This year, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s annual Crafting a Legacy fundraiser goes virtual, with a live celebration featuring curator, author, and historian, Glenn Adamson. A well-known and charismatic figure in the overlapping fields of craft, design history and contemporary art, Adamson has authored numerous publications and previously served as director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, head of research at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee.
As the presentation’s featured speaker, Adamson will talk about his new best-selling book, Craft: An American History, which depicts a groundbreaking and endlessly surprising history of how artisans created America, from the nation’s origins to the present day. In addition, the program will feature remarks by HCCC Board President Judy Nyquist and a lively conversation between Adamson and HCCC Executive Director Perry Price, including an interactive audience Q&A.
Underwriters for the event will be treated to an exclusive virtual meet-and-greet with Adamson, a signed copy of his new book, and gourmet refreshments to enjoy during the presentation.
Proceeds from Crafting a Legacy will benefit HCCC and its mission to advance education on the process, product, and history of craft. By showcasing emerging and acclaimed artists in exhibitions, introducing visitors of all ages to contemporary craft through hands-on and virtual programming, and supporting the development of working artists through its artist residency program, HCCC has served as a treasured resource in the Houston arts community and the region for nearly 20 years.
Note: The event takes place at 6:00 PM CDT.
TICKETS & UNDERWRITING
Ticket sales are now closed.
For more information, contact legacy@crafthouston.org or call 713-529-4848 x 106.
ABOUT CRAFT: AN AMERICAN HISTORY
According to conventional wisdom, industry and technology are at the center of the United States’ economic and social development, while craftspeople and handmade objects are relegated to a bygone past. Glenn Adamson turns that narrative on its head in this innovative account, revealing makers’ central role in shaping America’s identity. Examine any phase of the nation’s struggle to define itself, and artisans are there, from the silversmith Paul Revere and the revolutionary carpenters and blacksmiths who hurled tea into Boston Harbor to today’s “maker movement.” From Mother Jones to Rosie the Riveter. From Betsy Ross to Rosa Parks. From suffrage banners to the AIDS Quilt.
Adamson shows that craft has long been implicated in debates around equality, education, and class. Artisanship has often been a site of resistance for oppressed people, such as enslaved African-Americans whose skilled labor might confer hard-won agency under bondage, or the Native American makers who adapted traditional arts into statements of modernity. Theirs are among the array of memorable portraits of Americans both celebrated and unfamiliar in this richly peopled book. As Adamson argues, these artisans’ stories speak to our collective striving toward a more perfect union. From the beginning, America had to be—and still remains to be—crafted.
MEDIA SPONSOR
THANKS TO OUR UNDERWRITERS
As of 4/22/21
**Connoisseurs**
John P. McGovern Foundation
Catherine Morgan
Sara & Bill Morgan
**Cognoscenti**
Brad & Leslie Bucher
Phyllis Childress/Pinkie Searls/Anne Lamkin Kinder/Lynn Baird/Susan Padon
**Collaborators**
M. David Lowe & Nana Booker AM/Booker-Lowe Gallery
Franci Neely
**Crafty**
Nancy C. Allen
Carolyn Covault
Scott & Judy Nyquist
Oshman Foundation
Barbara & Mark Paull
Petrello Family Foundation
**Creative**
Tom Edens & Carla Cotropia
Stephanie Larsen
Victoria Lightman
Bette & Dr. Richard Pesikoff
Polly & Jeff Whittle Fund
Kathryn Rabinow
**Curators**
Wendy Adair
Eddie & Chinhui Allen
Dori Boone
Michael W. Dale
Y. Ping Sun & David Leebron
Joseph Listengart
Sultana Mangalji
Bill & Michelle Matthews
Ginni Mithoff
Mary Shinn
Sterling
Barbara Tober
**Generous Friends**
Laura Babka
Jereann Chaney
Cece & Mack Fowler
Rob Greenstein
Cindy Hickok
Sis & Hasty Johnson
Betty Moody
Joan Morgenstern
H. Russell Pitman
Judith & Henry Sauer, Jr.
Andrea White
HOST COMMITTEE
Wendy Adair
Catherine Anspon
Laura Babka
Lynn Baird
Nana Booker
Dori Boone
Brad Bucher
Phyllis Childress
Tom Edens & Carla Cotropia
Jon Evans
Geri Hooks & Yvonne Garcia
Rob Greenstein
Anne Lamkin Kinder
Stephanie Larsen
Victoria Lightman
Anna Mavromatis
Edward Lane McCartney
Sara & Bill Morgan
Franci Neely
Linsy Nguyen
Judy Nyquist
Susan Padon
Barbara & Mark Paull
Bette & Dr. Richard Pesikoff
Perry & Rosemary Price
Kathryn Rabinow
Pinkie Searls
Cindi Strauss
Robert Tai
Anna Walker
Tracye Wear
Joanna Wortham
Sandie Zilker
