Join ClayHouston for a talk with Clara Hoag, current resident artist at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, as she expounds upon her work through a guided presentation. In her work, Clara uses the suggestion of structure—both architectural and social—to address issues of the human condition: how people are composed, how they compose the world around them, and how complex or elemental that world can be. She says, “Soaring skyscrapers, complex scaffolding, and accumulations of slum housing describe the complexity of 21st Century life—from the dynamic social constructions that keep our world running to the systemic problems that oppress us every day. Single buildings celebrate individuality or highlight the mundane; amalgamations of architecture create tenuous landscapes, where fragility and stability foil each other, constantly seeking balance.”
Clara Grace Hoag was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She received two BFAs from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2009, and she recently received an MFA in ceramics from the University of Georgia in Athens in 2013. She has been a resident artist at The Archie Bray Foundation, is represented by two galleries, and has participated in a number of group and solo shows. She also taught ceramics at the University of Georgia and Galveston College. At Empty Bowls 2014, besides donating bowls, Clara entertained with her banjo expertise.
The ClayHouston Summer Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held in the community room at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
