Interviews

RESIDENT ARTIST SHIYUAN XU ON INSPIRATION & PROCESS

Posted July 12, 2017 in Blog

Shiyuan Xu, “Through the Lens #4,” 2016. Photo courtesy of Lisa Hardaway.

The following interview is the first in a summer series of Q&A sessions with current resident artists. HCCC Intern Claire Alderson recently spoke with Shiyuan Xu, a ceramicist inspired by a microscopic view of our world. Continue Reading »

Interview with Former Resident Artist,
Christina Carfora

Posted February 25, 2014 in Blog

The Grass is Always Greener

Christina Carfora, “The Grass is Always Greener.” Stoneware. 2013. Life size, 36″ x 24″ x 24″ each. Photo courtesy of Christina Carfora.

Ashley Powell, HCCC Curatorial Assistant, and Kathryn Hall, HCCC Curatorial Fellow, recently interviewed former resident artist, Christina Carfora, at the end of her residency.  Christina is currently living in Denton, Texas, teaching ceramics at Texas Women’s University, working in her studio, and taking graduate classes.

Ashley Powell: We’ve noticed a relationship between your drawings and your ceramic sculptures. Can you tell us how they work together and inform each other?

Yes, the two are definitely very integrally tied together, and, often, when I’m working on a piece, I’ll start with a sketch. However, I sort of vacillate back and forth, and, as I’m working on a drawing, it often inspires other concepts and other pieces. When I’m working on my sculptures, I think of other ideas for drawings. I like this aspect of the drawings because you don’t have to deal with gravity like you do in the very structural ways when making sculptural work. When working on the sculptures, I really like getting the clay in my hands and being able to feel the tactile-ness. I also like the way people emotionally interact with the sculptural work on a different level. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist,
Susannah Mira

Posted August 29, 2013 in Blog

Installation view

View of “Room Divider,″ Susannah Mira’s solo exhibition in the project Space at Lawndale Art Center. 2013. Photo by Ashley Powell.

This month, Ashley Powell, HCCC Curatorial Assistant, and Kathryn Hall, HCCC Curatorial Fellow, interviewed current resident artist, Susannah Mira, who finishes her residency at HCCC this week. Continue Reading »

Interview with Ethan Lasser:
Curator of “The Tool at Hand”

Posted June 24, 2013 in Blog

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HCCC curatorial staff interviewing Ethan Lasser. Photo by HCCC.

Earlier this month, HCCC hosted Ethan Lasser, curator of the current exhibition, The Tool at Hand, for a members-only exhibition tour and reception. Lasser is the Margaret S. Winthrop Associate Curator of American Art at Harvard Art Museums’ Division of European and American Art.  He is also the former curator of the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he organized The Tool at Hand. HCCC curatorial staff, Ashley Powell and Quinn Hagood, had the chance to briefly interview Lasser during his whirlwind 24-hour trip to Houston. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist,
Tarina Frank

Posted May 22, 2013 in Blog

Tarina Frank in her studio at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photo by Ron Scubadiver.

Tarina Frank in her studio at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photo by Ron Scubadiver.

Briefly describe what you make.  What projects have you been working on recently?

I make wearable art objects from a variety of materials.  During my residency, I have been experimenting with the idea of wearable art.  My work ranges from the simple, tiny, more traditional idea of jewelry all the way to costumes and masks. My most recent works have been large, lightweight necklaces made from paper. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist,
Jaydan Moore

Posted April 10, 2013 in Blog

Jaydan 2 with print

Jaydan Moore in his studio at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photo by Kim Coffman.

This week, we interviewed HCCC current resident artist, Jaydan Moore, a metal and jewelry artist who fabricates new objects from historical wares, such as silver-plated tableware and family heirlooms.  Jaydan earned a BFA in jewelry and metal arts from California College of Arts, Oakland, and a MFA/MA in jewelry and metal arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist,
Chanda Glendinning

Posted March 20, 2013 in Blog

Chanda_CT opening

Chanda Glendinning in her studio at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photo by Kim Coffman.

This week, we interviewed HCCC current resident artist, Chanda Glendinning, a ceramic sculptor whose work draws from her interest in the virtual communication networks that enable people to share and acquire information on a global level.  Chanda is from rural western New York, where she received her BFA from Buffalo State College. She received her MFA in ceramics from Kansas State University. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist
Robert Thomas Mullen

Posted January 29, 2013 in Blog

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Robert Thomas Mullen in his studio at HCCC. Photo by Kim Coffman.

Tell us a little about what you are currently working on.

I’m currently working on a series of jewelry pieces that express my reactions to living in an urban environment.  I have never lived in a town bigger than 10,000 people before Houston.  My more current work focuses on urban settings, the Atlantic Ocean and cityscapes. Continue Reading »

Interview with Resident Artist
Susan Fletcher King

Posted December 18, 2012 in Blog

Fiber artist Susan Fletcher King in her studio at HCCC. Photo by Kim Coffman.

This week, we interviewed Susan Fletcher King, a Houston-based fiber artist who mixes quilted imagery with additional media, such as paint, dyes, specialty threads and embellishments.  Susan graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and earned a BFA from the University of Houston.  She will be at HCCC through the end of December and will return to complete a second term of residency in the summer of 2013.  Continue Reading »

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 »