Fall Exhibitions Reception
Friday, September 30, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
Juror Andres Payan Estrada will be present to select the Award of Merit prizes for best in show.

Juror’s Tour with Andres Payan Estrada
Saturday, October 1, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Juror Andres Payan Estrada will discuss the works on view in the exhibition.

CraftTexas 2022 is the eleventh in a series of juried exhibitions showcasing the best in Texas-made contemporary craft. Juried by Andres Payan Estrada, the curator of public engagement at Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles, CA, this year’s show includes 40 pieces by nearly 30 artists, highlighting works that speak to personal stories of struggle and resilience, while challenging expectations of contemporary craft. Filling both the main and front gallery spaces at HCCC, the exhibition includes a wide variety of artworks and installations, with a particularly strong showing of work created from fiber, metal, and mixed media.

The CraftTexas series provides a unique opportunity for Texas artists to have their work viewed by a nationally recognized juror and to display their work in an exhibition that strives to broaden the understanding of contemporary craft. Payan Estrada, who was raised in Texas, selected his favorite works from a pool of more than 250 applicants. In his juror’s statement, he commented: “What coalesced from spending time with all the entries and methodically pulling selections is a somber exhibition that addresses a history and lineage in craft thought, while at the same time challenging some of the preconceived definitions, histories, and cannons that have commonly been upheld through craft. Throughout the exhibition, one will encounter more nuanced and poetic approaches to identity politics, personal histories, and communal experiences.”

Read Payan Estrada’s full Juror Statement here.

CraftTexas 2022 Artists
Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya
Eliza Hang Yee Au
Vincent Burke
Alejandra Carrillo-Estrada
Angela Corson
Erin Cunningham
Juan Escobedo
Cynthia Evans
Karla Garcia
René Garza
Nela Garzon
Ian Gerson
Timothy Gonchoroff
Roberto Jackson Harrington
Brandon Harris
René Lee Henry
Shang-Yi Hua
Qing Liu
Sarah Nance
Guadalupe Navarro
Tiffany Angel Nesbit
Abigail Ogle
Steve Parker
Lauren Peterson
Kamila Szczesna
Chet Urban
Dongyi Wu

About the Juror
Raised between Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, Andres Payan Estrada currently works in Los Angeles, California. As an artist and curator, his practice focuses on issues revolving around contemporary craft and ceramics, including material and object explorations on queer and identity-based politics. Payan Estrada is currently the curator of public engagement at Craft Contemporary and recently served as a special visiting art faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts and as a mentor at Warren Wilson College’s Master of Arts in Craft Studies program. Payan Estrada is also the co-curator and co-founder of Craft Contemporary’s National Clay Biennial, as well as the founding organizer of the annual fundraiser and sale, CLAY LA. He recently curated the exhibition, Total Collapse: Clay in the Contemporary Past (2020), for the Arizona State University Museum and the Rubin Center at the University of Texas at El Paso, along with establishing POTLUCK, a biennial clay and ceramics fundraiser, auction, and free public program series that benefits Craft Contemporary.

CraftTexas 2022 is generously funded in part by a grant from Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Image credits:

1. Abi Ogle, “Southern Hospitality: Casserole Dish Holder,” 2021. Silver, avena fatua from Houston, TX. Approximately 18 x 12 x 4 inches. Photo by the artist.
2. Angela Corson, “Trappings,” 2020. All components made from metal. Patterns and flowers made with a plasma cutter. 6 x 4 x 4 feet. Photo by Gary Griffin.
3. Rene Lee Henry, “Condemned” (brooch), 2020. Steel, cement, carpet tape, brass, flagging tape. 3 x 1.5 x 2.5 inches. Photo by the artist.
4. Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, “OSU MEJILA ATI ODUN KAN – 12 MOON IS ONE COMPLETE CALENDAR YEAR,” 2020. Mixed-media tapestry sculpture installation. 100 x 26 x 100 inches. Photo by ARTWITHAKIRASH STUDIO LLC.
5. Erin Cunningham, “Refined,” 2022. Iron, sterling silver. 20 x 12 x 2 inches. Photo by the artist.
6. Nela Garzon, “Kawsaqi,” 2020. Mixed media on repurposed toy laptop. Approximately 8 x 8 x 10 inches. Photo by the artist.
7. Vincent Burke, “Riptide” (side view), 2021. Ceramic. 7 x 5 x 3 inches. Photo by the artist.
8. Ian Gerson, “Threshold,” 2022. Ropes, dried palms, mylar, mesh, clothing, plastic. 56 x 36 x 2 inches. Photo by Nash Baker.
9. Shang-Yi Hua, “Hollow,” 2019. Tree bark, Tazo bark. Approximately 4 x 12 x 5 inches. Photo by Will Michels.
10. Lauren Peterson, “Mismatched Napery (Blue Christmas),” 2021. Pochoir and thread on fabric and mixed media (artificial flowers, pipe cleaners, ribbon on hand towel). 18 x 11 inches. Photo by the artist.
11. Dongyi Wu, “Access to Unknown Worlds 7,” 2020. Copper, steel, plastic, clay, wax thread. 15.7 x 35 x 4.1 inches. Photo by the artist.
12. Juan Escobedo, “Unofficial, unauthorized Reebok collaboration x J.ESC,” 2022. Cardboard, wood, paper on sneakers.3 x 4.5 x 11.5 inches. Photo by the artist.
13. Kamila Szczesna, “I am,“ 2021. Hair, tulle. 30 x 15 x 4 inches. Photo by the artist.
14. Guadalupe Navarro, “Viaje,” 2020. Copper, silver, brass. 24 x 18 x 18 inches. Photo by Shawn Campbell.
15. Eliza Hang Yee Au, “Solitude,” 2021. Stoneware, cone 6. 19 x 19 x 19 inches. Photo by Megan DeSoto.
16. Roberto Jackson Harrington, “Tuca,” 2022. Mixed media. 16 x 14 x 13 cm. Photo by the artist.