(HOUSTON, TX) March 10, 2020 – Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present Weave Houston: Celebrating 70 Years of the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston. Weave Houston showcases the history and diversity of Contemporary Handweavers of Houston’s membership, featuring works from emerging practitioners and longtime fiber artists. Noted fiber artist Dr. Mary Ruth Smith juried several awards for works that highlight exceptional craftsmanship and innovative use of materials. Continue Reading.
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Fiber artist Abi Ogle on her artist residency: remarkable makers, incredible resources, and sensational community
Marketing Specialist Mary Karcher recently interviewed Abi Ogle about her experience as a resident artist at HCCC. Abi’s residency runs through February, 2020. For more information about HCCC’s artist residency program and to apply for the 2020 – 2021 cycle, click here. Applications are due March 1, 2020.
Mary Karcher: How have you evolved as an artist/maker during your time at HCCC?
Abi Ogle: My time at HCCC has definitely been a time of listening to stories, being delighted by the proximity of (simply put) REMARKABLE makers, and a chance to explore the really incredible resources that the Craft Center provides. For me, personally, my six months here have been a time of growth, a chance to explore materials and concepts, and to make uninhibited (which has been SUCH a gift).

Abi Ogle, “Petannynai,” 2019. Installation of dried, Texas Ruby Red grapefruit membranes on wood oat stems, 2 x 16 feet. Photo by HCCC.
“BREAKING TRADITION” FEATURES GENRE-DEFYING DECORATIVE ARTS
(HOUSTON, TX) February 13, 2020 – This spring, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents Breaking Tradition: Contemporary Approaches to the Decorative Arts. The exhibition features three artists—Sophie Glenn, Steven Young Lee, and Beth Lipman—who challenge the dominant cultural narratives of the decorative arts through unconventional furniture, porcelain, photography, and cast-metal pieces. Read more here.
FORMS OF INHERITANCE: THE WORK OF ANNA MAYER
(HOUSTON, TX) February 12, 2020 – This spring, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents Forms of Inheritance: The Work of Anna Mayer, an exhibition of ceramic and bronze sculptures that explores humanity’s reckoning with mortality and demonstrates the fragility and fierceness of the natural world .Read more here.
FREE CRAFT ACTIVITIES AT HCCC DURING SPRING BREAK
During Spring Break, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) will offer hands-on making and other activities that encourage visitors, ages three and up, to explore craft and art making. HCCC, which is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, will be open all week for this special event. Admission is free. Read more here.
11th ANNUAL CRAFTING A LEGACY SPRING LUNCHEON HONORS VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE PHYLLIS CHILDRESS
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s 11th annual Crafting a Legacy Spring Luncheon will honor Phyllis Childress, a creative force and extraordinary volunteer, who has served as board president twice, led major fundraising efforts, and advocated for the nonprofit arts center in every imaginable way over the last 15 years. Read more here.
CRAFT COMMUNITY DAY
WHAT: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) will host Craft Community Day, a free spring event featuring local artist guilds and community groups. Visitors of all ages are invited to see a variety of craft demonstrations—including woodturning, weaving, ceramics, and more—plus, visit the resident artists’ studios, and view the current exhibitions.
WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 2020, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
WHERE: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002; 713.529.4848; www.crafthouston.org
ADMISSION: FREE
EVENT WEB PAGE: https://crafthouston.org/events/craft-community-day-2020/
Maxwell Mustardo on the Intersection of Geometry, Vessels, and Bodies
In the fall of 2019, HCCC curatorial intern Felicia Leyva interviewed recent HCCC resident artist Maxwell Mustardo about his experimentation with surface texture and volumetric forms in his ceramic practice.

Max Mustardo with visitors Max Jacobs and Carter Warren in September, 2019. Photo courtesy Krystal Hatchett.
Felicia Leyva: When did you first begin working with clay, and what do you love most about this medium?
Maxwell Mustardo: I began dabbling with clay in high school, after being denied entry into my preferred class in film and video. I didn’t begin considering making ceramics as a kind of viable path until I started visiting Toshiko Takaezu in her home studio, which is nearby my family’s home in northern New Jersey. There’s very little that I dislike about clay. It’s an immensely expansive medium, from Neolithic cooking pots to NASA’s rocketship plating to geological structures to the curious things kindergarteners make. It is polyphonic—singing with multiple disparate voices in a single harmony. There are so many ways to approach and enjoy it. Continue Reading »
HCCC ANNOUNCES CALL FOR RESIDENT ARTISTS AND LAUNCHES NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY CRAFT + PHOTOGRAPHY RESIDENCY WITH HCP
(HOUSTON, TX) December 13, 2019 – Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) announces its application for the 2020 – 2021 Cycle of its Artist Residency Program opens January 1st, 2020. Artists working in craft media, including wood, glass, metal, fiber, clay, and mixed media, are invited to apply.
Applicants must be able to fulfill a program requirement of working in their studios for two days per week during HCCC public hours. The resident artists are required to open their studios to public interaction on Saturdays and one other day of the week, as well as during exhibition openings and specific educational programs on the evenings and weekends. Applicants should consider the public facing nature of the residencies and the fact that a major goal of the program is to provide visitors with an opportunity to explore contemporary craft through engagement with working artists. Continue reading.
“DRAWN TO THE WORK” EXPLORES INTERSECTION OF ILLUSTRATION AND CRAFT
Drawn to the Work: Illustration and Craft in Conversation
January 25 – March 29, 2020
Main Gallery
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
(HOUSTON, TX) December 5, 2019 – Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is pleased to present Drawn to the Work: Illustration and Craft in Conversation, an exhibition of works by Aurélie Guillaume, Chenlu Hou, and Aya Kakeda, three craft artists who draw from a background in illustration. By featuring traditional and digital illustrations alongside works in craft materials, the exhibition explores the intersection of these two artistic disciplines and presents unusually expressive works that tell unique stories. Continue Reading.