Opening Reception
Friday, May 30, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The opening will also feature La Frontera in the Main Gallery and Texas Masters Series: Sandie Zilker in the Front Gallery. Open studios by current resident artists to follow talks.An Inside Look at “Taking Shape: Celebrating the
Windgate Fellowship:” A Discussion with Juror,
Cindi Strauss, and Featured Artist, Kathleen Janvier
Saturday, August 16th, 2014, 1:30 PM
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to host Taking Shape: Celebrating the Windgate Fellowship, an exhibition that recognizes the considerable emerging talent in the field of craft. Organized by The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design (CCCD) in Asheville, North Carolina, Taking Shape is the first group display of Windgate Fellows’ work, spanning a range of approaches, media, and processes. The exhibition features a selection of recent objects, completed by 2006 – 2010 CCCD Fellows, revealing a cross section of up-and-coming perspectives on craft.
CCCD asked Cindi Strauss, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to jury the exhibition. Strauss notes, “Craft continues to shift and respond to cultural and economic changes in the world, with younger artists often taking the lead in forging new paths to address these fundamental differences. Taken as a whole, the work in the exhibition clearly embodies the maxims used to describe craft in recent years.”
The Windgate Fellowship provides essential resources and experiences to the next generation of makers at an influential stage in their careers. To this day, the Fellowship, supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation, remains the largest source of funding for emerging American craft practitioners. Since 2006, CCCD has annually awarded a total of $150,000 to 10 undergraduate seniors working in craft.
HCCC also receives support from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. With this funding, HCCC is able to award a three-year curatorial fellowship that allows a recent graduate student to assist with the coordination, installation, art handling, and registration of exhibitions. To date, two fellowships have been awarded. Current Fellow, Kathryn Hall, has played an instrumental role in bringing Taking Shape to HCCC and has curated six exhibitions in the past year and a half, gaining a wealth of experience in her brief tenure.
Taking Shape is a testament to the success of the Windgate Fellowship and the commitment of the Windgate Charitable Foundation to help organizations like CCCD and HCCC foster the craft community and shape the future of craft.
Taking Shape Featured Artists
Tom Alward, Josh Copus, Andrea Donnelly, Dustin Farnsworth, Jenny Fine, Erin Rose Gardner, Kathleen Janvier, JooHyun Lee, Aaron McIntosh, Nate Moren, Alexis Myre, Elizabeth Staiger, Amelia Toelke, and Thoryn Ziemba.
About The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design
Located in its new home in Asheville, North Carolina, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of craft by encouraging and supporting research, critical dialogue, and professional development. CCCD’s programs strive to support the best examples of research and practice in the field. Learn more at https://www.craftcreativitydesign.org/.
Above: (1) Andrea Donnelly, “Blot #3: Blot and Stain,” 2009. Handwoven cotton, textile pigment. Photo by Taylor Dabney. (2) Jenny Fine, “Mourning Ole Sister,” 2008. Tintype. Photo by Jenny Fine. (3) Erin Rose Gardner, “Engagement Ring Brooch,” 2010. Found Rings, cz, steel, silver, rhodium plated. 3 x 3 inches. Photo by Richard Gehrke. (4) Kathleen Janvier, “We Carry Volumes—All These Empty Pages, 2013.” Copper, rose gold plate. Photo by Kathleen Janvier. (5) JooHyun Lee, “Untitled: 23’ (twenty three minutes),” 2012. Labradorite. Photo by Philipp Dorl. (6) Aaron McIntosh, “Fragment # 3 (Roses are Red),” 2012. Digital textile print, vintage fabric, piecework. Photo by Aaron McIntosh. (7) Nate Moren with Tandem Made, “Topographic Rocker,” 2012. Masonite, plywood, nylon spacers, hardware. Photo by Nate Moren. (8) Nate Moren with Tandem Made, “Topographic Rocker” (alternate view), 2012. Masonite, plywood, nylon spacers, hardware. Photo by Nate Moren. (9) Alexis Myre, “Landscape of Flight,” 2013. Acrylic, thread, pencil, wire, and paint (mixed media). Photo by Kevin Noble. (10) Elizabeth Staiger, “Unhappy Family,” 2012. Silver, 14k gold, shell, glass, cameo, pearls, coral, quartz, crystal, garnet, cubic zirconia, blue topaz, moonstone. Photo by Elizabeth Staiger. (11) Elizabeth Staiger, “Unhappy Family” (detail), 2012. Silver, 14k gold, shell, glass, cameo, pearls, coral, quartz, crystal, garnet, cubic zirconia, blue topaz, moonstone. Photo by Elizabeth Staiger. (12) Amelia Toelke, “Voici/Voila,” 2010. Powder-coated steel, copper, chain. Photo by Nic Wynia.
