Coming Soon--Bridge 11: Lia Cook

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

How to Diagnose SOFA Fatigue

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

SOFA Chicago 2011. Photo courtesy SOFA Chicago.

SOFA Chicago 2011. Photo courtesy SOFA Chicago.

What Are the Signs of SOFA Fatigue?

Glazed Expression

With so many galleries and a section 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 small 10’ 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 the walls, one could spend hours investigating the many drawers of works by other Ornamentum artists.

While we walked through the aisles, the “Solo at SOFA” booths provided a nice pause and rest for our eyes between the many spaces that were filled with work. These were spaces to feature the work by a single artist, and the booth featuring Devin Burgess did not disappoint. His carefully formed works were elegantly displayed in front of stripes of contrasting colors. With a similar attention to space and the careful selection of works, Heller Gallery chose 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 sign that your colleague has attended SOFA Chicago. Each day at the event presents a new opportunity to not only view work but talk with individuals, exchange business cards and, in the case of a few friends, acquire catalogues. The gentlemen at Thalen & Thalen had a beautiful catalogue available for sale alongside the delicate silver works. Each of these paper items was added to the familiar blue tote bag carried by all that includes the large, “official” SOFA catalogue.

Besides gallery areas, SOFA includes a resource area for nonprofit organizations to set up tables and promote memberships and publications. Among these tables, we met with many of our colleagues 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 are hosting at HCCC. Along with Namita, ceramicist Cristina Cordova will be a juror for NCECA 2013. Cordova shows with Ann Nathan Gallery and had a wonderful collaboration on display with Pablo Soto. Speaking of jurors, we also met with Jean McLaughlin, Executive Director 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 meant finding a spot to sit and read one of the many publications available for free from the resource area at SOFA. These included American Craft Magazine, Ceramics Monthly, Glass Art Quarterly and 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 bar or an apple will do. Without snacks, one might begin to consider the possibility of eating from the decadent collage of frozen-in-time glassware created by Beth Lipman at Heller Gallery. We are excited to see what this amazing glass artist creates for an upcoming exhibit, The Tool at Hand, curated by Ethan Lasser of the Chipstone Foundation and opening at the Milwaukee Art Museum in a few weeks. In this exhibit, 14 artists were challenged to make a work using only one tool. The show will then travel to HCCC 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 11 a.m. However, if you have a VIP pass, you can get in at 10 a.m., and it’s necessary to go early if you want to see any work. We enjoyed marveling at work by Mark Peiser at Wexler Gallery that 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 exhibition by Art Jewelry Forum, were also not to be missed. Walking through and identifying the work in the Cranbrook booth was an artistic experience in itself, thanks to the finely drawn map by Amy Weiks.

Starting early not only applies to the fair, but also to the networking that happens when hundreds of professionals in one field descend upon a city. We were happy to connect with neighbor Paula Owen, 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 to make the most of your next trip to SOFA and avoid the glazed eyes, sore shoulders, and zombie-like state of SOFA Fatigue!

--Anna Walker & Susie Silbert

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

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

Soundforge: In Process (Update #3)

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. You can read update #1 here, and update #2 here. 

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!

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)

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.

Soundforge: In Process (Update #1)

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.

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.

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

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

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