Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America
June 2 – September 2, 2018
Main and Front Galleries
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002Exhibition Reception
Friday, June 1, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists. Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.Hours & Admission
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM. Closed on major holidays. Admission is free.
(HOUSTON, TX) March 9, 2018 – This summer, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America, an exhibition chronicling the history of American basketry, from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its presence within the contemporary fine-art world. Visitors will delight in the variety of colors, patterns, shapes, and textures of the baskets on view, which range from traditional to highly unconventional and explore diverse cultural histories.
Historical baskets were rooted in local landscapes and shaped by cultural traditions. The rise of the industrial revolution and mass production at the end of the 19th century led basket makers to create works for new audiences and markets, including tourists, collectors, and fine-art museums. Today the story continues. Some contemporary artists seek to maintain and revive traditions practiced for centuries, while many combine age-old techniques with nontraditional materials to generate cultural commentary. Others challenge viewers’ expectations by experimenting with form, materials, and scale.
Divided into five sections—Cultural Origins, New Basketry, Living Traditions, Basket as Vessel, and Beyond the Basket—the show explores the variety of meanings and stories baskets convey through the artists’ selections of materials, techniques, colors, designs, and textures. HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall commented, “We are excited to partner with the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri to provide this in-depth look at the history of American basketry, which unites tradition and process with innovation and design. Basketry is a craft practice that, while recognized universally for its function, maintains distinct identities and ties to various regions and groups of people, giving woven objects the unique power to connect communities and ideas.”
Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America is a collaborative endeavor between the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri, curated by Jo Stealey and Kristin Schwain and generously sponsored in part by the National Basketry Organization; University of Missouri; the Windgate Charitable Foundation; the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design; and numerous private donors.
Information about upcoming programming can be found on the exhibition’s web page at https://crafthouston.org/exhibition/basketryinamerica/. For further details on the exhibition, visit https://americanbasketry.missouri.edu.
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.
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