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The Paper Runway
June 5 -
September 4, 2010
Opening
Reception
Friday, June 4, 5:30 – 8:00
PM
Gallery Talk by Cindy Bowden
Saturday, June 5, 11:00
AM
Cindy
Bowden, Director of the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum and Co-Curator of
The Paper
Runway
The Paper Runway is a juried exhibition of nearly 50 stunning
works of paper clothing and accessories by artists from the U.S. and
around the world. Featuring everything from handcrafted evening
gowns to men’s vests, jewelry made from magazine pages, and a suit made
from lottery tickets, each garment-inspired artwork is created from
different types of paper. Materials range from recycled cotton rags and
coffee filters to various handmade papers, created from fibers like
abaca (banana leaf) and kozo (mulberry bark). The
featured works encompass a dazzling array of patterns, textures, colors
and exquisite detail. Some pieces would look right at home on the
couture runways of Paris; others are inspired by the wild beauty of
nature. Some pieces are whimsical and innovative, and others have a
deeply personal story to tell. You’ve never seen fashion quite like
this!
The selected works were created by
artists from the United States and from countries around the world, such
as England, Chile, Israel, Tibet, Japan, and Canada. Though most work
included in the exhibition is for display only, The Paper Runway
also presents the work of Deepak Shrestha, a renowned artist from Tibet
who makes shifu clothing. Shifu is a craft specific to the
Himalayas that involves creating wearable, functional garments out of
paper. In keeping with his native land’s tradition, Shrestha uses the
Daphne plant to render long fibers that are made into paper sheets. The
sheets are cut into thin strips and rubbed against rocks to form string.
Shrestha and the artisans he works with use this paper string to weave
cloth on a loom that is transformed into durable clothing for people to
wear.
The Paper Runway
was organized by The Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Georgia Institute of
Technology. The exhibition’s curators include Winnie Radolan, Senior
Lecturer in Papermaking at the Book Arts and Printmaking Department at the
University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mariana Kaplun,
Lecturer at the Catolica Universidad in Santiago, Chile; Kate Martinson,
Professor of Textiles and Paper at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; and
Cindy Bowden, Director, and Juan Chevere, Program Coordinator, of the
Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at Georgia Institute of Technology in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Above, from left: Susan Cutts,
Fairy Tale Dress. Handmade gampi paper. Rebecca Siemering,
A Refined Suit (detail). Used lottery tickets, dental
floss, cloth suit. Jennifer Davies and Nancy Eisenfeld, Dancing with
the Stars. Plastic netting, kozo pulp, ribbon, tulle, thread. Mona
Waterhouse, Garden Skirt. Images courtesy The Robert C.
Williams Paper Museum, Georgia Institute of
Technology.
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Naked
July 10 –
September 4,
2010 |
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Naked
highlights the work of five contemporary ceramists: Charles
Birnbaum, from New York City, NY; Lindsay Feuer, from Philadelphia,
PA; Heather Knight, from Asheville, NC; Jennifer McCurdy, from
Vineyard Haven, MA; and Kamila Szczesna, from Galveston, TX. Each of
these artists works in all-white porcelain, using no colored glazes
to decorate their objects, so the material, form and surface of each
piece become the primary focal points. This stripped-down or “naked”
body of work reveals the sublime qualities of porcelain: delicate,
translucent, smooth and full of possibility.
HCCC Curator of
Fine Craft, Gwynne Rukenbrod, envisioned an exhibition of
non-functional sculptural works that asks the viewer to concentrate
exclusively on form and material. “To me, there is an inherent
beauty and peacefulness in white porcelain objects. The emphasis is
no longer on the glaze or type of firing, but on the object itself.
The artists featured in Naked have
shown exceptional craftsmanship through their focus on material,
technique and texture, and the exhibition allows their refined
aesthetic to shine through.”
Above,
from left to right: Charles Birnbaum, Naïade, 2008. Porcelain. Photo
by Charles Birnbaum. Jennifer McCurdy, Vortex
Vessel, 2010.
Porcelain. Photo by Gary Mirando. Lindsay Feuer, Hybrid
‘Flora’ No.9,
2009. Hand-built porcelain fired to cone 10. Photo by John
Carlano. |
Dolls Now
July 31 –
September 19, 2010
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Stop by the Artist Hall at HCCC to see Dolls
Now, an exhibition of imaginative art dolls handcrafted by
members of the Texas Association of Original Doll Artists (TAODA).
These works of figurative art are original in design and created
from a variety of materials including clay, wood, and fiber. The
sculptures range from scenes of realism to fantasy, and are sure to
charm young and old alike.
TAODA was founded in 1999 by ten
doll artists who set out to promote the “art of the doll.” With a
current membership of close to 50 artists, TAODA members continue to
grow in their craft, expand their vision and educate the public
through promotion of doll art. For more information on TAODA, please
visit www.taoda.org.
Joyce Patterson, Joy Riders. Doll Sculpture.
Cloth. Photo by Joyce Patterson. Gwynne Ross, Minstrels. Doll
Sculpture. Paperclay. Photo by Gwynne Ross. Neva Waldt, Thief of
Hearts. Doll Sculpture. Paperclay, paper mache, and cloth. Photo by
Neva Waldt. |
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