembles a giant open eye similar to the Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) found on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which also appears on the Unites State’s one-dollar bill.

Anna Walker and Curatorial Assistant, Ashley Powell, arranging the abaca circles of
Michelle Samour's Eyes of God: Conversations about Science and Faith.

Afterwards, the template was brought down and stretched across six eight-foot tables. All of the beautiful, vibrant and translucent abaca circles were then taken out and arranged onto the paper template. To help arrange the circles the template was divided into four quadrants. We used blown up photographs of a previous installation as our guide and worked one quadrant at a time, leaning and stretching across the tables to deposit the circles of paper onto the template. It quickly became an amusing puzzle of trying to replicate the arrangement in the photos. All the while, we noticed the patterns Samour had created with the specific placement of the various colors and sizes of circles.

The artist installing the pieces she made for the exhibition.

Once we had all of the abaca circles in their place on the table, it was time for us to hand them to Samour, one by one, as she stood on a ladder and recreated the piece on the wall. She would sporadically stop to improvise and switch the order of the pieces or slightly alter their placement. We started handing her the circles from the very center of the 4 quadrants and gradually worked our way out one circular layer at a time. The further along we got, the more interesting the installation became visually. As the individual pieces were viewed collectively on the wall, they start creating a three dimensional optical illusion. The entire form started to take shape. Once we were done, there was an excellent sense of accomplishment. I was thrilled to have been able to participate and to have the up close and personal vantage point to view how Michelle Samour works. Stop by HCCC to see the finished installation, the exhibit is open through May 15!

Ashley Powell,
Curatorial Assistant
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Insight into Commonplace Artist Barbara Smith’s Keys

2011-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

Barbara Smith has work in the current Artist Hall exhibition, Commonplace: Objects by Barbara Smith & Ryan Takaba, which ends Sunday, April 3, 2011. Smith recently received her MFA in Metal from State University of New York-New Paltz. She was gracious enough to take the time to explain her thoughts and process behind her works, which use a very common object: keys.

Barbara Smith, TR47 USA, SC4, DO NOT DUPLICATE, Brown, (blank), Master, 622, DO NOT COPY SC9 (J&L), Chicago, Illinois, COO68, (blank), (blank), Master, DO NOT DUPLICATE, J, 23, AR4, USA1, GM, E71.
Brass, steel, masonite, pine, paint. 2010.
Photo by Ashley Powell, HCCC.

What do we do when a key becomes obsolete? When we move, get a new car, or buy a new padlock? Keys are familiar and intimate objects. We carry them in a pocket or a bag. When we are not in transit, we set them aside in a special place. We search for them when they are lost. We give or share a key with someone we trust. The keys on a key ring are given order based on function. They are grouped based on place or frequency of use. They get me where I need to go and to where I should be. My key ring contains a narrative that only I can decode.

To make TR47 USA, SC4, DO NOT DUPLICATE, Brown, (blank), Master, 622, DO NOT COPY SC9 (J&L), Chicago, Illinois, COO68, (blank), (blank), Master, DO NOT DUPLICATE, J, 23, AR4, USA1, GM, E71, I purchased a box of discarded keys. The box came from Joplin, Missouri, marked “Rattle OK, keys.” The contents of the box provoked a melancholic adoration. Organized on rings, the keys were intensely personal assemblages of potential. For two days I simply looked at the various configurations and reflected upon the individuals who had once used them. To who, where, and what did these keys belong? Key chains told me about interests, travels, donations, brand loyalty, and banking preferences. I looked at them long enough to know which set of keys gained two or more people access to the same places. Here were people’s lives. These lives were faceless, nameless, and timeless. While these keys could tell me a great deal, there was even more that I could never know. The history contained within them was both strange and familiar. Removing them from the key rings felt like dismantling a life. The act of disrupting the order was accompanied by an acute sadness. In touching them, I touched drawers, locks, and hands; in touching them, I did not know what I touched.

Untitled shots of work in progress, photo courtesy of the artist.

Keys are quiet carriers of intimate, personal narratives. This latent information scattered as I removed the keys from their assigned places on the key rings. Individual keys became absent and unknowable bodies and spaces. After cutting the blade away from every key, these fragments were recombined to give them a collective life. I repetitively cut the keys apart and soldered them blade to blade. Progress was measured in small increments: the length of a line grew an inch at a time, and a pile of key heads on my bench grew to be a mound. Hundreds of keys combined to create a new, yet recognizable, form. People and places met in a linear archive of tactile data.

Untitled shots of work in progress, photo courtesy of the artist.

When I sit down to make, my intention is to account for existence. Keys are intensely personal artifacts of this existence. In TR47, each blade is a point along a timeline of thought and experience. Time, place, loss, and memory are reconsidered on both an individual and a collective level. When I gather, remake, and recombine keys, I participate in a fiction to both understand my own moment and express an understanding of my eventual absence.

Barbara Smith
http://www.borderlinebarbie.com/

Listen to the Artists This Weekend at HCCC

2011-03-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

When artists are in town installing their work or live nearby, we frequently ask that they give an artist talk for the public. This weekend, you have a chance to stop by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and listen to two artists speak about their work.

Ryan Takaba, Detail: On to Heaviness.
Porcelain, mums, water, steel pins. 2010 Photo by: Mark Menjivar.

Join us Friday, March 25, at 5:00 p.m. to listen to ceramicist Ryan Takaba talk about his work currently on display in the Artist Hall exhibit, Commonplace: Objects by Barbara Smith & Ryan Takaba, on view through April 3, 2011. Back in February of 2009, American Craft Magazine did a blog post on the work of Ryan Takaba. Watch below for a better understanding of Ryan’s ideas from two years ago, and join us Friday to see how these concepts have evolved.

After Ryan’s talk, please stick around for the opening of Michelle Samour’s exhibition, Truth and Transience, opening in the small gallery, 5:30-8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 25. If you can’t make it to Friday’s events, Michelle will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. We hope you will join us for what promises to be an engaging discussion about the process and ideas behind her pulp paper drawings.

Michelle Samour, Reflecting Pools: Beautiful Viruses.
Pigmented hand poured paper/vellum, light. Photo by Robert Schoen.

Empty Bowls Nourishes All of Us -- Thoughts from Co-Founder & Chair Thomas Perry

2011-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Thomas Perry is a potter and a co-founder and chair of Empty Bowls Houston, which has been held annually since 2005 to benefit the Houston Food Bank. He is a co-founder of ClayHouston, a regional ceramics guild, and has served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer and as co-chair of ClayHouston's first all-clay Festival. Thomas also serves as a docent and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where he was also once an artist-in-residence. Here, he shares his thoughts and inspiration for Empty Bowls Houston.

Photo of Thomas Perry by Karen Bruce.

In 2004, I proposed to HCCC staff how wonderful it would be if Houston held an Empty Bowls event and if HCCC would host it. The staff agreed, provided I could enlist the working team. Marie Weichman, Lydia Busch, and I recruited other team members and brought in the Houston Food Bank. At our inaugural event in April 2005, people were waiting in line for HCCC's doors to open. They wanted to help fill the empty bowls of those in need and to fill a need in their own lives for a handmade bowl.

This is just what Marie, Lydia, and I had hoped for. We were building on a tradition that began 20 years ago when a Michigan high-school ceramics class created 120 bowls to raise money for a local food drive, the first-ever Empty Bowls event. We were also building on the millennia-old tradition of bowls being utilized for serving food and drink. What better symbol than the empty bowl to represent the need for nourishment!

Sending out the Call for Bowls is like flipping a switch to activate individuals and groups. Many local college ceramics departments host Bowl-A-Thons, where students, staff, and a few outside potters spend a half day making dozens of bowls. During the following weeks, as students trim, glaze, and fire all these bowls, they improve their skills and gain insight while working on others' bowls as well as their own. Jennifer Herzberg of Baytown's Lee College fosters collaborations—always great learning opportunities—between ceramics and life drawing students, producing bowls decorated inside and out with drawings of the human figure.

SJC Bowl-A-Thon. Photo by Paula Murphy.

Early on, we reached out to the broader craft community, inviting woodturners, fiber artists, glass artists, mosaicists, blacksmiths, and other artists to create bowls. They won't be functional, they argued. It's not about bowl function, we countered, it's about bowl spirit. Artists working in all types of media have accepted the challenge of the bowl, then unleashed their imaginations and problem-solving skills.

We promote Empty Bowls through hands-on and demonstration events, such as HCCC's Hands-On Houston. Kids experience playing with clay and expanding their creativity. And so do adults. More than one father has kept his kids waiting while he completed his second bowl. Urban Harvest Farmers' Market offers us a center space, and we multi-task, making bowls, while explaining what we're doing, how long it takes to make a bowl, and what Empty Bowls is all about. We're educating people about clay and craft, as well as hunger.

Empty Bowls Houston at HCCC. Photo by Paula Murphy.

Come to this Saturday's 7th Annual Empty Bowls Houston, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Lawndale Art Center. The event is free, and you can enjoy musicians, demonstrators, and even a stilt-walker. But to really make a difference, purchase one or a dozen handmade bowls, entitling you to a light lunch from Whole Foods Market. For each $25 bowl, you'll help the Houston Food Bank provide 25 people three nutritious meals for a day. And your bowl, forged by hand, passion, and talent, will remind you that you've "taken a bite out of hunger" and will nourish you with the pleasure of owning it, as it once nourished an artist who made it.

To learn more about Thomas Perry and his pottery, visit thomasperrypottery.com

Metalsmith Lisa Gralnick Speaks about “The Gold Standard”

2011-03-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, Houston Public Radio, KUHF, broadcast Bob Stevenson’s interview with artist and metalsmith, Lisa Gralnick, on their daily arts show, “The Front Row.” Stevenson interviewed Gralnick when she was in town for the opening of her exhibition, The Gold Standard, which is on view at HCCC through May 28. This interview provides a wonderful overview of the exhibit, and we encourage you to listen to the extended version.

Also, if you want to hear a few one-to-two minute “sound bites” about some highlights from the show, Bellevue Arts Museum has been kind enough to provide audio clips of Lisa Gralnick discussing some of her works. Whether or not you are able to see the show in person, you have a chance to listen to the artist talk about her work and learn a little bit more about the ideas behind this impressive show.

Below are images of the pieces she talks about with an audio file below each image.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part III: Tool, Medical Device or Implement.
Recycled gold, and acrylic, 2007. Photo: Jim Escalante.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part III: Military Brooch, 1940.
Recycle gold, garnets and fragments of gold chain, 2007. Photo: Jim Escalante.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standar Part III: Fourteen Unusually Small Rings.
Recycled gold, gemstones (amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, emerald, green amethyst, moissanite, morganite,
peridot, ruby, sapphire, sunstone, tanzanite, tourmaline), pearls, enamel, and acrylic, 2009. Photo: Jim Escalante.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part III: Foucault’s Panopticon.
Recycled gold, leather, mirror, and acrylic, 2010. Photo: Jim Escalante.

College Art Association Annual Conference in New York: A Report from HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Anna Walker (Part II)

2011-03-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

On the final day of the conference, Saturday, Feb. 12, I began with the session, Textiles and Social Sculpture, chaired by Hazel Siegel from the Pratt Institute. Three of the four presentations were by artists about their own art and one was by art historian Julie Schlarman, of University of South Dakota, about the public art of Janet Echelman. Echelman creates monumental public sculptures out of high-density polyester fibers, which are frequently used by NASA or engineering companies. She uses traditional knotting techniques practiced by fisherman to fabricate her sculptures. Her public works react to the surrounding natural environment and sometimes include other architectural elements. In her sculpture, Water Sky Garden, created for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, the netted “sky lantern” hangs from a steel structure over a bridge of red painted cedar.

Janet Echelman. Water Sky Garden at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Painted galvanized steel rings, TENARA® Architectural fiber,
red painted cedar, water fountains. Image courtesy Janet Echelman, Inc.
Photo: Peter Vanderwarker.

Following the presentation by Schlarman, artist Olivia Robinson presented Temporary Spaces for Resistant Histories. She discussed recent projects she and her group, “Spectres of Libery,” have pursued in communities in the Northeast. Robinson’s organization describes itself as “an on-going public, hybrid media project about the history of the movement to abolish slavery in the United States.” The projects she spoke about included The Great Central Depot in the Open City and Ghost of the Liberty Street Church. Both public pieces seek to make visible the history of hidden people and
movements of resistance. Ghost of the Liberty Street Church recreated a demolished church out of inflatable, transparent fabric. In the 1840s, the church was the sight of historic gatherings fighting to abolish slavery under pastor Henry Highland Garnet. I was struck by the soft, almost delicate appearance of the structure as the backdrop for such serious discussions surrounding human civil rights.

Spectres of Libery. Ghost of the Liberty Street Church.

Also presenting on the topic of Textiles and Social Sculpture was artist Elaine Reichek. She spoke about the 16 hand-embroidered samplers displayed in her digital exhibition, madamimadam, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The research for this project was completed while Reichek was an artist-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, in February 2001. The final project was not a traditional exhibition, due to the Gardner Trust’s stipulation that the current display of work had to be permanent and could not to be altered except for purposes of maintenance or loan. To get around this rule, Reichek installed her work on easels, tables and empty spaces on the walls, while the museum was closed. The works were then photographed and, 10 years later, still live on in the original format of a digital exhibition.

After this session, I joined a room of artists, academics, curators and persons interested in craft for the Critical Craft Forum: Platform for Exchange. Co-chairs Namita Wiggers, Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and Elisabeth Agro, Curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, led a conversation about how to foster more critical dialogue around craft. After the 2010 CAA conference, many individuals expressed the need for a space to explore and discuss research, exhibitions, ideas and publications surrounding craft. Out of this meeting, the “Critical Craft Forum” was formed on Facebook. Since its initial founding, the group on Facebook has become stagnant. The co-chairs discussed possibly changing the forum from a Facebook group to that of a blog and inviting guest writers to create posts on different issues surrounding craft. A majority of the audience was receptive to this idea, with many of us signing up to volunteer and be part of the next steps of a “Critical Craft Forum.”

Overall, I was excited to attend my first CAA conference and find so many thought-provoking sessions that related to the field of craft. Historically, craft tried to prove itself to the “fine” art world and was frequently overlooked as an amateur art form. It was inspiring to participate in discussions and listen to presentations that are leaving that debate behind and looking ahead to articulate craft’s importance within its own field. Through the development of more research and critical dialogue, craft will become more widely represented in academia and articulate its own place in the field of the visual arts.

Anna Walker
Curatorial Fellow
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

College Art Association Annual Conference in New York: A Report from HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Anna Walker (Part I)

2011-02-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

I didn’t know what to expect as a first-time attendee at the College Art Association’s (CAA) Annual Conference in New York City, February 9 - 12, 2011. I have always been familiar with CAA as a tool for educators and students, but I was excited to attend the panel discussions surrounding craft and curatorial topics.

I arrived on Thursday and began the day in the session, The Art of Pranks, with chair Beauvais Lyons, University of Tennessee. Lyons began the session flipping through slides of pranks by artists, including Marcel Duchamp, Damien Hirst, and Jeff Koons. Humor is at the core of Prank, particularly how it is used to engage with political discourse. With such an engaging topic, I was glad many of the papers took a more lighthearted approach in presentation format. For example, self-proclaimed “artivist,” Clark Stoeckley, presented his talk in the guise of “Officer Stoeckley of the NYPD.” Stoeckley provided an overview of pranks by graffiti and performance artists that were both playful and illustrative of political resistance. This made me curious about which craft artists have engaged with prank theory through their work. Surely, Wendell Castle’s 1978 piece, Coat Rack with Trench Coat, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, would be considered prankster? (Although, made of wood, it mimics a coat in the style of trompe l’oeil.) Another example of prankish craft is the recent exhibit from the Wood Turning Center, Challenge VII: DysFUNctional, which features objects that subvert function and are made with the kind of humor and whimsy frequently found at the core of Prank.

Wendell Castle (American, b. 1932.) Coat Rack with Trench Coat. 1978.
Honduran mahogany.The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston;
Gift of Roy M. Huffington, Inc. and anonymous donors, 1984.299.
Art Copyright Wendell Castle Inc.

Following this session, I attended Narcissism, a topic organized by the Queer Caucus for Art: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus for Art, Artists, and Historians. With a strong schedule of presenters, I would need to devote multiple posts to each presentation. I thought the strongest presentations were It’s all about ME, Not You: The Art of Greer Lankton, by Jonathan Weinberg, independent artist and scholar, and Shame-Flushed Flaming: Narcissism and the Queer Potentials of Photography, presented by Jill Casid, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Overall, I am most interested in applying queer theory and the topics discussed to practices surrounding craft. Fiber artists, Lacey Jane Roberts, Josh Faught and Aaron McIntosh are just a few artists that come to mind who are dealing with issues surrounding queer identity and hetero-norms of society and craft.

Looking ahead, Friday promised another full day of sessions, with many surrounding craft specifically. In the morning, Betty Crouther, University of Mississippi, and Crystal Hui-Shu Yang, University of North Dakota, chaired and presented papers in Cultural Diversity and Human Creativity: The Continuation of Traditional Craftsmanship. Presenter Joshua Almond, of Rollins College, discussed the simplistic approach of the art-versus-craft debate in his presentation, Liberal Arts Colleges as Stewards of Traditional Craftsmanship. He referenced Glenn Adamson’s new book, Thinking through Craft, and his discussion of craft as a process. Almond explained how the interdisciplinary model of liberal arts schools is similar to the model with which we should discuss craft—a dialogue that is not solely about material exploration. Following this talk was the much anticipated session, Where Is Tradition in American Studio Craft?, chaired by Katie Lee, Assistant Director of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. The three presentations in this session were topical and gave constructive criticism to the notions behind the loaded word, tradition. Audio recordings and PDF documents of this session can be found on the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design’s website.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, tradition is cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs and institutions. When examining the relationship of craft to society, the presenters agreed that, while craft references traditions of the past, it is a nimble and responsive medium that engages with current society on a variety of levels.

Lin Yillin (Chinese, b. 1964) Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road. 1995.
Still image from single channel video, sound, 36 minutes, 45 seconds.
Asia Society, New York: Promised Gift of Harold and Ruth Newman.

With this in mind, I found the presentations of Elisabeth Agro, Curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Tom Loeser, Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, highly engaging and relevant. Agro articulated the need to shift the rhetoric of tradition to that of heritage. She used the material history of porcelain and cleverly highlighted how objects created today reference those from the past. Contemporary works are not made in a traditional style, but instead honor certain stylistic or material references from the past, the heritage of the material. Loeser presented artists and works that re-contextualize traditions of the past, placing craft into a successful relationship with art and design. One such example was Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road, a performance piece by Chinese artist, Lin Yillin, in which he continually rebuilds a concrete wall, while crossing a pedestrian crosswalk during traffic. Loeser mentions how this work displays the radical act of a mundane action, the traditions of wall building and even labor practices. Following this panel, Namita Gupta Wiggers, Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, was the discussant and led the beginnings of what could have been a provocative discussion had our session time not lapsed.

Lin Yillin (Chinese, b. 1964) Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road. 1995.
Single channel video, sound, 36 minutes, 45 seconds.
Asia Society, New York: Promised Gift of Harold and Ruth Newman.

Anna Walker
Curatorial Fellow
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Anna Walker continues with her report, reviewing the final day of presentations and her conclusions from the conference in Part II.

Nurturing “Commonplace” Objects

2011-02-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ceramic artist Ryan Takaba’s works are currently on display in the Artist Hall exhibit, Commonplace: Objects by Barbara Smith and Ryan Takaba. His “Mums and Water” series is a collection of organic and delicate porcelain bud vases that mount to the wall, holding green mum flowers. To sustain these simple flowers, each vase must be carefully filled with water several times a week, as it holds only a small amount. The vases are linked by the stems of the plants, which serve as carriers for tiny drops of water to flow to another vase, creating a unique and visually interesting watering system.

Ryan Takaba, On to Heaviness.
Porcelain, mums, water, steel pins. 2010
Photo by: Mark Menjivar.

Takaba is interested in the delicate nature of these objects and their use in a common process of watering plants. His work allows the viewer to contemplate this somewhat mundane activity and also serves as a reminder of those moments in our daily lives that are so often deemed unimportant or overlooked because they are simple.

Ryan Takaba, Detail: On to Heaviness.
Porcelain, mums, water, steel pins. 2010
Photo by: Mark Menjivar.

So, while the works are on view, HCCC staff will be watering the mums on a regular basis—observing and documenting what happens during the process and any changes that may occur. Because this simple act is an integral part of Takaba’s concept, we are helping to complete his idea.

--Ashley Powell, HCCC Curatorial Assistant.

Ryan Takaba piece, photo by Ashley Powell using the Hipstamatic iPhone application.

Ryan Takaba's “Mums and Water” series updates:

Friday, February 11, 2011 @ 2:30 PM: 3 - 4 drops of water added to vases
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 @ 4:00 PM: 6 drops of water added to vases
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 @ 2:30 PM: 6 - 8 drops of water added to vases
Thursday, February 24, 2011 @ 2:43 PM: Mums replaced and vases re-filled
Tuesday, March, 1 2011 @ 4:40 PM: Mums watered, 6 drops each
Tuesday, March, 8 2011: Mums watered @ 5:00 PM
Friday, March, 18 2011: Mums replaced and watered
Wednesday, March, 23 2011: Mums watered @ 2:43 PM
Friday, March, 25 2011: Mums watered @ 3:00 PM
Wednesday, March, 30 2011: Mums watered @ 3:00 PM

Q & A with Nora Atkinson, Curator of "Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard" – Part II

2011-02-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part I: #16 Italian Shoes.
Plaster, gold and acrylic. 9” x 16” x 25”. Photo: Jim Escalante.

HCCC: Many of the works, especially those in Part I, were made prior to the housing market collapse and bank closings in 2008. With the current state of our global economy, this exhibit is timely in exploring issues of commodity and value. Were you planning this exhibit prior to these events, or was it important to stage the exhibit now because of the events? How do you see the work relating to our contemporary culture of corporate greed and excess?

NA: Recent events were definitely a consideration in planning the exhibition. My first conversations with Lisa about showing the work came just after the collapse, and the work struck a cord, not only in its thematic content as an exploration of value, but as a genuine record of the events as they happened—from the impetus for the work, the artist’s search for a house and struggle with the cost of living versus the cost of gold and of making, to the collapse and subsequent rise of gold’s price, which she recorded in her works, even as it became more and more expensive to purchase the material. Although in some ways the timing of the series and exhibition were coincidental, The Gold Standard really goes back to the core of what it means to be valuable–which is something we all can relate to and have probably thought very much about in these times. Although we likely would have done the show regardless of the crash, it gave it a certain urgency and potency.

The exhibition is a consideration of the almost random association of importance and value we assign—be it through the stock market or symbols of status—in our society, and Lisa’s comparisons run from the obvious to the subtle. I love the inclusion of her favorite, and very expensive, Italian leather shoes, which by their unpretentious appearance beg the question: What is the value of a good pair of walking shoes? Why shouldn’t it be the same as Christian Louboutins or Manholo Blahniks? And almost every object in the exhibition carries with it that kind of question, from the absurdity of a Tiffany ring that is prized so highly as to outweigh its own materials, to the comparative worthlessness of a vacuum cleaner or a sink, with both its utility and art-symbolic Duchampian value. Through her cold meticulous calculations, Lisa brings out the irrationality in measuring these objects and ideas by the same system, and the objects are so ubiquitous and charged, enhanced by their almost monumental appearance in plaster and gold, as to take on a moralistic dimension.

What the work really gets across is the multifaceted nature of value, and how skewed it can become in contemporary capitalist society, where markets are run and value is assigned more by desire and perception than by need. There are many metaphors in the exhibition that speak to our cultural values--the value of an honest day's work, of history and provenance, of sentimentality, of knowledge--and Lisa plays these values back and forth. The painting she casts, for instance, in Part I, is a garage-sale amateur painting, but it is up to us to decide if it seems to be paired with the proper ratio of gold. It looks like something we might value, but we can't quite tell. And the real question is what is the value of art? And can anyone really tell? Who makes that decision? That same question is echoed in Part III, and all of the parts play off each other. It’s this kind of questioning--breaking down and building up the concept of value, so that we divorce status symbols, intrinsic and cultural value, and importantly, perceived worth, from each other and analyze them each separately--which really speaks to the nature of the cult of the dollar, and our current financial crisis.

HCCC: While addressing issues of commodity, the exhibit also comments on institutional authority, such as the power museums have in displaying objects and placing value on certain items over others. What is the responsibility of the institutions displaying historic and art objects in relation to the value of those same items?

NA: Everyone who works in the museum field understands, at least to some degree, the influence we have over the worlds of both academia and the market, and the responsibility that comes with it. Museums vary wildly in their size and scope--from tiny cabinets of curiosity, to authoritative institutions--and within that range, there are varying levels of authoritative voice, but the concept is nearly always there. Museums, by and large, are educational institutions and collectors of our shared history, so the expectation follows that the information they convey, in so far as it can be, should be well researched, truthful, and more or less unbiased. It is what places like the Museum of Jurassic Technology play upon, and also what Lisa, not without some humor, places a critical—or at least questioning—eye upon in her work.

As Lisa points out, there is certain sentimental quality and fond appeal to the kind of strange small museums that spring up out of the passion of an earnest or idiosyncratic collector, and we know better than to take the information we find there for granted, but it is harder to call into question the elegant laser-cut labels of a respected institution like the Met or the Smithsonian. More than just that, the choice of which pieces to exalt—through accession and display—as part of our history, the authenticity of artifacts, their provenance, and speculation about their use and meaning, are all vital to our cultural patrimony, and for the most part dictated by such institutions. To say that these museums play an important role in both the cultural and monetary value of objects would be understating the case, and the institution’s responsibility here, as the guardian of that trust, is to always maintain the highest ethical and intellectual standards in making decisions about the objects it houses and the information it conveys. Losing that trust is not only a loss to the credibility of the institution, but can be tantamount to losing a part of our cultural history.

Of course, there are many types of museums, each of which deals with this issue in different ways, but despite these technical differences, almost invariably, the museum is a safeguard of our collective material history, and artifacts in museum collections are the records we rely upon, so the responsibility remains the same. Given all of that, the notion is particularly interesting in the field of contemporary art, where a historic precedent isn’t so much present, and the choice to show (or not) an artist in a major institution can make or break a career. In the case of a contemporary art institution, museum professionals actually affect and, to a large degree, effectively write the history of art for the future by assigning the value of present day artworks.

Exhibition Information

Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard
On view at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street. Houston, Texas 77002
January 22 - May 28
To view images of the Opening Reception and
Lisa Gralnick's Gallery Talk, visit our Facebook Page
To read Part I of our interview with Nora Atkinson, click here

Q & A with Nora Atkinson, Curator of "Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard" – Part I

2011-02-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Nora Atkinson, Curator at Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, Washington, curated the current major exhibition, Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard, at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. She was kind enough to answer some questions over email about the show.

HCCC: The general public may not be familiar with how an exhibition is conceived and organized. Can you explain why you approached Lisa Gralnick, what first drew you to her work and, inevitably, how the exhibition came together?

NA: My first encounter with this body of work was at the SOFA Chicago Convention in 2008. I was transfixed by the piece, Chastity Belt Necklace—first by the object: the beauty of the delicate gold links in harsh contrast with the menace of the hair and barbs, then by its anachronistic caption. It was among a few pieces from the series that Lisa was showing at the fair, and it pulled me into her booth to investigate further and talk with her about her work. She was giving a lecture the following morning, so our Artistic Director/Chief Curator, Stefano Catalani, and I took the opportunity to listen to her speak, and it was just after the lecture that we began discussions about the show.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part III: Victorian Chastity Belt Necklace.
Recycle gold, hair.23” x 2” x 1”. Photo: Jim Escalante.

It was a very serendipitous meeting, since it seemed like the ideal moment for an exhibition of Lisa’s work. A well-known jeweler with an impressive body of prior work, she was reaching the end of a monumental conceptual project that had spanned seven years and gone beyond the usual bounds of jewelry to explore something completely unique. She had always hoped that the pieces would be shown all together.

We discussed the prospect of the exhibition with Lisa on the spot, and then concreted the plan for the exhibition over the next several months, flying her out for an interview and site visit, locating and arranging the shipment of the pieces, and working on the catalogue with a talented team, which included writers Tacey Rosolowski and Michael J. McClure, and a wonderful photographer, Jim Escalante, who photographed the works for long hours, even as the last few were being completed. Although Lisa’s prior work is worthy of a mid-career survey, it was a conscious choice to show this body of work as a single, separate exhibition on its own. The recession had just begun to hit, and I felt that although the artist has dealt with many of the same issues throughout her work, this series, which is at its heart a meditation on value, deserved to take center stage and felt too important and relevant to current events in its own right to be placed in a larger historical context.

HCCC: This exhibition is framed in three parts. Obviously, this is partly chronological, but it is also grouped by theme. Why is it important that the artist is exhibiting this show in three parts? Why not three different exhibitions?

NA: The question is a good one. As you can imagine, in working on the same project over the course of seven years, Lisa has displayed parts of the series alone along the way. The simple answer to this question would be that the work was always conceived of by the artist as a single series, to be shown together, but more than that, I think the works are individually stronger for their connection.

In Part III, for example, the pieces themselves are opulent and full of individual societal commentary, but they don’t go conceptually as far without thinking of them and questioning them in the terms of value that Part I sets up as a framework, or the context of gold as simultaneously being immutable and ever changing—able to maintain its brilliance through the ages and retain the knowledge of human history, while at the same time able to erase the past and leave no trace of its previous incarnations—as set up through Part II. Similarly, the labels, which are laser inscribed in Part I and gradually slide to typewriter in Part II, and to handwriting in Part III, are a good example of the kind of subtle manipulations Lisa makes over the entire body of work that would be lost without the whole. Without other labels to compare these to, they seem less deliberate, but this intentional juxtaposition, or others, like the use of vitrines—sparingly in Part I, not at all in Part II, but present in Part III—add a rich subtext to the work.

Lisa Gralnick, The Gold Standard Part I: #11 Tiffany Ring.
Gold and acrylic. 2” x 40” x 16”. Photo: Jim Escalante.

And not only does Lisa use these devices differently, but she addresses many of the same subjects from different angles, as she has often done in her oeuvre, and her larger meditations are always present, even in her very specific investigations. The huge tiffany ring she presents us in Part I is interesting when played off of The Jeweler’s Revenge in Part III, where the form of the ring appears again, and countless such comparisons arise within the work.

Although the title of the series refers to The Gold Standard, the exploration is about much more than this face value: Lisa not only calls into question the essential and assigned qualities of gold (the express purpose of the work), but also all aspects of what we, as a society, place value upon, and how that value is derived. Any single part of the series would be an incomplete mediation on this subject.

Exhibition Information

Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard
On view at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street. Houston, Texas 77002
January 22 - May 28
To view images of the Opening Reception and
Lisa Gralnick's Gallery Talk, visit our Facebook Page
To read Part II of our interview with Nora Atkinson, click here.

Jenine Bressner on Houston Visit

2011-01-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

Mixed-media artist, Jenine Bressner, opens up and writes about her experiences while visiting Houston to install her first solo show at a major institution. Inverted Harmony: A Handmande Environment by Jenine Bressner, is on view in our Small Gallery through March 13, 2011.

Detail of Jenine Bressner’s current installation at HCCC.
Handmade glass and lasercut, hand-sewn fabrics. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Houston, Texas has surpassed my expectations by light years. I worked all week to install Inverted Harmony: A Handmande Environment by Jenine Bressner at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. In my mind, the working title is, “Why Are We Fighting When We're on the Same Team?” This installation is the biggest thing that I have ever made, aside from building rooms in warehouses.

The support from HCCC has been so incredibly thorough and generous. I have to especially thank Anna Walker, curatorial fellow at HCCC, for EVERYTHING! I am ineffably grateful to Anna, Randall Dorn, and Ashley Powell for their invaluable help and to Kerry Inman and Nyala Wright for their generous hospitality.

Jenine Bressner during installation – “As I hung plant forms,
I rearranged the platforms of the scaffold to allow the pieces
to hang fully extended.” Photo courtesy of the artist.

“Here, Anna Walker (r) and Ashley Powell (l) prepare strands of
glass rain before I hang them.” – Jenine Bressner. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“I spent months lampworking Pyrex to make lots of glass rain drops.  It felt like it took
forever to tie them all! Thanks to Dave Olsen for  teaching me how to make a fisherman's
knot, and for being so helpful to me.”  – Jenine Bressner. Photo courtesy of the artist.

This is the text that accompanies my installation:

The idea of "Man versus Nature" fails to acknowledge that humans are animals. Though we exist in the context of nature, we are distinct from other fauna in many obvious ways. We try to control nearly every other type of living thing around us, from pests to pets. In relating to everything only as something we can manipulate, we fail to view and understand the rest of life with true empathy.

Our impact on the natural world is currently disruptive and unbalancing in unprecedented ways. We are turning the world upside-down, but I believe in the resiliency of nature--sans humans. If plants can grow through from underneath pavement, nature can eventually resolve much of the damage for which we have been responsible.

The most inspiring works I've witnessed have all been naturally occurring ones. I aim to make things that reflect my respect and awe for the natural world, my quiet sadness for our uncertain future, and the paradox of humans trying to control and recreate nature itself in artwork that can only strive to be as beautiful as authentic life.

The screening of Handmade Nation at Lawndale Art Center last weekend was packed beyond capacity, with people lining the walls and sitting on the floors. 225 people attended the film, and 100 came to my artist talk! It was a lot of fun to meet everybody and talk with folks, so thank you if you were able to be there! Also, the band What Cheer Brigade from Providence (the band in the bookbinding scene in Handmade Nation) will be playing at Super Happy Fun Land on March 10th!

Jenine Bressner while teaching the Ruffled Accessories workshop at 
Sew Crafty Houston. Photo courtesy of Sew Crafty Houston. 

Thanks also to Sarah Gabbart and Sew Crafty Houston for hosting my workshop on sewing ruffled textile forms and accessories, and thanks to everyone in the class! Sarah, you're a gem!

--Jenine Bressner

For more information, visit Jenine’s…

Faythe Levine on Handmade Nation: Now & Then

2011-01-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

Director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members for her feature film debut, Handmade Nation. Below, she shares her thoughts on her amazing journey in creating the documentary, which explores the new wave of art, craft and design.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft has partnered with Aurora Picture Show, Lawndale Art Center and others to present a free reception and screening of the film at Lawndale Art Center on Saturday, January 22. Click here for more details on the event.

Faythe Levine, Handmade Nation author & director.

The Handmade Nation screening in Houston is the perfect place to start with my story. The plan was to come to Texas for the screening of my film, but as I keep learning, when it rains, it pours. A previously booked trip to Alaska for educational programming was too close for travel to make sense. One of my most challenging lessons in the past few years is realizing I can’t be everywhere at once, and when I try, because I have, it just results in mental and physical exhaustion.

This Texas-Alaska conundrum does a great job of summing up my last two years’ experience with programming. I never expected the audience to be so far and wide for the film, lectures, and now educational workshops. What I have found is that people are excited and interested in learning more about the current state of handmade, and my film is a great launching board for discussion, and, for many, provides inspiration to take the first step in their lives to do something new.

The project itself started in 2006, taking three full years to complete. I was interested in capturing the positive energy the DIY craft community is known for, sharing work, methods and the forward-thinking ethos of those involved with what was going on. The film was shot by my friend and collaborator Micaela O’Herlihy, who traveled with me during the production. I selected featured makers from people I had worked with or was interested in getting to know, traveling to cities where we could multi-task and shoot craft fairs, studio visits and additional footage.

Over the course of the production, a lot happened within the DIY craft community. Print magazines started and folded, Etsy.com was only a year old when we began shooting and quickly changed the way makers could market and sell their work, and social media took over. The ways in which we began to exchange information and share projects and ideas were moving forward faster than most of us even realized.

I treated the documentary like any project I had ever worked on and shared the process by blogging. When we released a clip of the film about a year into production, people outside of the crafting circle started to take notice. A lot of media attention was already being directed at the trend of “crafting,” and Handmade Nation was a way to explain what was going on. By the time the film was released, I had a large following of people waiting to see the film. I am very thankful and still shell shocked from the amount of attention the documentary has received. It may be a surprise to some of you to know that the film was turned down for every major film festival I applied to, so I set out to book screenings in a non-traditional DIY method, which ended up working maybe better than I could have hoped for.

Handmade Nation is still just me. I manage all the emails, booking, press, and marketing and still often travel to screenings and to do educational lectures. The popularity of the film is a true testament to how important craft, making and creating is to our culture. Craft never left and will never go away; we just have the ability to share things much quicker and connect, regardless of our locations, unlike past generations.

As I move forward in my own career as a director and curator, my DIY ethos will stand by my side like it has since I was a 15-year-old punk kid making zines. The idea that there are no rules appealed to me then and is still the reason I promote what I do. The empowerment of craft changes lives, and inspiration is contagious. I am sorry I can’t make it to Houston, especially to see Jenine Bressner’s exhibit, but I’m going to be there in spirit on my way to Alaska to spread some DIY love elsewhere.

--Faythe Levine

For more information, visit:

Meet Sarah from Sew Crafty

2011-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

For some of our upcoming events, we have developed exciting partnerships with several Houston arts organizations, such as Lawndale Art Center, Aurora Picture Show and Sew Crafty Houston. On Saturday, January 22, Sew Crafty Houston will host our special workshop, “Ruffled Accessories with Jenine Bressner.” (Spots are still available—click here to learn more and register.) So, this week, we’ve invited Sarah Gabbart, owner of Sew Crafty Houston, to tell us a bit more about her sewing lounge in the Heights.

Sarah Gabbart at Sew Crafty’s December craft fair. Photo by Ellen Chen.

Crafters, makers, DIYers and indie artists have flocked to Houston in the last few years, presumably for our low cost of living, and have found a city that’s ready to be part of what other places like Austin and Chicago have already experienced: a DIY community.

How do I know? I started a sewing lounge called Sew Crafty in 2008. For the past three years, I have found tons of folks who were ready to meet other people that enjoyed crafting as much as they did! There they were, yarn or fabric in hand, just waiting for someone to say, “Hey you guys! This is where you can craft.” That’s why I started Sew Crafty—so people could have fun and make stuff together.

At this point you might be asking, “What the heck is a sewing lounge?” Good question! In a sewing lounge, like Sew Crafty, you can take classes, buy supplies or rent space to work on your projects—but that’s not the whole story. You can meet other folks who like sewing, knitting, crochet, craft, DIY and fun stuff like that. You can be part of a craft community!

Many folks have found this kind of camaraderie online, through sites like Craftster.org and Etsy.com, but not in their own backyard. In the past, we have worked with groups like Etsy Houston (a group of makers who band together to fight evil… err… rather, create craft fairs, promote their wares and enjoy cupcakes) to help bring awareness to all of the cool stuff people are making in our very own city.

Sound like fun to you? It’s easy to get involved—visit a craft fair, join a meet up group or take a workshop with us or HCCC! I promise it’s a whole lot of fun, and there are usually cupcakes.

Preparation for a New Year – New Exhibits!

2011-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

At HCCC, we are beginning our New Year with two exciting new exhibitions! Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard and Inverted Harmony: A Handmade Environment by Jenine Bressner open on Friday, January 21, from 5:30 – 8:00 PM. If you visit our galleries before the opening reception, you will be greeted by a small sign asking you to “excuse our mess,” as we are in between exhibitions. This doesn’t mean there isn’t anything happening in the galleries; our staff is busy behind closed doors getting the space ready for the new exhibits.

Two of our favorite staff members de-installing
Marianne McGrath’s piece, Yours, Mine & Ours…,
from the CraftTexas 2010 exhibition that just ended.

What happens behind those doors, you ask? At a larger institution, such as the MFAH, there is a preparation and installation department, often shortened to “prep department.” The department works tirelessly prior to exhibitions—painting gallery walls, installing complicated sculptures and making sure all the artwork is lit and ready to go. Here at HCCC, we don’t have a separate prep department. Instead, multiple members of our small staff pitch in to help take down and put up new shows. This means that one week, we could be researching and writing text panels, and the next week, we could be painting pedestals.

In the upcoming weeks, we will have posts about these two new exhibits, but for now, we are in the galleries getting the space ready for the opening reception—we hope to see you there!

Mixed-media artist, Jenine Bressner—recently featured on The Martha Stewart Show—will be in Houston for her first solo show, a special workshop, and other events in January

2010-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

Sample image of Bressner’s glass-bead and textile work.
Photo courtesy the artist.

Mixed-media artist, Jenine Bressner, will debut her first solo show, Inverted Harmony: A handmade Environment by Jenine Bressner, at HCCC this January in the small gallery. The exhibition will open on Friday, January 21, 2011, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. On Saturday, January 22, Jenine will teach a workshop from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.: Ruffled Accessories: Beards, Boutonnieres, and Headbands. HCCC is partnering with Sew Crafty Houston to present this special workshop.

We will be posting more about Sew Crafty Houston and Jenine Bressner later in January, but for now, we thought everyone might enjoy a sneak peak about Jenine and her recent spot on The Martha Stewart Show. You can see a full clip of Jenine and Martha here. And, read more about Jenine’s experience on her blog here.

Space at the workshop is limited, so if you want to join Jenine in Houston, and learn to make some fun and wacky accessories to spice up your wardrobe, sign up now!

Jenine will also give a gallery talk on the evening of Saturday, January 22, at 8:15 pm. This will immediately follow the reception and screening of Handmade Nation, a documentary about the new wave of art, craft and design, at Lawndale Art Center. Read more about these events here.

Happy Holidays from HCCC!

2010-12-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Pancho the Reindog and everyone at HCCC!

We want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday break and happy new year from the HCCC “birthday blog.” Thank you to all of our supporters for making this a great year!

If you haven’t been by HCCC to see the most recent exhibitions, Craft Texas 2010 and The Color of Enamel: New Work by Leighelena, you still have time. Craft Texas 2010 is open through Thursday, December 30, and Leighelena is open through January 30. So, please stop by with your friends and family—admission is always free! (Please note that HCCC will be closed December 25-27 and December 31- January 3 for the holidays.)

If you have never joined HCCC as a member or even if you have, now is a great time of year to join or renew your membership.

Your gifts of $100, the price of a Crafter level membership for two, are being matched – dollar for dollar – by the Windgate Charitable Foundation. Click here to donate now and celebrate ten years of free exhibitions, education programs, and the next decade of HCCC.

What is your Craft Texas 2010 Favorite?

2010-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

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.

Current Artist-in-Residence Jessica Dupuis Reflects on a Four-Week Residency at Women’s Studio Workshop

2010-12-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW) in Rosendale, NY, is a visual arts organization with specialized studios in printmaking, hand papermaking, ceramics, letterpress printing, photography and book arts. Jessica Dupuis was invited to work at WSW as part of their Fellowship Program. Jessica is a ceramist and current artist-in-residence at HCCC. We asked her to provide a few pictures of her time up North and reflect on her experience.

Women's Studio Workshop. Rosendale, NY.

Four weeks at WSW…. a community that was warm, nurturing, and stimulated my creativity. WSW gave me the opportunity to discover what it was like to live and work in the same building, the time to focus on my work, and to interact with other women artists. I spent my days downstairs in the ceramic studio, and above, I could hear the traffic in the printmaking studio. I had potluck lunches in the kitchen with everyone and spent evenings chatting with my room mate, Amber Jensen, a printmaker, or doing research for my work. I found this experience beneficial to the work and residency I am currently completing at HCCC.

Inside Women's Studio Workshop. Rosendale, NY

Detail of Jessica's work in progress while at WSW.

From the Artist: Leigh Navarro Introduces Her Show in the Artist Hall, "The Color of Enamel: New Work by Leighelena"

2010-12-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

Leigh Navarro is an enamel artist from Austin, TX, and her first solo show opens this weekend in the Artist Hall. The exhibition, The Color of Enamel: New Work by Leighelena, runs from Dec. 4, 2010 to Jan. 30, 2011, and an opening reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 5:30-8:00 PM.

Leigh in her studio.

I am thrilled to be introducing my work at HCCC. Together, my mom, Susan, and I have nearly 60 years of enameling experience. Some years were more "fruitful" than others, but it has been in the forefront or back burner of our lives for years. My mom is an artist and started enameling to incorporate different elements on her wall hangings. Eventually, she made fully enameled wall hangings. Since I was a kid, I enjoyed making jewelry, which I sold at art fairs with my mom. Decades later, we have taken our combined knowledge to create wearable, affordable, and fantastic enamel jewelry!

Leighelena, Small Anemone Wall Piece, glass enamel, copper, stee. Photo by HCCC.

The pieces we have created for this exhibition are a good mix of what is to come and what have been some of our favorite pieces to make over the years. We always want to find interesting vehicles for different types of enamel. I am excited to introduce the Anemone collection. These sculptures are a collaboration among myself, my mom and my partner, Jimmy Sochat. I can't wait to expand on it in 2011—I have many ideas already!

Leighelena, Medium Anemone Wall Piece,
and materials are: glass enamel, copper, steel.
Photo by HCCC.

The framed enamel artwork, or Driftwood series, is also the beginning of a new series I will be producing. And the jewelry, ah the jewelry, I have put many great pieces together, some new and some best-sellers. Please take special notice of the leather cuff bracelets, they are my favorite pieces and the most fun to make. I wanted to create a great way to make a bracelet with an attractive piece of enamel. I have developed this look over the last 4 years, and, believe me, it has changed drastically! I take a lot of time and thought in choosing the best and most exciting Italian leathers that I can find to create each look. The end result is an edgy but feminine handcrafted piece of jewelry that will stand the test of time, both mechanically and fashionably.

Each of these pieces is fully designed and crafted by me, in collaboration with my mom, Susan. I hope you love them as much as we do! I look forward to meeting you on Thursday, Dec 9th for the opening!

Meet the 2010 HCCC Volunteer of the Year: Jack Zilker.

2010-11-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Jack Zilker is a local photographer who has been working and photographing the work of Houston artists for over 60 years. He has volunteered for over nine years to photograph our exhibition galleries, our building, objects for sale in Asher Gallery, and various other projects. His photographs provide an extremely valuable record of our exhibition history, illustrate our gallery spaces to new artists, and are used for promotional purposes. We are forever grateful to volunteers like Jack, who not only take time out of their day to volunteer but also donate services that save HCCC thousands of dollars. We asked Jack to sit down and share a little bit about his history in photography and time at HCCC.

Julie Farr, HCCC Executive Director, and Jack Zilker with his award.

What made you want to be a photographer?

I sold my first photograph at 15, and that was almost two centuries ago. I thought it was the most wonderful experience and it was more fun than saving empty Coke bottles and selling them back to the stores for 2 cents a piece.

How long have you been a photographer in Houston?

I was born and raised in Houston. When I was in junior high, my parents were building a home in a newer part of Houston. One day, I was walking around with my camera, taking pictures of these houses under construction, when a contractor stopped and asked me to sell him the photographs. I realized that, with all the development in this neighborhood, I could take pictures and then put a notice on the house about the pictures for sale. I turned my parents’ bathroom into a darkroom, and that’s how I started my photography in Houston.

What is a favorite memory from volunteering at HCCC?

I’m not sure which exhibition this event was related to, and I suppose it might be a self-serving answer, but I remember a juror’s advice during an opening. The juror was taking everyone on a walk through the gallery before the event was to start. While in the exhibit, explaining his choices, he stopped to tell the audience about a recent visit to some nearby galleries. He proceeded to tell them about how he saw some work in the galleries that had been submitted for the show, but that he did not select it. He explained how, had he seen good photographs of those works, he would have selected the pieces for the exhibit. I applauded his advice, because artists who don’t have good photographs really do themselves an injustice, and this juror did a great job of explaining why photographs are necessary.

A Volunteer's Perspective

2010-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you visit HCCC during an opening event, it is likely that one of our dedicated volunteers is serving your drink. HCCC volunteer, Barry Harnamji, takes time out of his daily schedule to volunteer at our special events and openings and has been doing so since early 2009. Barry is one of many volunteers who help nonprofits like HCCC keep everything running. This year, we’re combining our Asher Holiday Soiree and our Volunteer Appreciation Party in one event! Please join us for this festive reception tonight (Thursday, November 18), from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Below, Barry shares his experiences as a volunteer.

HCCC volunteer, Barry Harnamji,
waits for the party to begin. Martini Madness!
September 16, 2010. Photo by Kim Coffman.

Becoming a volunteer at HCCC arose from a very personal endeavor. As a result, my exposure to the artwork at HCCC completely changed my perception of craft. Directly discussing artwork with some of the artists-in-residence gave me an even greater insight into the complexity of effort that goes into much of the art they produce and the high quality of work HCCC demands.

Volunteering at HCCC has been a two-fold experience for me. I have the opportunity to view amazing new and upcoming works of art, which I may not have known about. Additionally, volunteering as a gallery attendant or at one the various programs such as Hands-On Houston, exhibition openings or external arts functions, such as Bayou City Arts Festival, MFAH, and other venues, gives me the opportunity to be a part of the Houston arts community and share the art of craft.

Introducing Our New Artists-in-Residence: Clark Kellogg

2010-11-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

A native of Houston, TX, Clark Kellogg has been interested in woodworking and furniture making since he was 14, when he and his father started building small projects in the family garage. He received his BA from the University of Virginia. He is formally trained as a furniture maker, graduating from both the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship's Nine-Month Comprehensive program and the College of the Redwoods esteemed Fine Woodworking Program.

Clark with his piece, Garden Bench,
for which he received an
award-of-merit in Craft Texas 2010.

I've known about the residencies at HCCC since the organization was founded in 2001, because I've visited the center all these years. I wanted to apply for a few years, but I wasn't settled in Houston. I was traveling back and forth between home and school. Also, I didn't have enough work until recently for a complete application. Once I knew I was going to be in Houston for a few years, and had a larger body of work, I applied.

Part of the plan for my residency is to use it as an opportunity to promote myself and my work in the Houston community. I want to interact with visitors, be part of educating them about what fine furniture can be and how much work goes in to making custom furniture. While in my residency, I hope to balance making some larger furniture pieces with smaller work focused on letter carving. Letter carving is a new area for me and it's exciting to explore and see where this new skill will will take me.


Hemlock Wall Cabinet, by Clark Kellogg, photo by David Welter.

Music Box, by Clark Kellogg, photo courtesy the artist

Little Squam (detail image),
by Clark Kellogg, photo courtesy the artist.

You can find our more about our current artists-in-residence on our website.

Introducing Our New Artists-in-Residence: Kristi Rae Wilson

2010-11-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Kristi Rae Wilson is a mixed media artist who has returned to her hometown of Houston after being away for seven years. She received her BFA from Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX before earning her MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kristi in her studio at HCCC.

I found out about the residency at HCCC when I was in undergrad at Stephen F. Austin University. I didn't feel I was prepared for it at the time, but I stored away the information for later. When I graduated with my MFA, I sought out residencies in the USA and Europe. HCCC was the first to contact me and after accepting the position, I was excited to return back to Houston.

During my residency, I hope to continue researching fabrics and allow this research to influence my jewelry skills. I want to allow this relationship between fabric and jewelry to happen organically. In the end, I hope for two different outcomes. The first outcome being a high end production line of jewelry and the second developing large scale exhibition pieces.

Tea Infuser Earrings,
by Kristi Rae Wilson,
photo by Motoko Furuhashi.

Detachment of the Bed Sheet,
still from 2 minute looped video
by Kristi Rae Wilson,
photo courtesy the artist.

Remnants Collar,
by Kristi Rae Wilson,
photo by Motoko Furuhashi.

You can find more about our current artists-in-residence on our website.

Introducing Our New Artists-in-Residence: Lisa Wilson

2010-10-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Lisa Wilson is a metalsmith and jewelry designer who creates a range of work, from sculptural objects to one-of-a-kind jewelry. An Ohio native, Lisa received her B.F.A. from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, before going on to earn her M.F.A. from Miami University in Oxford, OH.

Lisa Wilson in her studio at HCCC.

I found the residency at HCCC by word of mouth while I was finishing graduate school. Although I enjoy teaching, I did not want to pursue a teaching career full time directly after school. Applying for the residency seemed like a good match because it provides me time and space to make work, but I’m also able to gain some teaching experience in the Houston community.

While in my residency, I want to focus on taking my large scale sculptural work down to a smaller, more intimate size. My larger sculptures are based on algorithms found in natural objects. By making the work smaller in scale, I hope to capture the way we interact with a majority of the natural world. I want to provide contemplative experiences in my work, similar to those found when picking up a seashell on the beach or a fallen leaf on the sidewalk.

Diffusion Study,
by Lisa Wilson,
photo courtesy Jeff Sabo.

Spiral Growth,
by Lisa Wilson,
photo courtesy Jeff Sabo.

Wave Particle Loop, by Lisa Wilson,
photo courtesy Jeff Sabo.

You can find out more about our current artists-in-residence on our website.

Introducing Our New Artists-in-Residence: Elizabeth DeLyria

2010-10-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Originally a landscape painter, ceramic artist Elizabeth DeLyria translates the concept of landscape into the functionality of clay. Prior to moving to Katy, TX, she received her MEd in Art Education from the University of Houston. She also attended the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago. We talked with her about why she came to HCCC and what she will be working on during her time here.


Elizabeth in her studio at HCCC.

I had visited HCCC in the past and was always very impressed with the organization. Once I retired from teaching a year ago, I realized I wasn't familiar with the ceramics community in Houston. I had always known Houston as a teacher, not as an artist. I decided to apply for the residency and learn more about the ceramics community.

While at HCCC, I hope to further develop the emphasis of merging sculptural and functional characteristics in my pieces. My work is derived from nature and I want to expand it and make forms that I haven't had time to explore until now.


Birch Forest, by Elizabeth DeLyria, photo courtesy of the artist.

Petoskey Cairn, by Elizabeth DeLyria,
photo courtesy of the artist.

Birch,
by Elizabeth DeLyria,
photo courtesy of the artist.

You can find out more about our current artists-in-residence on our website.

Former Artist-in-Residence is "The Pro Bono Jeweler: Houston"

2010-10-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Former artist-in-residence at HCCC, Gabriel Craig, recently released his latest video piece "The Pro Bono Jeweler: Houston." He created these performances as part of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston exhibition Hand+Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft. Gabriel is a metalsmith, writer, and craft activist. You can see more of his work on his website or read his writing on his blog http://www.conceptualmetalsmithing.com/.

Introducing Our New Artists-in-Residence: Jessica Dupuis

2010-10-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Jessica is a ceramist from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She received her BFA from Alfred University in New York, and her MFA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Jessica uses the combination of clay and discarded materials, such as newspaper and cardboard boxes to construct objects that are light and fragile, but packed with power.We talked with her about what she will be working on while in residency at HCCC and how she found the program.

Jessica in her studio at HCCC.

While finishing graduate school I researched artist-in-residency programs at various organizations and did searches through search engines like Alliance of Artists Communities. I discovered HCCC's program while reading through online offerings on Ceramics Monthly's education resources page. I wanted to go to a new place, particularly a new city, and have access to a strong arts community. I thought this program sounded like a great stepping stone from graduate school to my professional career.

Work in progress at HCCC by Jessica Dupuis.

I brought with me a bucket of scraps and remnants to Houston from my graduate school work. My goal for the artist-in-residency is to make a new body of work and just experience being an artist in a community. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work in a space that is my own and I love exploring Houston and what it has to offer.

Grid by Jessica Dupuis, photo courtesy of the artist

Untitled by Jessica Dupuis, photo courtesy Edie Shimel

You can find out more about our current artists-in-residence on our website.

Want to Know More About the Award-of-Merit Winners from CraftTexas 2010?

2010-10-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

We do! So, we took some time to talk with the three award winners and wanted to share a little more about the pieces that won.

To Left: Clark Kellogg with Garden Bench.
Bottom Right: Catherine Winkler Rayroud with Mama Never Told Me.
Top Right: Eskimo Kisser #3 by Gary Schott

First up, Clark Kellogg is currently an artist-in-residence at HCCC and won an award-of-merit for Garden Bench.

In your artist statement you talk about the importance of material, in the case of Garden Bench why did those pieces become a bench rather than a cabinet?
Sometimes my furniture starts with the wood and ends with the piece. In the case of Garden Bench, the opposite occurred. Here I found pieces of wood to fit with the concept and design of the bench.

Why do you choose to make furniture?
I love making things with wood. I want to make something quiet and friendly that will become a part of someone’s home and for me that is found making furniture. I believe it is important to have your interaction with a space be positive and furniture can really determine how you interact with space.

Also creating interactive pieces, Gary Schott is Chair of the Metals department at the Southwest School of Art, and won an award-of-merit for Eskimo Kisser #3. Below is a video of the piece.

Can you talk about the importance of interaction in your work, specifically is Eskimo Kisser #3 meant to interact with two people?

Yes, this piece is meant for two people to interact with. I’ve created others that focus on the importance between the intimate experience between the piece and the person but this is an object for two people. I intend for the devices to be playful and provide a cheeky reaction to modern technology. In a sense, it is akin to how texting provides a technological interaction or interface between individuals, but here it is an object reminiscent of nostalgic toys.

Are people meant to actually touch noses with the piece and how did that dictate your material choices?

Yes, your nose is supposed to touch and so material choices were very important. I tried out many different materials and wanted to find something that was desirable for someone to touch with their nose. I had an “a-hah” moment when someone reintroduced me to needle felting.

The third award-of-merit winner was Catherine Winkler Rayroud for her paper-cut piece, Mama Never Told Me.

Mama Never Told Me,by Catherine Winkler Rayroud,
photo courtesy the artist

What narrative are you creating in the imagery in your piece, Mama Never Told Me?
This piece is very personal and illustrates the examples I was given about a woman’s place in society while growing up in Switzerland. There were certain things my Mother would say but do differently. For instance she would say a woman shouldn’t study because she won’t find a husband, but then I saw how she would write books in her spare time and be unhappy that she couldn’t find more time for these activities. This piece documents the personal journey I went through as a girl becoming an adult and the awakening I had after coming to the United States ten years ago. I often wonder what would be different if I would have been able to grow up here, would things have been different?

For those who aren’t familiar with paper-cutting, can you explain the process?
All of the paper-cuts are done from one sheet of paper with nail scissors and sometimes an exacto-knife. In this piece, I only used nail scissors. Initially I fold the sheet in half to cut the symmetrical images. Then I unfold the paper to cut the asymmetrical images, the difference in the mirror images is meant to be playful, the viewer can try and find the differences.

October's Hands-On Houston

2010-10-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, October 2, is International Day of Felt, celebrating the world’s oldest textile which dates back to 6300 B.C. Felt is made by compacting animal fibers such as sheep’s wool through wet felting and needle felting. In wet felting the fibers are agitated with hot water and soap. Whereas in needle felting, the fibers are compacted by hand with a barbed needle. This year’s theme, as proposed by Felt United, is a wedge of the color wheel: yellow through green to blue and we are participating by learning to needle felt with artist, Tobiah Mundt.

Visitors will learn very basic needle felting by turning mounds of colorful wool into cute little acorns and fall leaves. Join us to celebrate Fall and felt at October's Hands-On Houston tomorrow, October 2, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Examples of acorns visitors will make.
Image courtesy of the artist.

Tobiah Mundt is a Houston artist who recently had an exhibit, Being, at Lawndale Art Center. She also teaches classes and Sew Crafty Houston in the Heights. You can find more about her and her work on her website. Tobiah will also be offering an exciting October workshop at HCCC, Sculptural Needle Felting 101: Zombie Rabbits. You can find out more about the class on HCCC's website or by clicking here.

Image courtesy of Lawndale Art Center
and Tobiah Mundt's exhibit, Being.