Statecraft: Selections from the Jewelry Collection of the Danish Arts Foundation
March 15 – June 2, 2019
Asher Gallery
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
Asher Gallery will close in-store retail sales and serve as an exhibition space during this time period.
Hours & Admission
Open Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM.
Admission is free. Closed major holidays.
(HOUSTON, TX) February 12, 2019 – This spring, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to host a collection of exquisite contemporary art jewelry, assembled for the first time in the United States, from the Danish Arts Foundation. On view March 15 – June 2, 2019, in the Asher Gallery, Statecraft will showcase more than 80 important pieces of contemporary jewelry that the Foundation’s Craft and Design Committee has acquired directly from the country’s most innovative and prominent designers and artists over the last five decades.
Featuring a wide variety of trends—everything from the late-1970s emphasis on fine silversmithing to the riot of new materials, forms, and concepts of the 1990s through today—the collection provides an irreplaceable opportunity to trace the evolution of contemporary Danish jewelry design. Many of the featured works represent examples of singular Danish artists at different moments in their careers, which, in some instances, span more than 40 years of sustained output in jewelry.
The Foundation supports the livelihood of practicing artists and, for the Danish people, preserves an important part of their cultural legacy. Since 2007, a majority of pieces in the collection have been made available for Danish citizens—who participate in official, special, or public events—to borrow and wear for those occasions. The lending program provides everyday Danes the chance to see, appreciate, and understand, through the opportunity to wear, the best of Danish jewelry design.
HCCC Executive Director Perry Price commented, “HCCC is thrilled to be the first institution in the United States to host this selection of jewelry from the collection of the Danish Arts Foundation. The Foundation’s commitment to supporting practicing artists is to be celebrated, of course, but most remarkable is their willingness to place important pieces of contemporary jewelry into the hands of its citizens. It fulfills the mission of collecting art for the public good—and of connecting, educating, and investing the public with the work of their artist compatriots.”
Statecraft: Selections from the Jewelry Collection of the Danish Arts Foundation is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation and is the first in a series of partnership programs between the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Denmark’s Danish Arts in Houston program, a joint venture between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Changes in Asher Gallery
Beginning February 27, Asher Gallery will temporarily close in-store retail sales for the remainder of the spring. During this time period, the gallery space will be used to display the Danish jewelry exhibition, and a re-imagined Asher Gallery will open to the public in June. In a special promotion, HCCC Members will save 25% on their purchases (some restrictions apply) through February 24. In the meantime, HCCC will offer pop-up retail events at the Crafting a Legacy Spring Luncheon, on April 24, and on Mother’s Day weekend, May 11 – 12, among others
About Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is a nonprofit visual arts center dedicated to advancing education about the process, product, and history of craft. HCCC provides exhibition, retail, and studio spaces to support the work of local and national artists and serves as a resource for artists, educators, and the community at large.
Located in the Museum District at 4848 Main Street, HCCC is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM. Holidays: Closed Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. Free parking is available directly behind the facility, off Rosedale and Travis Street. HCCC is three blocks south of Wheeler Ave. MetroRail station on Main Street.
HCCC is supported by individual donors and members and funded in part by The Brown Foundation; Houston Endowment, Inc.; the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance; Texas Commission on the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kinder Foundation; the Morgan Foundation; Windgate Charitable Foundation; and the Wortham Foundation. HCCC is a member of the Houston Museum District and the Midtown Arts District.
For more information, call 713-529-4848 or visit www.crafthouston.org. Find HCCC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @CraftHouston.
