October 13, 2018 – January 13, 2019
Artist Hall
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002

Opening Day Lecture
Saturday, October 13, 3:00-4:00 PM
“The Enduring Appeal of Memphis” with Cindi Strauss, Curator and Director of Decorative Arts, Craft and Design at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Craft Social: Craft & Design
Thursday, October 18, 5:30 – 8:00 PM 

After Memphis: Crafted Postmodern traces the legacy of radical design and Postmodernism in contemporary craft. Featuring six U.S. artists—Courtney Banh, Dee Clements, Jenny Mulder, Jessica Ninci, Christin Ripley, and Erin Lynn Smith—the exhibition takes the form of a showroom, featuring objects ranging from marbled-fabric furniture and neon lighting fixtures to basket-woven rugs and ceramic vessels.

Postmodernism arose in the late 1960s as a critical departure from the austerity and formalism of Modernist architecture and design. This period was uniquely defined by architects who worked in an interdisciplinary mode of object and houseware design. Collectives of radical designers and architects formed to develop an alternative visual language to Modernism’s strict minimalism, championing experimentation, ornamentation, conceptualism, irony, and design elements that did not serve structural function. In the 1980s, one of the most influential postmodern collectives was the Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture group that designed furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass, and metal objects.

Today, contemporary craft artists have harnessed Postmodernism’s critical design ideologies and are applying them in a new context, with an emphasis on the hand.  After Memphis highlights the shift in design objects from those that incorporated industrial materials to those that are nimble, malleable to their materials and processes, and embody elements of improvisation and performance. For example, in her soft sculpture and upholstered furniture, Christin Ripley employs suminagashi, a Japanese water-marbling technique that creates an effect of sinuous stone, pebble, or terrazzo patterning. The organic lines of her soft sculptures defy associations with established furniture forms and bring to mind the anti-design ideologies of early radical design collectives like Archizoom. Erin Lynn Smith, on the other hand, builds sinuous, patterned ceramic bases that culminate in exposed incandescent bulbs and twisted neon forms. Her lighting fixtures, while thoroughly contemporary, embrace the postmodern architectural tenets of communication, sensuality, and ornamentation.

In her Basin series, Courtney Banh’s experimental, basket-woven rope sculptures and garments subvert the readiness of commercial objects by manipulating established forms through scale and presentation. Her abstracted garment caricatures restore novelty to the experience of interacting with objects. In this body of work, an oversized woven sandal becomes a vessel for bodies and play, reading almost as an area rug or centerpiece of a showroom. Alternatively, Dee Clements and Jessica Ninci interpret elements of postmodern architectural facades and all-over patterning through their respective mediums of weaving and ceramic. Clements’ wall hangings and furniture forms bring viewers into an abstracted, graphic architectural space with a vibrant postmodern palette, while the geometric elements and patterns in Jessica Ninci’s ceramic sculptures and vessels channel Memphis Group-designed laminate patterns and ceramic forms.

HCCC Curatorial Fellow Sarah Darro commented on her inspiration for the show, “Thirty-seven years after the Memphis Group’s 1981 showroom debuted at the Milan Design Fair, After Memphis: Crafted Postmodern seeks to investigate the legacy of architecturally inspired design and its renewed significance and expression in contemporary culture.”

After Memphis: Crafted Postmodern is curated by HCCC Curatorial Fellow Sarah Darro.

Image credits: (1) Courtney Banh, “Sandal,” 2018. Hand-dyed cotton rope, cotton yarn, nylon thread. Photo courtesy of Suzanna Sferrazza. 3 x 24 x 8 inches (2) Courtney Banh, “Shrug,” 2018. Hand-dyed cotton rope, cotton yarn, nylon thread. Photo courtesy of Suzanna Sferrazza. 23 x 15 x 13 inches. (3) Dee Clements, “Esprit,” 2016. Hand-woven wool. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Marx. 29 x 74 inches. (4) Dee Clements, “Gemini,” 2016. Hand-woven wool. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Marx. 29 x 66 inches. (3) Christin Ripley, “Corinthian,” 2018. 902 Ebru marbled canvas, invisible zippers, Styrofoam pellets. Photo courtesy of Emma McCann. 42 x 42 x 40 inches. (4) Erin Lynn Smith, “Wavy Pink,” 2017. Slip cast porcelain, silicone foam rubber, glass, argon, wire, transformer. Photo courtesy of the artist. 19 x 6 x 24 inches. (5) Erin Lynn Smith, “Double Lemon,” 2018. Slip cast porcelain, wire, steel hardware, electrical socket. Photo courtesy of the artist. 12 x 8 x 12 inches.

Fashion Show & Reception
Thursday, August 2, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Fashion show begins at 6:30 PM. The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists.  Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present B. Anele: I Don’t Play That Game, a solo exhibition of the Houston-based transdisciplinary artist’s most recent work, ranging from raw-canvas sculptural garments and portraiture to soft sculpture. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fashion show that takes place within the installation on the evening of Thursday, August 2nd.

B. Anele’s garments are sculptural, transcending into almost infrastructural and architectural forms. From conjoined jackets with arms that extend into a monumental, unifying chain to a jumpsuit with tar-colored, ten-foot-long pant legs intersected by broken, white road lines, their works commune with space, act as elements of support/restriction, and prescribe the reciprocal relationships between the wearers and their surroundings.

Anele’s work is invigorating and saturated by a vibrant visual vernacular that they have infused with gestural strokes of primary colors, fruits, and counter-cultural icons, from the smiley faces of club culture to retro roller skates that have enjoyed a renaissance in the queer community. Their work has a graphic vitality that energizes and reawakens a sense of wonder and creative expression. Anele states that their work “weaves a provocative and indisputably familiar blanket for the viewer to be engulfed in.” For Anele, expression is poised as a form of social activism, as well as an accessible and inclusive alternative to homogeneity in contemporary culture.

From their conjoined, felted wool berets to stiffened canvas sleeves that take abstract angular forms, B. Anele challenges the traditional bounds of garment design and demonstrates a vast material knowledge and dexterity in rendering their unbounded inner world.

B. Anele: I Don’t Play That Game is curated by HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Sarah Darro.

About B. Anele
Anele (b. 1993) is a transdisciplinary artist and curator that lives and works in Houston, Texas. At the age of 25, they have produced an impressive body of work that has been featured in exhibitions across Texas and in Los Angeles and New York, at venues including in lieu Gallery (Los Angeles, California), Andrew Eldin Gallery (New York, NY), Unit C. Gallery (Austin, TX), Jonathan Hopson Gallery (Houston, TX), Capitol Street Gallery (Houston, TX), and Private Eye Gallery (Houston, TX).

Exhibition Reception
Friday, April 20, 5:30 – 7:00 PM
The evening will also feature open studios by HCCC’s current resident artists. Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is delighted to present the 10th edition of In Residence, an annual exhibition celebrating its Artist Residency Program, which has supported makers in the field of craft for more than 16 years. This exhibition features work by 10 artists working in ceramic, fiber, metal, wood, and mixed media: Jessica Andersen, Rebecca Braziel, Vivian Chiu, Lisa Hardaway, Rebecca Lynn Hewitt, Amber Smith, Anthony Sonnenberg, Eric Stearns, Jenna Wright, and Shiyuan Xu.

The Artist Residency Program at HCCC provides resident artists with a space for creative exploration, exchange, and collaboration with other artists, professionals in the field, and the public. In their open studios, residents are able to engage with visitors as they work and explain the processes behind their craft practices. Though they develop individual bodies of work during their tenures, the collegiality of the program often fosters lines of collective inspiration. HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Sarah Darro, notes, “This iteration of In Residence features meticulously conceived works that are inscribed with tradition and historical reference, yet are thoroughly contemporary in their content.”

Anthony Sonnenberg creates sculptural assemblages that incorporate salvaged textiles, silk flowers, and porcelain figurines. He constructs his ceramic works by coating found objects in porcelain slip. Then, through a process of kiln firing, the detail, texture, and form of each piece become vitrified, while the original object is incinerated. Sonnenberg’s florid, opulent works visually and materially reference historical periods of decadence, such as ancient Greek Bacchanalia or Baroque decorative art, to address contemporary anxieties over identity, consumption, and overabundance.

Rebecca Braziel and Jessica Andersen recontextualize and transform discarded objects and detritus, from vintage gloves and baby shoes that retain marks of wear and use to littered cans and plastic bags that cling to coastlines. Braziel conceives of the objects that she salvages as collaborators, using their life histories as the subject matter of her practice. Through both reductive and additive means, she is a mark maker, systematically covering surfaces in layers of stitched, stapled, and cut lines, which read as swathes of gestural movement and texture. Andersen, on the other hand, alchemically transforms discarded plastic bags. Through a process of electroforming and enameling, she captures their malleability, folds, and wrinkles–reminiscent of skin and drapery–in copper.

Vivian Chiu and Shiyuan Xu build complex, labor-intensive sculptures, using repetitive layers of cut wood and porcelain paper clay. Chiu’s geometric, maze-like sculptures investigate the macro- and micro- spheres of labor, suppression, and identity. Her optical works beckon exploration and movement from the viewer, as they transform when viewed from different angles. Xu’s ceramic work, alternatively, is built to reference the microscopic structures of organisms related to the origin of life, from seeds to micro-algae and single-celled protozoa. The strength of paper clay allows her to construct the spindly, vaulted cells of her structures, while her experimentation with glazes references their potential growth as they expand, foam, crystallize, and drip in the kiln.

Rebecca Lynn Hewitt’s jewelry reflects on ecological concerns and the dissemination of both environmental knowledge and botanical species. Her wearable pieces serve as reliquaries for pressed flowers and seeds. Jenna Wright’s ceramic sculptures investigate the landscape of sprawling, suburban environments and manicured interior and exterior spaces. Amber Marie Smith’s ceramic work, alternatively, explores the idea of home and how it can change through the distortion of memories that occurs after moving and over time. Eric Stearns is known for his intricately pierced Raku vessels that experiment with interior space and form. Lisa Hardaway’s illustrative, patterned textiles are woven from hand-spun and dyed wool and incorporate techniques from Native American traditions, early American weaving, and English rug-making.

In Residence was curated by HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Sarah Darro. More information about Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s Residency Program can be found at: https://crafthouston.org/artists/residents/.

Image credits: (1 – 8) Exhibition view of “In Residence” at HCCC. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (9) Jessica Andersen, “Grey,” 2017. Electroformed plastic shopping bags, copper, zinc, ribbon. Photo courtesy of the artist. 23 x 5 x 1.5 inches. (10) Jessica Andersen, “Handle,” 2016. Electroformed plastic shopping bags, copper, steel. Photo courtesy of the artist. 8 x 4 x 1 inches. (11) Rebecca Braziel, “The Right Side,” 2016. Leather gloves, staples. Photo courtesy of Paul Hester. (12) Vivian Chui, “Untitled 2,” 2018. Baltic birch plywood. Photo courtesy of the artist. (13) Rebecca Lynn Hewitt, “Patience,” 2017. Walnut, sterling silver, pressed flowers, glass. Photo courtesy of the artist 12 x 6.5 x .75 inches. (14) Rebecca Lynn Hewitt, “Patience,” 2017. Walnut, sterling silver, pressed flowers, glass. Photo courtesy of the artist 12 x 6.5 x .75 inches. (15) Anthony Sonnenberg, “Dionysus (self-portrait pillow),” 2015. Found fabric, semi-precious stones, crystal beads, fringe, batting. Photo courtesy of the artist. (16) Anthony Sonnenberg, “Pair of Candelabras (Dentyne Ice),” 2017. Porcelain over stoneware, found ceramic, tchotchkes, glaze. Photo courtesy of the artist. (17) Jenna Wright, “Bear’s Breeches II,” 2017. Glazed and unglazed stoneware. Photo courtesy of the artist. 18 x 20 x 20 inches. (18) Shiyuan Xu, “Through the Lens #2,” 2016. Porcelain paperclay. Photo courtesy of the artist. 11.5 x 8 x 7.5 inches.

Award of Merit Winners & Juror’s Statement

Exhibition Reception
Friday, September 28, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
At 6:30 PM, Jennifer Scanlan will give three artists the Award of Merit prizes for best in show. The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists, tacos from Moon Rooster food truck, and beer provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Juror’s Tour with Jennifer Scanlan
Saturday, September 29, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Scanlan will point out some highlights from this year’s biennial and discuss the exhibition’s relationship to what is happening within the field of craft today.

CraftTexas 2018 is the tenth in a series of biennial juried exhibitions showcasing the best in Texas-made contemporary craft. Juried by Jennifer Scanlan, Curatorial and Exhibitions Director at Oklahoma Contemporary, the show features 50 works by 36 artists and includes a wide range of sculpture, jewelry, and furniture, with a strong emphasis on cutting-edge works.

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. This year, Scanlan selected her favorite works from a pool of 173 applicants.   In her juror’s statement, she commented: “Many of the works that I juried into the exhibition presented materials in innovative ways. Clay and fiber, used by humans for millennia, were revealed with unexpected textures and shapes. Others incorporated materials that were new or unusual in a craft context, such as rice husk fiber and Styrofoam. While craft is often associated with tradition and the past, these artists remind us that creative material exploration is often the impetus for technological advances.”

After reviewing Scanlan’s selections, HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall commented on the surprising variety of works in the show. “From Alex Goss’ beautifully tooled YouScrew, whose smiling screwheads remind people not to touch, to Brian Molanphy’s collaboration with a mud-dauber nest, this year’s juried exhibition challenges us to think critically about the presence of craft in our everyday lives as well as continue to recognize master craftspeople such as enamellist and HCCC Texas Master, Harlan Butt.”

CraftTexas 2018 Artists

Antonius Bui
Vincent Burke
Harlan Butt
Horacio Casillas
Kat Cole
Andrew Colopy and David Costanza
Jennifer Ling Datchuk
Brooke M. Davis
Mariela Dominguez
Claire Drennan
Maria Bang Espersen
Terry Fromm
Daniel Garver
Ron Geibel
Alex Goss
Nell Gottlieb
Eric and Morgan Grasham
Jessica Kreutter
Qing Liu
Marcos Medellin
Brian Molanphy
Kelly Noonan
Kelly O’Briant
Angel Oloshove
Raphaële
Catherine Winkler Rayroud
Tammie Rubin
Joan Son
Olga Starostina
Jessica Tolbert
Doerte Weber
Chesley Williams
Elizabeth Wood
Karen Woodward

About the Juror

Jennifer Scanlan is the curatorial and exhibitions director at Oklahoma Contemporary in Oklahoma City. She has curated a number of exhibitions at that institution, including Melvin Edwards: In Oklahoma, Jeffrey Gibson: Speak to Me, and ArtNow 2017. From 2013 through 2015, she was a New York-based independent curator focusing on contemporary art and design.  Her exhibitions included Pathmakers: Women in Art; Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.; Made for You: New Directions in Contemporary Design at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz; and Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York.  Previously, she was the associate curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Scanlan has lectured internationally and has taught at Courtauld Institute of Art Summer School in London, England, and at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. She has a BA in art history and Italian from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, and a MA in the history of decorative arts, design, and culture from the Bard Graduate Center, New York, New York.

Image credits: (1) Antonius Bui, “Amadia,” 2017. Hand-cut paper, monoprint. 76 x 48 inches. Photo by artist. (2) Harlan Butt, “Glacier Vessel #5,” 2017. Silver, enamel. 6 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches. Photo by artist. (3) Horacio Casillas, “Community Well,” 2018. Ceramic. 4 x 5 x 5 feet.  Photo by artist. (4) Kat Cole, “Black Gold – Mitosis,” 2018. Steel, enamel, gold luster, thread, black agate. 7 x 4 x 0.5 inches. Photo by artist. (5) David Costanza and Andrew Colopy, “Veer,” 2017. Recycled PVC, rice husk fiber. 16 x 32 inches. Photo by artists. (6) Jennifer Ling Datchuk, “Basic Bitch,” 2017. Slip-cast porcelain, blue and white nails. Print: 36 x 48 inches. Ring: 4 x 1 x 2 inches. Photo by Ansen Seale. (7) Brooke Davis, “BMD Tablescape,” 2012. Hard rock maple. 58 x 90 x 32 inches. Photo by artist. (8) Mariela Dominguez, “Barrio,” 2018. Found street sign, styrofoam, modeling clay. 35 x 35 x 16 inches. Photo by artist. (9) Daniel Garver, “Shift,” 2016. Linen and wool fibers. 34 x 52 inches. Photo by Mercedes Jelinek. (10) Ron Geibel, “Experimenting with Couples,” 2017. Porcelain. Approximately 5.5 x 3 x 3 inches. Photo by artist. (11) Alex Goss, “YouScrew,” 2017. Stainless steel. Dimensions variable. Photo by artist. (12) Jessica Kreutter, “Wind is where we came from,” 2018. Porcelain, wire, discarded table. 30 x 17 x 47 inches. Photo by artist. (13) Marcos Medellin, “Squeeze,” 2018. Train tie, insulation, ratchet strap, cement. 87 x 22 x 15 inches. Photo by artist. (14) Angel Oloshove, “His Side of the Bed with the Body Cut Out,” 2018. Ceramic. 15 x 13 x 5 inches. Photo by artist. (15) Raphaële, “Ultra Marine,” 2018. Mixed found objects. 10 x 10 x 1 inches. Photo by Joe Aker. (16) Tammie Rubin, “Always & Forever (forever, ever, ever) No. 1,” 2016. Porcelain, underglaze, pigmented clay. 12 x 47 x 16 inches. Photo by artist. (17) Olga Starostina, “Praying Circle,” 2017. Free-cast aluminum, leather, cotton thread. 15 x 6 x 0.75 inches. Photo by artist. (18) Jessica Tolbert, “StapleWear Necklace 2,” 2018. Staples. 28 inches. Photo by artist. (19) Doerte Weber, “Fields of Textures,” 2017. Structural weaving with various fibers. 38 x 27 inches. Photo by Ansen Seale. (20) Chesley Antoinette Williams, “Feliciana,” 2018. Fibers. 11 x 17 inches. Photo by artist. (21) Karen Woodward, “The Thinker,” 2017. Flameworked glass, LEDs, mixed media, wood panel. 24 x 24 x 2 inches. Photo by artist.

Exhibition Reception
Friday, June 1, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists.  Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Hands-on Houston: Baskets in the Garden
Saturday, June 2, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Curator Talk with Jo Stealey
Saturday, June 2, 3:30 – 4:30 PM

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is pleased to present Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America, an exhibition chronicling the history of American basketry, from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its presence within the contemporary fine-art world.  Visitors will delight in the variety of colors, patterns, shapes, and textures of the baskets on view, which range from traditional to highly unconventional and explore diverse cultural histories.

Historical baskets were rooted in local landscapes and shaped by cultural traditions. The rise of the industrial revolution and mass production at the end of the 19th century led basket makers to create works for new audiences and markets, including tourists, collectors, and fine-art museums. Today the story continues. Some contemporary artists seek to maintain and revive traditions practiced for centuries, while many combine age-old techniques with nontraditional materials to generate cultural commentary. Others challenge viewers’ expectations by experimenting with form, materials, and scale.

Divided into five sections—Cultural Origins, New Basketry, Living Traditions, Basket as Vessel, and Beyond the Basket—the show explores the variety of meanings and stories baskets convey through the artists’ selections of materials, techniques, colors, designs, and textures.  HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall commented, “We are excited to partner with the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri to provide this in-depth look at the history of American basketry, which unites tradition and process with innovation and design. Basketry is a craft practice that, while recognized universally for its function, maintains distinct identities and ties to various regions and groups of people, giving woven objects the unique power to connect communities and ideas.”

Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America is a collaborative endeavor between the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri, curated by Jo Stealey and Kristin Schwain and generously sponsored in part by the National Basketry Organization; University of Missouri; the Windgate Charitable Foundation; the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design; and numerous private donors.

The exhibition is supported in part by Anne Lamkin Kinder and by Sara Scholes Morgan and Bill Morgan.

For further details, please visit https://americanbasketry.missouri.edu.

Image credits: (1) Kate Anderson, “Lichtenstein Teapot/Girl with Ribbon,” 2005.  Waxed linen, stainless steel. 9” x 10.5” x 2.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (2)  Joanne Segal Brandford, “Shoulder,” 1986. Bamboo, paint. 10.5” x 16” x 9.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (3) Shan Goshorn, “They Were Called Kings,” 2013. Arches watercolor paper, archival inks, acrylic paint. 13.5” x 9” x 9” each (set of three). Photo by Joe Johnson.  (4) Dorothy McGuinness, “Satellite,” 2012. Watercolor paper, acrylic paint, waxed-linen thread. 12.5” x 16” x 12.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (5) Leon Niehues, “Bentwood Sphere,” 2015. White oak; brass and stainless mini-machine screws; natural, walnut-hull dye. 20” x 17” x 16.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (6) Ed Rossbach, “Mickey Mouse Coil Basket,” 1975. Synthetic raffia, sea grass. 6.375” x 9.125” x 9.125.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (7) Lois Russell, “Magic Bus,” 2012. Waxed linen. 9.25” x 11.5” x 10.5.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (8) Amanda Salm, “Showered with Laughter,” 2008.  Natural brown horse-tail hair; artist-dyed, white horse-tail hair with natural dyes, including indigo, madder root, onion skins, and grape leaves. 23.5” x 22” x 7.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (9) Jane Sauer, “At Last,” 1999. Waxed linen. 21” x13” x 8.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (10) Lisa Telford, “Evening Out,” 2007. Red and yellow cedar bark. 5.5” x 3.125” x 8.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (11) Leona Waddell, “White Oak Egg Basket,” 2004. White oak (quercus alba), brass pins. 10” x 13” x 9.” Photo by Joe Johnson.  (12) Dawn Nichols Walden, “Ties That Bind” (from the “Random Order Series”), 2010. Cedar root, cedar bark, bear grass. 44” x 25” x 15.” Photo by Joe Johnson.

[sg_popup id=”8″ event=”onload”][/sg_popup]Opening Reception
Friday, February 9, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The evening will also celebrate the opening of Light Charmer: Neon and Plasma in Action in the Main Galleries and feature open studios by the current resident artists.  Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present Treachery of Material: The Surrealist Impulse in Craft, featuring Michael Crowder and Julia Maria Künnap, two artists who use surrealist strategies and references in their work. The exhibition offers a series of puzzling and beautiful objects made from cast glass, fine metals and gemstones, along with nontraditional materials like ash and soap, to highlight the unexpected relationship between Surrealism and craft.

Known for its outlandish and irrational imagery meant to express the power of imagination and the unconscious mind, Surrealism has maintained its strong cultural relevance since its introduction in the 1920s, becoming a mainstay not only in art museums but in ad campaigns, films, fashion, and household objects as well.  Both Surrealism and craft incorporate a range of materials and traditions that have proven difficult to categorize as a whole. Many of the Surrealist masters, notably Salvador Dalí, Méret Oppenheim, Max Ernst, and Pedro Friedeberg, made forays into craft media during their careers, producing work in jewelry and metals, fiber and furniture. Their influence on craft continues today, as seen in the works of Crowder and Künnap.

Though he creates much of his sculpture from kiln-fired glass, often employing a pâte de verre technique that fuses glass particles into an open crystalline structure, Michael Crowder incorporates a range of particulate mediums like soap, sugar, chocolate, marble dust, wax, and ashes in his cast objects. His body of work, L’heure bleue, was completed during a fellowship at the home of Dora Maar (which she shared with Pablo Picasso) in Ménerbes, France. In the series, which references the “blue hour” between daylight and dark, he portrays 20^th-century art historical icons that are sculpted and cast from nontraditional materials, which would be self-obliterating if ever used for their intended purpose.  From a wax pipe referencing Magritte’s famous painting, The Treachery of Images (1929), to a cast-glass tire alluding to Robert Raushenberg’s Untitled (glass tires) (1997), each of Crowder’s sculptural objects is made from materials that defy its function.

Künnap, on the other hand, applies her mastery of lapidary stonecutting to form gemstones that visually defy and denature the material itself.  Through an incredibly precise and time-consuming process, she captures a sense of wonderment in her work, creating gemstones that appear to be in an eternal state of melting, dripping, and splashing.  By capturing impossibilities that seem conceived of in a dream state, her pieces hold a strong conceptual link to some of the most famous visual strategies of Surrealism, such as the “melting” clocks depicted in Salvador Dalí’s seminal painting, The Persistence of Memory (1931).

Treachery of Material was curated by HCCC Curatorial Fellow, Sarah Darro, who traces a lineage of Surrealism in craft media through the exhibition. “The show brings to the fore two contemporary artists whose works apply key strategies and tenets of Surrealism to demonstrate the contemporary and continual significance of Surrealism in visual culture.”

The exhibition is supported in part by Richard Moiel & Kathy Poeppel.

About the Artists 

Michael Crowder holds an MFA degree from Kent State University in Ohio and is currently based in Houston, Texas. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of American Glass; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Gandi Maidan Museum in Patna, India.  He was nominated for the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award and was the recipient of multiple Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, fellowships at the Dora Maar House in Ménerbes, France.

Julia Maria Künnap holds an MFA in jewelry art from the Estonian Academy of the Arts and a degree from Konstfack, University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Sweden. She is currently based in Tallinn, Estonia. She was the recipient of the prestigious Ruth Reisert-Hafner Stipendium and residency at the Alchimia School of Contemporary Jewellery in Florence. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and her first solo exhibition took place at the Emerging Artist Platform at Sienna Patti Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Image credits: (1) Michael Crowder, “1.2.C.U.P.,” 2009. Cast soap. Photo by David A. Brown. (2) Michael Crowder, “Air Amusé (Amused Air),” 2009. Cast glass. Photo by David A. Brown. (3 & 4) Michael Crowder, “Pneu Velo Verre (Glass Bicycle Tire),”2009. Cast glass. Photo by David A. Brown. (5)  Michael Crowder, “Une Longue Pipe (A Long Pipe),” 2009. Paraffin wax. Photo by David A. Brown. (6) Michael Crowder, “Une Petite Pipe Morte (A Little Pipe Death),” 2009. Cigarette ashes, resin. Photo by David A. Brown. (7) Julia Maria Künnap, “A Grand Day Out,” 2012. Smoky quartz, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist. (8) Julia Maria Künnap, “How to Find Balance II,” 2017. Smoky quartz, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist. (9) Julia Maria Künnap, “Now Where Was I,” 2017. Cacholong, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist. (10) Julia Maria Künnap, “Regret,” 2014. Obsidian, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist. (11) Julia Maria Künnap, “Why Is It All Overgrowing II,” 2017. Nephrite, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist. (12) Julia Maria Künnap, “Will a Supervolcano Erupt,” 2017. Obsidian, rhodium-plated silver. Photo courtesy of the artist. (13) Julia Maria Künnap, “Will the Ice Caps Melt,” 2017. Rock crystal, gold. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Opening Reception
Friday, February 9, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The opening reception will feature neon performances in the Main Galleries by Lily Reeves and James Akers, as well as Treachery of Material: The Surrealist Impulse in Craft in the Artist Hall.  The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists.  Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

Light Charmer Interactive Tour
Saturday, February 10, 3:00 – 5:00 PM

NEON NEON: Lighting Up the Screen
Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 – 10:00 PM

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present Light Charmer: Neon and Plasma in Action, a group show featuring artists who create a spectacle of light, color, and movement through neon and plasma sculpture and performance. Viewers will be enchanted by the variety of glowing artworks on display.

While the advertising world has largely abandoned neon signage in favor of LEDs and fluorescent lighting, many contemporary artists have embraced the dynamic mediums of neon and plasma, challenging common misconceptions that these materials are only suitable for two-dimensional art.  “In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the aesthetic of neon art and signage. However, few people realize the level of hand skill and scientific knowledge that it requires,” says HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall. “Through experimentation with blown-glass forms, unique gas compositions, and the interplay of light and sound, these artists demonstrate new and exciting potential for a material that has been in a state of commercial decline.”

As a throwback to the neon of a bygone era, Brooklyn artist Kate Hush puts a new spin on animated signs by addressing feminist issues through the flashy aesthetic of the material. Her femme fatales reference the dangerous and tragic women that once dazzled the silver screens of film noir. Her recent body of work responds to the absurd female stereotype of the crazy, unstable woman and plays into the fantasy of the dangerous vixen. For instance, in I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair (2015), the artist straddles the line between the mundane and psychotic, leaving it ambiguous as to whether the large red drops originating from the young woman’s head are hair dye or blood. The blinking lights generated by the animation of the piece only increase its dramatic effect.

Other artists in the show are enthralled by the science of these luminous materials. In their purest form, noble gases produce different colors and, when combined, create a wide spectrum of possible light effects, as exemplified by the works on view. Plasma is a perfect medium for artists who want to incorporate performance into their works, as the electrons in the material collide into one another, creating a series of explosive effects. The plasma works of Eric Franklin, Mundy Hepburn, and Aaron Ristau, for instance, come alive when the gases respond to human touch through glass. Demonstrating a highly specialized knowledge of the medium, these artists engineer custom gas mixtures to create vibrantly colored filaments of light inside blown- and found-glass forms.

Artists James Akers and Lily Reeves work with neon gas, the namesake of the art form, which produces a red glow when combined with high-voltage electricity in an airtight chamber. The two artists activate their sculptures, which they make by bending commercial tubes, in live performances. In Neon Sword Fight (2015), Akers and Reeves wield “Star Wars”-like light sabers in a battle between opposing forces of good (cool-blue argon) and evil (orange-red neon). Like many of the works in the exhibition, Akers’ and Reeve’s sculptures are not just meant to be seen, they are meant to be experienced.

Light Charmer: Neon and Plasma in Action is curated by HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall.  The exhibition is supported in part by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass and Barbara and Mark Paull.

Featured Artists
James Akers (Arlington, TX)
Sarah Blood (Alfred, NY)
Michael Flechtner (Los Angeles, CA)
Eric Franklin (Portland, OR)
Mundy Hepburn (Old Saybrook, CT)
Kate Hush (Brooklyn, NY)
Hannah Kirkpatrick (Norfolk, VA)
Lily Reeves (Phoenix, AZ)
Aaron Ristau (Loveland, CO)
Ashlin Williamson (Austin, TX)

Please Note
This exhibition contains low light levels, flashing light, and sounds that may be disruptive to some visitors. Some of the plasma sculptures produce electromagnetic radiation that may interfere with medical devices, such as pacemakers and hearing devices. It is recommended that individuals with medical devices keep a safe distance away from the artwork.

Image credits: (1) Michael Flechtner, “Sea Goat,” 1991. Neon, radio, audio controller. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (2) Sarah Blood, “Untitled (Enough),” 2018. Phosphor-coated glass, argon, mercury vapor, sequins, fabric, blackout, power supply. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (3) Exhibition view of “Light Charmer: Neon and Plasma in Action.” Photo by Scott Cartwright. (4) James Akers and Lily Reeves, “Neon Swords,” 2018. Neon, 3D-printed plastic, power supply. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (5) From left to right: Michael Flechtner, “Flash Cameras (Red and Blue),” 1988. Neon, plexiglass, strap. Michael Flechtner, “Clifford the Little Neon Dog,” 2015. Neon, MDO, D-rings. 9 x 16 x 20 inches. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (6 – 7) Kate Hush, “A Bad Man Is Hard to Blind,” 2016. 8mm and 12mm glass tubing, argon, neon, 120v animated power supplies. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (8) James Akers, “The Wild One (B),” 2018. Circuit bent toys, wires, custom circuitry, neon. Photo by Scott Cartwright. (9) The exhibition is supported in part by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass and Barbara and Mark Paull. (10) James Akers and Lily Reeves, “Neon Sword Fight,” 2015. Neon, argon, wood. Photo by Charlie Golonkiewicz. (11) Eric Franklin, “Skull 1,” 2013. Borosilicate glass, neon, mercury, acrylic, electronics. 12 x 12 x 12 inches. Photo by artist. (12) Kate Hush, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” 2015. 8mm Italian glass tubing filled with argon and neon gas, animated 120v power supplies. 50 x 40 x 2.5 inches. Photo by Shahryar Kashani. (13) Hannah Kirkpatrick, “Camera Obscura Crate,” 2015. Wood, surveying tripod, glass, metal, surrounding light. 5 x 2 x 2 feet. Photo by artist. (14) Hannah Kirkpatrick, “Camera Obscura Crate,” 2015. Wood, surveying tripod, glass, metal, surrounding light. 5 x 2 x 2 feet. Photo by artist.