Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

From New Delhi to Austin:
Shikha Joshi’s Journey as a Potter

Posted December 11, 2012 in Blog

A view of Shikha Joshi’s Round Rock studio. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Shikha Joshi talks about how she found her calling as a clay artist, being part of a larger artist community in Austin, and the influences behind her work. Her piece, “Following in the Footsteps. . . “ is featured in CraftTexas 2012, currently on view at HCCC through December 30, 2012.

I am a studio potter currently working out of my home studio in Round Rock, TX, a suburb of Austin. We moved to this city in 2003, when my husband took up a job with Dell. Though we call Texas our home now, I am originally from India—a country richly steeped in the tradition of arts and craft, which has strongly informed my aesthetics. Continue Reading »

SOFA Flâneur

Posted December 4, 2012 in Blog

William Morris, “Raven Jar,” 1999. Blown glass with steel stand. 34 x 15 x 10 in. Photo courtesy of SOFA Chicago.

This week, our Curatorial Fellow, Kathryn Hall, shares her experience at the 19^th Annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art + Design Fair (SOFA). Christening her first week at HCCC, Kathryn embarked upon her first trip to SOFA Chicago at Navy Pier with HCCC colleagues, Suzanne Sippel and Kara Niles. As the longest standing art fair in Chicago, the 2012 fair featured nearly 70 top international galleries and dealers. Maintaining a voice at this year’s Fair, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft held a resource table among other respectable nonprofits at the Partners Pavilion. Continue Reading »

Summer Wrap-up & Fall Is on the Way!

Posted August 28, 2012 in Blog

Metalsmith, Marcela M. McLean, at the Asher Summer Trunk Show.

Our Asher Summer Trunk Show with Houston-based artists, Carolyn Dahl and Marcela McLean, was a great success! Thanks to everyone who attended this event! If you missed it, don’t worry… we still have a few of Carolyn’s leaf-printed silk scarves and wall panels, as well as some nature-inspired jewelry pieces by Marcela M. McLean for sale in Asher Gallery. Continue Reading »

Asher Summer Trunk Show This Weekend!

Posted August 15, 2012 in Blog

Carolyn Dahl, “Ramie Leaf Portrait.” (Ramie leaf from the HCCC Craft Garden.)
Scarf made with silk fabric, metallic textile paints, hand burnishing.
Photo by Rick Wells.

Nothing speaks of summer more than Houston in August. Days are at their hottest and always humid, the afternoons punctuated with dark clouds and thunder. Despite the climate, HCCC is alive inside and out with things to both delight and educate the eye. As for the Asher Gallery, we bring the inspirations of nature inside, to enjoy in a thoroughly civilized manner, with air conditioning and cool drinks. Join us this Thursday, August 16, from 5 – 7 PM, for a special opening reception for our Summer Trunk Show, featuring the leaf-printed wearable art of fiber artist Carolyn Dahl and the sinuous metals of jeweler Marcela M. McLean. The show continues on Saturday, August 18, from 11 AM – 4 PM, with additional access during the opening of Glass Graphica on Friday evening, August 17, from 5:30 – 7 PM. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist
Rachelle Vasquez

Posted August 14, 2012 in Blog

Fiber artist, Rachelle Vasquez, in her studio at HCCC. Photo by HCCC.

This week we interviewed Rachelle Vasquez, a Houston-based artist and art teacher, who works primarily with fibers. Rachelle graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in art history. Prior to becoming a resident artist at HCCC, she had a residency at DiverseWorks in 2007 and a solo show at Lawndale Art Center in 2010.

This is the last artist interview for a while, so be sure to enjoy it! This month, we’ll say goodbye to all of the current resident artists—Nathan Dube, Jessica Kreutter, Rachelle Vasquez, Melissa Walter and John Zimmerman—we wish them well in their new adventures! A new crop of residents will be starting in September. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist
Jessica Kreutter

Posted August 3, 2012 in Blog

Clay artist Jessica Kreuter in her studio at HCCC. Photo by Kim Coffman.

This week, we interviewed Jessica Kreutter, a clay artist who works with discarded objects. She received an MFA from The University of Tennessee in 2010. For 10 years previous to graduate school, she worked as an artist, art teacher and social worker in Portland, Oregon. Recently, she has exhibited at Pirate: Contemporary Art, Mütter Museum, Seattle Design Center, and the Fort Collins Museum of Art, as well as in group exhibitions in Philadelphia, Washington, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Colorado. She has been a resident artist at ART342, Vermont Studio Center, Anderson Ranch and Platte Forum and is in residence at HCCC through August 15, 2012. Continue Reading »

Piero Fenci: Building Battlement

Posted July 26, 2012 in Blog

The morning after the opening of his exhibition, Texas Masters Series: Piero Fenci—Battlement, Piero Fenci revealed the magic behind how he made his bold ceramic pieces during a public demonstration at the Glassell School of Art. The event was co-presented by the Glassell School and ClayHouston. An incredibly charismatic, likeable and humble artist, Fenci spent the next four hours making a new piece from start to finish and firing an already glazed example. Continue Reading »

Craft in America Filming &
Lia Cook Lecture

Posted May 10, 2012 in Blog

Behind the scenes of “Craft in America” with artist Lia Cook at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

A couple of Fridays ago, April 27^th, to be exact, HCCC had the immense pleasure of having the crew of the PBS television series, Craft in America, here to film the current exhibition, Bridge 11: Lia Cook, a solo exhibition of the work of internationally recognized fiber artist, Lia Cook. The TV series is just one part of Craft in America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of craft and its impact on our nation’s cultural heritage. Cook’s work will be featured in an upcoming episode, titled “Crossroads,” which will examine the intersection of craft and technology today and try to answer questions such as: Why is the handcrafted object important in the Computer Age? How is the computer a tool for craft production, education and commerce? How do borders and personal crossroads affect an artist? This episode is scheduled to air in October of 2012. Continue Reading »

The 100 Bowl Challenge

Posted April 26, 2012 in Blog

Bowls from the 2011 event at Lawndale Art Center. Photo courtesy Empty Bowls Houston

The eighth annual Empty Bowls event supporting the Houston Food Bank is coming up at HCCC on May 26^th, and six zealous and daring craftspeople have taken on the exciting challenge to create 100 bowls to donate towards the event. Continue Reading »

Asher Gallery Spring Trunk Show:
Tom Irven & Anita Barnes

Posted April 24, 2012 in Blog

Earrings by Anita Barnes. Photo courtesy the artist.

From Suzanne Sippel, Asher Gallery Retail Manager:

Putting together a trunk show is unlike any of my regular tasks in the Asher Gallery. It’s not about choosing one person, but finding two artists working in different media that complement each other. It’s important that their work not compete with each other. Ideally, their two sets of clients will merge, bringing new audiences and attracting new collectors for everyone.

Categories

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft