Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is a non-profit arts organization that offers exhibitions, educational programming, and an artist-in-residence program from their building in the Houston Museum District. The center was founded in September 2001 with the goal of furthering education and public awareness of contemporary craft pieces, or artworks made from materials like wood, glass, fiber, metal, and recycled materials.[1]

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
The front of a red building partially obscured by trees.
Exterior - Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Map
EstablishedSeptember 2001 (2001-09)
Location4848 Main Street, Houston,Texas
TypeArts center
Visitors12,807 (2017)
Executive directorPerry Allen Price
PresidentBrad Bucher
Public transit accessWheeler Transit Center, Museum District MetroRail
Websitecrafthouston.org

HCCC is funded by grants from many organizations, including the Houston Art Alliance, the National Endowment For The Arts, Houston Endowment, Inc., the Texas Commission on The Arts, The Brown Foundation, the Kinder Foundation, and private donations.[2] The center is free to the public and open most days of the week.[3] As of 2017, HCCC saw an average of nearly 13,000 visitors and hosted 5-10 resident artists annually.[4]

Exhibitions

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The center's exhibition spaces include the Main Gallery and the Front Gallery, each of which host several revolving exhibitions a year, and the Artist's Hall, where current resident artists can work and share their pieces.[5] The Asher Gallery serves as an in-house sales space for local artists, makers, and creative vendors, and it regularly hosts special events and pop-up shops.[6]

The HCCC has hosted dozens of group and solo shows, all centering contemporary craft and crafters. In addition to an annual resident artist exhibition, notable exhibitions have included:

Craft garden

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The Craft Garden is a joint venture between artists, gardeners, and other Houston community members to maintain an outdoor educational exhibition space that is unique to HCCC. Rather than focusing on flowering or edible plants, The Craft Garden features four separate spaces dedicated to the plants used to make baskets, textiles, dyes, and papers.[30] A small selection of plants in the garden include: turmeric, madder, and indigo used primarily for dyes,[31] and brown cotton and ramie,[32] used largely for basket-making, weaving, paper-making, and other fiber arts. The center often hosts educational workshops in the garden,[33] and resident artists are invited to harvest materials for their practices directly from the ground, to be inspired by the natural environment it offers, and to install exhibits outdoors.[34]

In addition to the plants themselves, HCCC partners with a local beekeeping organization to maintain a community of rooftop honeybees that both pollinate the garden and provide educational opportunities to visitors.[35] HCCC's Craft Garden is a member of Urban Harvest, a Houston-based network of almost 150 edible and educational gardens.[36]

Artist residency

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The HCCC's artist-in-residence program has been active since the center's inception in 2001, providing not only studio space but educational opportunities, a stipend that covers materials and living spaces, and group exhibitions to 5-10 artists annually. The residencies are flexible, offering lengths of commitment that range from three to twelve months.[37] Resident artists create art on-site, often utilizing both the Craft Garden and the available studios. They are required to open their studios to the public for at least two days a week, one of which must be on Saturday. Residencies conclude with artist talks and exhibitions.[38] As of 2016, HCCC had hosted 113 artists since beginning the program in 2001.[39]

Notable past resident artists include:

References

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  1. ^ "Craft in America Craft in America - Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". www.craftinamerica.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  2. ^ "Who We Are | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  3. ^ "Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". houmuse.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  4. ^ "Marketing" (PDF). HCCC 2017 Annual Report: 22. 2017.
  5. ^ "Exhibitions" (PDF). HCCC 2017 Annual Report: 7–10. 2017.
  6. ^ "Houston Center for Contemporary Craft – Art in America Guide". Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  7. ^ "Judy Jensen – Feverish | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  8. ^ "Fotofest 2002 – Gijs Bakker: Selected Retrospective | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  9. ^ "Poetics of Clay: An International Perspective | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  10. ^ "Metaphor & Magnitude: Kendall Buster & Donald Fortescue | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  11. ^ "Kickin' It with Joyce J. Scott | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  12. ^ "Richard Black: The Art of Cue | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  13. ^ "Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of an American Potter | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  14. ^ "Craft in America: Expanding Traditions (Travelling Exhibition)". www.craftinamerica.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  15. ^ "Texas Masters Series: Rachelle Thiewes | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  16. ^ "Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  17. ^ "Arline Fisch: Creatures from the Deep | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  18. ^ "Beyond Useful & Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  19. ^ "Bridge 11:Lia Cook | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  20. ^ "Transference: Andy Paiko & Ethan Rose | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  21. ^ "Dark Light: the Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  22. ^ "Course of Action: 50 Years of Jewelry and Enamel at the Glassell School of Art | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  23. ^ "Wendy Maruyama: The wildLIFE Project | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  24. ^ "Found Subjects: Works by Sondra Sherman | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  25. ^ "Future Tradition: Melissa Cody | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  26. ^ "ANNIE EVELYN: MULTIPLE IMPRESSIONS | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  27. ^ "JUSTIN FAVELA: ALL YOU CAN EAT | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  28. ^ "Weave Houston: Celebrating 71 Years of the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  29. ^ "Texas Master Series: James C. Watkins | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  30. ^ Hensley, Becca. "4 Recommended Museums in Houston". AARP. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  31. ^ "HANDS-ON HOUSTON: BAMBOO BEE HOUSES | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  32. ^ "Asher Summer Trunk Show This Weekend! | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  33. ^ "Hands-On Houston: Papermaking in the Craft Garden". Kids Out and About Houston. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  34. ^ "Houston Center For Contemporary Craft". Joan Clare Brown. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  35. ^ Hazen, Rebecca (2017-06-14). "Center for Contemporary Craft integrates bees into visitor experience". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  36. ^ "Our Affiliate Gardens". Urban Harvest. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  37. ^ "2022-2023 RESIDENT ARTISTS ANNOUNCED | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  38. ^ "Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". DutchCulture. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  39. ^ "Call for Resident Artists! Apply to Artist Residency Program at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  40. ^ "Anila Quayyum Agha". beta.artprize.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  41. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". Susan Budge. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  42. ^ "Alumni Artists | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  43. ^ "MICHAEL VELLIQUETTE". MICHAEL VELLIQUETTE. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  44. ^ "Alumni Artists | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.

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