Opening Reception
Friday, September 23, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
At 6:30 PM, three artists will be presented with the jurors’ Award of Merit prizes. The evening will also feature open studios by HCCC’s new resident artists.

 This fall, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents CraftTexas 2016, the ninth in a series of biennial juried exhibitions showcasing the best in Texas-made contemporary craft. Featuring 53 works by 38 artists, the exhibition includes everything from sculpture, jewelry, installation, and cut paper to works that explore diverse subject matter, including genetics, upcycling, and process.

The CraftTexas series provides a unique opportunity for Texas artists to have their work viewed by three established jurors and to display their work in an exhibition that strives to broaden the understanding of contemporary craft. The show features exceptional work in clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and mixed media. HCCC Curator, Kathryn Hall, says, “This year’s selection of work pushes the boundaries of traditional craft media, placing craft as a field into a broader contemporary context. Displaying an impressive selection of forward-thinking makers residing in Texas, this exhibition is meant to provoke conversation and educate the public about media, technique, and skill.”

Hall finds that three pieces in the show exemplify a unique approach to craft practice and use of material. In Glaze Discard Trough, Jeff Forster uses a press mold from an old satellite dish, clay sludge, and discarded glaze found in the bucket of his shared studio to create a beautiful abstract composition. His process of experimentation and material exploration allows for surprising and unexpected results, as the combination of glazes reacts differently when fired in the kiln. By stretching animal intestine over a delicate metal framework to create insect-like forms, Masumi Kataoka breathes new life into the once-living material of her brooches. The use of this organic material teases out the metaphorical connection between one’s emotions and gut, while referencing a fascination with anthropomorphism. In Plastic Planet Raccoon, Calder Kamin exhibits a novel approach to traditional fiber techniques in her cartoonish sculpture of a raccoon made from recycled plastic bags. As a scavenger herself, Kamin collects a variety of colored plastic bags that she weaves together to inspire conversation about the role mankind plays in caring for the environment.

CraftTexas 2016 was juried by Paul Sacaridiz, Executive Director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; Nicole Burisch, Core Fellow Critic-in-Residence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School of Art; and HCCC Texas Master, Sandie Zilker, Department Chair of Jewelry and Enamel and Three-Dimensional Design at the MFAH Glassell School of Art. The jurors were tasked with selecting the finest works from a pool of 210 applicants and 556 pieces.

Sacaridiz was impressed by the diversity in the work and by the many artists who used traditional craft processes in new and inventive ways:  “While the work of these artists is firmly rooted in the material specificity that has historically defined craft, they are also asking careful questions about the role of skill, beauty, materiality, and value in how they approach making work in a contemporary context.”  Zilker commented, “We were looking for, and found, fresh, exciting, stimulating, and unpredictable work that engages people visually and mentally. This show demonstrates that craft is energetically alive and flourishing and thriving in Texas.”

CraftTexas 2016 Artists

Image credits: (1) George Bowes, “Altered and Carved Vase,” 2014. Wood fired cone 10 porcelain. Photo by George Bowes. (2) Jennifer Datchuck, “Blue and White: Delicate Diva,” 2014. Slip cast porcelain, blue cobalt from Jingdezhen. Photo by Mark Menjivar. (3) Kurt Dyrhaug, “Tonka Bus,” 2016. Cast iron and enamel paint. Photo by Kurt Dyrhaug. (4) Jeff Forster, “Glaze Discard Trough,” 2016. Ceramic. Photo by Jeff Forster. (5) Jeff Forster, “Abstract Form,” 2016. Ceramic. Photo by Jeff Forster. (6) Ronald Geibel, “Strike,” 2015. Porcelain, luster, wood. Photo by Peter Lee. (7) Clara Hoag, “Empire,” 2015. Stoneware, epoxy, steel. Photo by Clara Hoag. (8) Natasha Hovey, “Expressed Modification,” 2014. Glazed ceramic. Photo by Natasha Hovey. (9) Younha Jung, “Untitled 40,” 2014. Nickel, rubber, pins. Photo by Younha Jung. (10) Calder Kamin, “Plastic Planet Raccoon,” 2015. Recycled plastic bags, styrofoam. Photo by Philip Rogers. (11) Masumi Kataoka, “Untitled (Brooch),” 2014. Sterling silver, animal intestine, nickel, glue. Photo by Masumi Karaoke. (12) Lucia LaVilla-Havelin, “Tourism Series: Campsite,” 2016. Fiber, vintage postcard. Photo by Seale Studios. (13) Edward McCartney, “The City on the Hill, A Ritual of Making and Memorial,” 2016. Sterling, wood, copper, 12k and 22k gold, stones. Photo by Edward McCartney. (14) Angel Oloshove, “Activated Mandala,” 2016. Ceramic, gold luster, opal luster. Photo by Angel Oloshove. (15) Jillian Palone, “Birds of a Feather No. 2 (bracelet),” 2015. Wood, copper, monofilament, paint, colored pencil. Photo by Jillian Palone. (16) Jennifer Quarles, “Robot Bee Drones,” 2016. Ceramic. Photo by Jennifer Quarles. (17) Leslie Shershow, “Beachfront,” 2015. Silver, resin, rope, paint. Photo by Leslie Shershow. (18) Graciela Socorro, “Bindu Marine,” 2015. Clay, acrylic, resin. Photo by Carlos Ocando. (19) Katherine Taylor, “Doorstop 2,” 2015. Colored porcelain, glaze, gold luster. Photo by Harrison Evans. (20) Catherine Winkler Rayroud, “Woman on Strike,” 2015. Cut paper. Photo by Catherine Winkler Rayroud. (21) Merrie Wright, “Dazzle Rabbit (after Anni Albers with idiosyncrasies),” 2016. Stoneware. Photo by Merrie Wright.