About Us

Gary Schott was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and recently moved to Houston after serving as the Chair of the Metals Department at the Southwest School of Art for seven years. He earned his BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Intrigued by the term utilitarian, Gary Schott finds himself drawn toward creating objects that balance between aesthetics and function; wearable and non-wearable. With a humorous undertone, the work allows for playful interactions.

Having trained as a metalsmith and jeweler, metal is a comfort zone when designing for Schott, but he freely works with other materials as well. Schott’s process typically involves beginning with a working model and then moving on to the final materials. This method allows for experimentation and errors in more easily manipulated and affordable materials.

Schott recently participated in The Jeweler’s Journey: From the Bench to the Body and Beyond at Peters Valley. He was included in Brigitte Martin’s widely celebrated book Humor In Craft. In 2012 he co-curated Interplay, an exhibition showcasing kinetic, mechanical and above all physically interactive works of art. Abroad, Schott has had the pleasure to work with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre based out of London and also showed work at the Museum of Mechanical Art and Design in Stratford upon Avon. He has also been a recipient of the prestigious LEAP award from the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. He is currently represented by French & Michigan Gallery in San Antonio, Texas.

During Gary’s time at HCCC this fall, he will continue with his pursuits of exploring mechanical motion and making humorous and silly objects to interact with. He intends to create a small series of new one-of-a-kind works but also diversify his studio practice to include designs for limited editions in the future. He will be at HCCC from September 2015 through December 2015. To learn more about his work, please visit https://www.garyschott.com.

Julia Gabriel is a handbag designer and maker from Houston, Texas. She began her artistic training in ballet at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, but found she was more drawn to mending the costumes and fixing sewing machines than being on stage. Her desire to create brought her to the Craft & Material Studies department at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she received her BFA in 2011. After graduating, Houston called her back home.

In August 2014, Julia launched her brand, Julia Gabriel Studio, with her first collection (Fall/Winter 2014) of handbags, backpacks, and small goods. Using principles from architecture with the precision and elegance of ballet, Julia designs handmade accessories with striking geometric silhouettes in a bold palette. Everything from dyeing to cutting to sewing is done by hand, and made-to-order. The success of her new brand has been recognized by several local publications including Houstonia Magazine and the Houston Press, as well as some international publications and blogs.

During her yearlong residency at HCCC, Julia will be sewing each bag from her current collection while designing and prototyping for the next season. She will be with HCCC from September 2015 through August 2016. To learn more about her work, please visit http:/www.juliagabrielstudio.com.

Susan Budge was born in 1959, in Midland, TX, and grew up in Crane, TX; Carlsbad, NM; Monahans, TX; Corpus Christi, TX; and Albuquerque, NM. In 1983 she earned a BFA in Ceramics at Texas Tech University, moved to Houston, and worked as a flight attendant while attending University of Houston Clear Lake. After earning her MA she was awarded two Artist in Education Grants from the Texas Commission for the Arts. During that time, she discovered her love for teaching. She taught at San Jacinto College in Houston, then moved to San Antonio College, became Head of Ceramics, received tenure, and earned a MFA at UTSA and earned full professor.

In the thirty-eight years that she has worked in clay, she has had 30 solo exhibitions and has been included in hundreds of invitational/juried exhibitions throughout the United States. Susan has work in private collections in Saudi Arabia, Greece, The United Kingdom, Australia and Mexico. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the San Antonio Museum of Art, The San Angelo Museum of Art, the Art Museum at Northern Arizona State University, the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Susan has received public commissions for Brackenridge Park, The South Texas Center for Blood and Tissue, and Lady Bird Johnson Park in San Antonio, Texas. Corporate Collections include Tessoro, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Five States Energy. Her recent museum exhibitions include The Nave Museum, The Goddard Museum, The Art Museum of South Texas, The Beeville Art Museum, and The Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Susan has also shown with Avis Frank Gallery, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and City Hall in Houston, as well as with The Plaza Club, Cinnabar, and Dock Gallery in San Antonio.

Susan will be retiring from San Antonio College in 2015 and moving with her son to Houston for a year long residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. She will be at HCCC from September 2015 through August 2016. To learn more about her work visit, https://www.susanbudge.com.

Wen-Dan Lin was born in Taiwan and raised as a bilingual man. He received his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 2011 and recently received his MFA from Arizona State University. He exhibited at the National Student Juried Exhibition at the 2015 NCECA conference in Rhode Island, and recently won the Zahner Art and Sculpture Competition where he had a sculpture enlarged and fabricated by the architecture firm Zahner.

Wen-Dan’s work is about finding solace in the everyday; not burdened by the circumstances that defined us, nor biased towards the agents that enforce it, the act of transforming mundane objects into novelties serves as a metaphor for freedom beyond confining conditions. Clay is a humble material that offers the freedom of manipulation, providing the ability to disguise itself as other substances. His goal is to utilize this quality and mimic ordinary materials to emphasize the beauty of the mundane.

During his yearlong residency at the HCCC, Wen-Dan plans to explore different installation methods, as well as expand his visual vocabulary. He will be with HCCC from September 2015 through August 2016. For more information, visit https://www.wendanlin.com.

Younha was born in Busan, South Korea, and moved to the United States in 2012. She graduated from Silla University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007, and a Master of Fine Arts in 2009. Earlier this year, she obtained an additional Master of Fine Arts from Kent University.

Younha specializes in wearable modern jewelry. Her work expresses emotional changes that humans feel as part of a course of adaptation to the change in their surroundings. Currently, she is making jewelry made from re-purposed steel and found objects collected from a particular building. She believes that these materials represent the environment and situation in which they were found, and the artwork she creates with them expresses a point of view as an insider/outsider about a particular place in time.

Her work is both site specific, yet universal, because the materials and found objects she uses are commonplace and familiar. Her goal is to reconfigure them in surprising ways; therefore, a new environment and a place where she can focus on her work are essential for her future artwork.

She will be with HCCC from August 2015 through May 2016. To learn more about her work, please visit http:/www.younhajung.com.

Terry Fromm grew up in Milwaukee, WI, and took her first junior art classes at the Milwaukee Art Institute. After getting a degree in Medical Technology from Marquette University and taking a long detour in a technical career at ExxonMobil, Terry now spends her time as a full-time artist and metalsmith living in Houston.

Terry began working with metal in 2010, taking her first jewelry classes with Courtney Grey at Creative Side Jewelry Academy in Austin, Texas. She has participated in metals workshops at Penland School of Crafts with Lola Brooks in 2011, and with Ndidi Ekubia in 2014; at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts with Michael Good in 2012; and at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts with John Cogswell. She is currently enrolled in the Diploma Certificate Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School of Art, where she has studied with Sandie Zilker, Nathan Dube, and Jan Harrell.

Terry’s metal art is constructed from a variety of metals that are often manipulated so that they mimic the look and characteristics of other softer materials. Inspired by flowing forms observed both in nature and in draping textiles, she creates small quantities of finely crafted jewelry and small sculptural vessels by transforming flat sheets of metal into simple, sculptural forms with an illusion of softness and movement. During her residency at HCCC, she plans to develop a cohesive body of sculptural work exploring the interplay of materials and properties.

Terry’s work has been exhibited in “CraftTexas 2014” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; “The Glassell School of Art Annual Juried Student Exhibition 2015 and 2013;” “Rising Eyes of Texas 2015;” Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX (a statewide juried exhibition for undergraduate and graduate students emerging in the visual arts); and “Crafting the Cocktail: Handmade Objects and Implements for Classic and Modern Libations,” Craft in America Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2015. She is currently the president of the Houston Metal Arts Guild (HMAG) and a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

Terry will be with HCCC in July and August, 2015. To learn more about her work,visit www.terryfromm.com.

Jonathan Clark was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, and moved to Houston, Texas, in 1996. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007. Since graduating, he has worked as an artist, artist assistant, installer, design consultant, landscape designer and gallery curator.

The concept of Jonathan’s work is based on a strong interest in mathematical principles and scientific theories. He uses patterns and techniques of problem solving—such as ratios, fractals, tiling, proportions and correlations between macro and microcosms—that are found in the natural world. The Divine Proportion is the bass-line equation for his creative process to unfold. Found in nature from the furthest stars to our fingertips, the Divine Proportion can be used as a tool for discovery and understanding of regenerative and harmonious forms.

Jonathan uses mostly multiples of familiar materials, such as pencils, Q-tips, and matches, to create objects that have the ability to expand to seemingly endless shapes and sizes.

“I have nurtured my craft to be an experience of balancing the relationship of parts to the whole. The viewer can relate to the concept of the art form based on his/her own interpretation, experiences and interests. Often, there is more to discover the closer you examine the piece.” His intent for using math and science as a template is to provide an opportunity to learn more about our connection to the radiance of things.

Jonathan has completed artist residencies at Darke Gallery in Houston and in Breckenridge, Colorado. He had his first solo show, “Ratio,” at Darke Gallery in 2013. He has exhibited large-scale works—made from thousands of pencils–at the Houston Public Library and has been part of group shows at Anya Tish Gallery and Assistance League of Houston at Williams Tower. He has created numerous commissioned pieces of art, from small-scale collections to large-scale outdoor installations.

During his residency at HCCC, Jonathan wants to continue to create new components for his art and provide a clear correlation among his interests in math, science and nature through craft. He looks forward to interacting with the public to further his connection with the Houston community. He will be with HCCC through August of 2015.

For more information, visit: https://www.jonclarkart.com/

Sarah S. Mallory is a multi-media fiber and book artist who has spent the past year creating artwork for exhibition and publication across the country and in the New York area.

Born in Seattle, Washington, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sarah received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013.  Upon graduating, Sarah was the recipient of the Fred A. Hillbruner Undergraduate Fellowship for her achievements in book arts, as well as the William Merchant R. French Undergraduate Fellowship for her achievements in fiber and material studies.

Influenced by off-campus study at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, Sarah began to infuse her book arts and fiber practice with the complex patterns, textures, and details of the natural world. By intricately cutting, layering, and stitching various colors of paper, Sarah creates illustration series, books, and large-scale installations that provide a whimsical lens into our surroundings on Earth and, occasionally, other fictional lands.

During her eight-month residency at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Sarah will continue to pursue her book-making practice and investigate “unbound” formats and larger scale installed-paper narratives influenced by the natural world. She will be with HCCC through June, 2015.  To learn more about her work, visit www.sarahsmallory.com.