Archive by Author: valsocorro

ALTHEA CROME ON STORYTELLING THROUGH KNITTING & OUR CULTURAL FASCINATION WITH MINIATURES

Posted March 14, 2017 in Blog

Althea Crome

Installation view of Althea Crome’s “King and Queen of Hearts Coronation Sweater,” 2015. On view in “Pocket Museum” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft through March 18, 2017. Photo by Scott Cartwright.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is participating in #5womenartists, a national campaign led by The National Museum of Women in the Arts to share information about women artists. Check out other entries on our blog.

This week, HCCC Curatorial Fellow Sarah Darro asked Althea Crome a few questions about the processes and inspiration behind her work. Althea is featured in Pocket Museum, which is on view in HCCC’s Artist Hall through March 18, 2017.

Sarah Darro: A number of your pieces incorporate figurative subjects and narrative elements from the art historical canon, ranging from ancient Greek amphora to Picasso paintings. You have also collaborated on projects in which characters wear your designs: the 2009 stop-motion film, Coraline, for instance. How does narrative function in your work?

Althea Crome:  Storytelling started with my four children who, as they were growing up, begged me to tell them tales. It has evolved over time into storytelling in my artwork. All of my pictorial knitting tells a story—either through a single piece or through a series of work. Some of my pieces have an autobiographical theme, like my Scuba Cardigan, which I created during a time in my life when I was my most heartbroken and found it difficult to knit. I was newly divorced and looking for ways to find meaning in my life, so I took up scuba diving. The sweater tells a story of one wonderful day of scuba diving, when we were followed out to sea by dolphins, saw a rainbow and a water spout, swam with sharks and sea turtles, and I even lost and later found my weight belt in a coral reef. I used techniques on the collar and borders to create the illusion of water and sea life. The creation of this particular piece paid homage to the things in my life that helped save my spirit and, in the process, re-energized my desire to knit.  Continue Reading »

At the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft,
Creating Art from War

Houstonia. Posted January 23, 2017 in In The News

Three U.S. military veterans-turned-artists turn their own—and others’—stories into art.

AFTER SIX YEARS IN THE U.S. ARMY, including a period on the ground in Iraq in 2003, Drew Cameron was thrust back into civilian life. He struggled with anxiety, alcohol and, simply, finding his purpose. Then, in 2007, he took a papermaking workshop, cut up his uniform, and turned it into paper, a therapeutic experience that inspired him to co-found the Combat Paper Project. Continue Reading »

Help HCCC Turn Your Old Clothes
Into a (Literal) Work of Art

Houstonia.Posted January 20, 2017 in In The News

Military uniforms and other clothing will be transformed into a handmade paper flag to pay tribute to veterans.

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR” IS FREQUENTLY AN OVERSTATEMENT (despite what my pants say about me, I am not about to do any yoga), but some clothing undoubtedly carries a deeper personal meaning—like military uniforms, for example. That’s the idea behind Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s upcoming installation. The museum is inviting members of the public to donate military uniforms and civilian clothing that artist Drew Cameron will turn into a handmade paper flag entitled 9.5 x 5: Houston. Cameron is one of three artist-veterans behind United by Hand, an HCCC exhibition paying tribute to veterans and raise awareness about war culture in the United States.  Continue Reading »

Inspired by architecture, Houston accessories designer Julia Gabriel is building better bags

Houston ChroniclePosted November 29, 2016 in In The News

Though her classmates preferred Jansport or L.L. Bean, the backpack Julia Gabriel wore to class at Virginia Commonwealth University was one of a kind: part of a line of accessories she made to mimic her favorite crumbling, historic buildings.

For more on this interview, Click Here!

Art Beat – A Celebration of Clay

Art BeatPosted November 19, 2016 in In The News, Videos

Viewing art at a museum or gallery can be a very abstract experience. On our first Art Beat, Randall Williams learns how two area organizations teamed up to help people grasp, guide literally, the concept of ceramics. Broadcast November 18th, 2016 on Stafford METV.

Best If Used By

Genso JapanPosted November 15, 2016 in In The News

Nick West: BEST IF USED BY opened at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft recently and includes your artwork “Anicca”. The title of your piece makes reference to impermanence from a Buddhist perspective. For those who haven’t seen the exhibition, how would you describe this work? Continue Reading »

Art Beat – CraftTexas 2016

Art BeatPosted October 14, 2016 in In The News, Videos

Texas has a vibrant craft community, but our state is so large it can be hard to keep up with the latest innovations and the newest trends. On this week’s Art Beat, we visit an event that brings the best of the best together in one place. Broadcast October 14th, 2016 on Stafford METV.

Material History: CraftTexas 2016 at Houston Center For Contemporary Craft

Arts + CulturePosted October 10, 2016 in In The News

It seems as though we are in an ‘artisanal’ moment: Pickles, dinnerware, boots, you name it and someone has handcrafted it.  This is, perhaps, a natural response to the increasingly pervasive corporate ethos of faster, cheaper, bigger, and more.  However, if everything is ‘artisanal,’ how do we categorize and understand contemporary practitioners of traditional craft media? For better and worse, the boundaries between craft and what is classified as fine art have steadily been eroding and this easing of traditional borders makes up the foundation for the Houston Center For Contemporary Craft’s ninth biennial juried exhibition, CraftTexas 2016, on view through Jan. 8, 2017. Continue Reading »

Art Beat – Best If Used By at Craft Houston

Art BeatPosted September 30, 2016 in In The News, Videos

We often tell children not to play with their food, but the curatorial staff of one area gallery recently told a group of artists to do just that. We plate up the results in this week’s Art Beat. Produced by Stacee Hawkins and broadcast September 30th, 2016.

Craft center supporters kick up their heels at western fete spotlighting Texas culture

Posted September 29, 2016 in In The News