Texas Masters Series: Sandie Zilker
May 30 – September 7, 2014
Front Gallery at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002Opening Reception – Friday, May 30, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
5:45 – Artist Talk by Sandie Zilker
6:00 – Curator’s Talk by Mike Holmes (La Frontera)
The opening will also feature La Frontera in the Main Gallery.
Open studios by current resident artists to follow talks.Hours & Admission
Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM.
Summer Hours: Closed July 4th and Sundays, July 6th – Labor Day.
Admission is free.
(HOUSTON, TX) March 5, 2014 – This summer, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Houston metalsmith and educator, Sandie Zilker, the fifth artist to be featured in HCCC’s Texas Masters Series. The Houston native joins the roster of former Texas Masters—Harlan Butt, Cindy Hickok, Rachelle Thiewes, and Piero Fenci—nominated by their peers and recognized for their roles as career artists in Texas who have made a significant impact on the field of craft. As the 2014 Texas Master, Zilker’s work is featured in this solo show, and she will serve as one of three jurors for the CraftTexas 2016 biennial exhibition at HCCC.
As evidenced by her jewelry, Zilker is no stranger to experimentation in color, contrast, texture, pattern, and form. Using the body as a frame of reference, she pulls from elements of illusion and surprise to elevate adornment to its fullest potential. Each of her pieces is packed with personality, increasing the wearer’s senses and creating a unique relationship between wearer and object.
Zilker’s exhibition at HCCC serves as a retrospective of her jewelry work over the past four decades. The show includes an exploration by the artist of newer technologies, including video, as well as installation. She sums up her philosophy: “I’m kind of noisy, and so is my work. There is usually something loud about everything I do or make. Being boring or bored is my worst fear.”
This year marks Zilker’s 40th anniversary teaching at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School of Art, where she is head of the Jewelry and Enamel Department and the Three Dimensional Design Department. She also serves as the School’s Coordinator of Student Events and Exhibitions, which requires her to organize and oversee lecture series, as well as faculty and student exhibitions on and off site.
Zilker holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Metalsmithing from the University of Houston and a Master of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and is included in the collections of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin; Designmuseo, Finland; and Norden Feldske Kundiondustrimuseum, Norway. She has exhibited at HCCC in several juried shows, such as Fresh Metal, CraftHouston: Texas 2006 and Metal Moods. Her jewelry has been published in numerous books, including 500 Brooches, 500 Bracelets, 500 Plastic and Resin Objects, and Showcase 500 Art Necklaces.
Zilker has twice served on the Board of The Society of North American Goldsmiths and co-chaired the organization’s 2010 Annual Conference in Houston. She recently served as the liaison for Metalsmith Magazine and now serves on the Exhibition Committee. She has been an Honorary Board Member of the Houston Metal Arts Guild and serves on the Advisory Committee at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
In addition to brief teaching positions at institutions such as Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, Zilker’s professional life has included other passions, such as co-owning a catering company, that she feels have enhanced her work and teaching. She continues to do both limited-series work and precious-material commissions at her studio in Houston.
Texas Masters Series: Sandie Zilker was curated by Elizabeth Kozlowski, Curator at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
About Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is a nonprofit arts organization founded to advance education about the process, product and history of craft. HCCC serves as an important cultural and educational resource for Houston and the Southwest—one of the few venues in the country dedicated exclusively to craft at the highest level. HCCC provides exhibition, retail and studio spaces to support the work of local and national artists. In addition, HCCC is a wonderful resource for art educators and provides mission-related educational programs in schools and underserved communities. Visitors enjoy viewing innovative exhibitions, visiting the resident artist studios, creating their own crafts in monthly HANDS-ON HOUSTON events, and shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts and home décor in the Asher Gallery.
Located in the Museum District at 4848 Main Street, HCCC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM. Summer Hours: Closed July 4th and on Sundays, July 6th – Labor 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 funded in part by grants from 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. For more information, call 713.529.4848 or visit www.crafthouston.org.
