Museum of Contemporary Craft

Oregon Potters Association: 30 Years of Best in Show

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:51:43 PST

In honor of both the 30th and 75th anniversaries of the Oregon Potters Association’s Ceramic Showcase and the Museum of Contemporary Craft respectively, the Museum will display a selection of works from its collection that have been gifted by OPA over the past three decades.

Since 1982, the Oregon Potters Association (OPA) has annually held the Ceramic Showcase, an art show and educational event that has grown not only into the largest clay show in the country, but also the only one of its kind. Since 1984, OPA has generously given their Best in Show award-winning piece to the collection of Museum of Contemporary Craft. This collaboration exemplifies the progressive relationship between this guild of local makers and a museum that documents work by regional communities for future generations.

On view to the public together for the first time in the Museum’s current location, the works demonstrate a range of styles and techniques coming out of Oregon ceramic studios over the past several decades. 30 Years of Best in Show will be on display in The Lab, the community partnership and programming space on the second floor, from May 1 to August 18, 2012.

Don’t Miss the Final Brain Food Lab on February 18

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:25:19 PST

Check out the multitude of creative expressions present in The Lab. Saturday February 18 marks the final Brain Food Lab event. This event, in conjunction with Studio H: Design. Build. Transform, turns The Lab into a laboratory for experimentation and the creative process.

Anne Crumpacker

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:30:14 PST

FIRST WEDNESDAY RECEPTION February 1, 6-8 pm

Anne Crumpacker’s work interweaves scale and proportion—thin, medium and thick crosscut bamboo sections, the interplay of light and shadow—to create living topographies. Her long immersion in Japanese aesthetics guides her as she works intuitively, following a path of discovery.

In developing the crosscut bamboo technique, she is contributing a new approach to a venerable material. Deconstructing bamboo into crosscut slices reveals its cellular makeup and illuminates its natural beauty and strength. Assembling the pieces allows patterns and rhythms to emerge that reflect the interconnection of forces in nature, from microscopic life to wave movement.

Crumpacker has been a student of Ikebana for over 15 years. Her passion for travel, exploration and learning has taken her throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. She credits experiences in Japan as a profound influence on her art and life. Crumpacker’s work interweaves scale and proportion-thin, medium and thick crosscut bamboo sections, the interplay of light and shadow-to create living topographies. Her long immersion in Japanese aesthetics guides her work intuitively, following a path of discovery. To learn more about Anne Crumpacker and see more images of her bamboo sculpture, please visit her website.  

Anne holds a bachelor of arts from Scripps College and a master of arts in liberal studies from Reed College, as well as a teaching credential from University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the first graduating class of the MFA program in Applied Craft and Design from Oregon College of Art and Craft + Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Remembering Ray Grimm

lradon@pnca.edu (Lisa Radon) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:32:24 PST

Museum of Contemporary Craft will greatly miss artist Ray Grimm who passed away on Sunday at age 87.

Grimm founded the ceramics program at Portland State University and taught pottery, jewelry-making, and art education until he retired in 1988. Grimm and his wife Jere played an important role at Museum of Contemporary Craft when it was still known as the Contemporary Crafts Gallery and Museum.

“Ray and Jere are two of the most delightful people I’ve had the opportunity to work with at the Museum,” says curator Namita Gupta Wiggers. “The two of them have always been dynamic supporters of this institution and the broader modern craft community in Portland.”

Ray and Jere met while studying art at Washington University in St. Louis. They participated in a workshop with ceramic artist F.Carlton Ball in Carbondale, Illinois which stoked the young married couple’s interest in what was to be their medium of choice for decades. Grimm also studied glass-blowing at the Toledo Art Museum with Harvey Littleton, the father of the modern glass art movement. And in 1968 he founded the Glass Shack workshop in Portland.

Grimm’s work is in the permanent collection of Museum of Contemporary Craft and many other collections.

The Brain Food Lab

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:25:12 PST

You’ve seen in the exhibition Studio H: Design. Build. Transform. how the creative process can transform learning, develop critical thinking skills, and connect students to their environment in exciting and bold ways. The Brain Food Lab is a real-life, hands-on demonstration of these concepts. Please help us by experimenting in our working laboratory.

This project is inspired by Brain Food, a set of DIY activities conceived by the local arts education partnership The Right Brain Initiative to engage children and adults in imaginative, exploratory learning experiences. Brain Food activities integrate an artistic approach with other school subject areas, modeling the kind of learning that Right Brain brings to over 11,000 students and nearly 600 teachers in the Portland metropolitan region.

AIGA Portland, the local professional association for design, and The Right Brain Initiative are now joined in a unique partnership to expand the Brain Food activities into a physical card deck that will be available in 2012 to Right Brain teachers and on sale to the public.

The Brain Food Lab happens on the following dates:
January 7, 2-4 pm
January 21, 2-4 pm
February 4, 2-4 pm
February 18, 2-4pm

Phloem Studio

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:36 PST

FIRST WEDNESDAY RECEPTION January 4, 6-8 pm

Phloem Studio, a design studio that builds custom furniture and cabinets for residential and commercial spaces, is a Gallery feature this month.

Phloem Studio, located in Portland, Oregon, designs and builds custom furniture and cabinets for residential and commercial spaces. The studio believes good design should be elegant and timeless and loves to work with people who value quality craftsmanship that will last far into the future.

In 2009, Designer/craftsman Ben Klebba formed Phloem Studio, located at 2710 N Interstate Ave in Portland, Oregon. Requiring too much coffee, large tools, and an acute attention to detail, Phloem Studio can build a simple refined chair for a desk or an entire kitchen that will undoubtedly reflect Ben’s admiration of clean, simple lines.

“Lately I’ve been exploring straight tapering angles and parallel sides. I’m just as influenced by Hans Wegner as much as by Aphex Twin or John Coltrane. Function and beauty are both equal and inseparable in design. A chair should support the back, sit well, and please the eye. I believe that the most gorgeous things in life are also simple and unique. I strive to achieve that balance.” says Klebba.

Studio H on Think Out Loud

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:09:15 PST

Studio H Founder Emily Pilloton was a guest on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Think Out Loud where she spoke on the design/build experience. Downloading the podcast here.

Hand-Felting with LeBrie Rich

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:21:39 PST

Gallery artist and local “Duchess of Felt” LeBrie Rich leads a hands-on demonstration, allowing visitors to drop in and learn the technique of hand-felting from a master felter. Free and open to the public.

Give Local. Give Craft.

lradon@pnca.edu (Lisa Radon) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:12:24 PST

This year, give local, give craft. The Gallery at Museum of Contemporary Craft represents artists working in ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, metal, fiber and mixed media. Highlights from Portland-based artists include elegant functional ceramics by Jason Russell and David Piper, extraordinary glass sculptures and bell jars by Andy Paiko, and architectural jewelry by Ben Neubauer. As always, museum members enjoy a 10% savings on purchases.

IMLS grant for $61,000

wbund@pnca.edu (Wayne Bund) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:02:17 PST

Museum of Contemporary Craft (MoCC) has been awarded a $61,000 Museums for America Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant supports the development of Generations: Betty Feves, a retrospective exhibition of work by this major Oregon ceramicist. Part of the Museum’s 75th Anniversary celebration, the exhibition highlights the strong history of ceramics at the Museum and in the Northwest and celebrates the crucial role of women in the history of contemporary art. The exhibition opens March 15, 2012 and will travel to the Pendleton Art Center in Pendleton, Oregon. The IMLS grant matches major support for this exhibition from the Whiteman Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and individual donors.

SOFA Chicago 2011

iwatson@pnca.edu (Isaac Watson) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:40:01 PDT

Museum of Contemporary Craft shares the news about its 75th anniversary at this year’s SOFA event in Chicago (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art). One of the largest art fairs devoted to craft-based artwork, SOFA draws tens of thousands of visitors from around the country. Jeffrey Thomas (Director), Namita Gupta Wiggers (Curator) and Kat Perez (Exhibition Coordinator) will be there to meet and greet. Wiggers will be conducting tours for the American Craft Council, on which she serves on the Board of Directors. If you are attending SOFA, please come by to say hello!

makelike (a shop)

iwatson@pnca.edu (Isaac Watson) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:30:57 PDT

FIRST WEDNESDAY RECEPTION: NOVEMBER 2, 6–8 PM

The Gallery is excited to showcase the design and craft community studio known as makelike, a Portland, Oregon-based graphic design studio founded in 2000 by artist/designers Mary Kysar and Topher Sinkinson.

The studio has designed patterns, wallpaper and other work for clients for over a decade. In 2009 they launched their own line of products for the home, including hand screen-printed wallpaper, posters, tea towels, gift wrap and greeting cards. The makelike team includes artist and illustrator, Rob Halverson; office manager, Tara Shirriff; artist/copywhiz, Kristan Kennedy; and the studio’s project manager, Liz Calderón, a specialist in all things special. The designers work on each line from concept to completion, hand illustrating, designing and selecting quality materials, vendors and craftspeople who give the line its luxe utilitarian look and feel.

makelike has teamed with OLO Fragrance and nice work to bring a mix of handmade goods to the Gallery’s Pop-Up space. Heather Sielaff of OLO hand blends every limited edition batch of perfume into a unique and evocative Portland fragrance. nice work is a private showroom in Portland, Oregon presenting thoughtfully designed objects for the home and self. nice work deals, designs, consults and collaborates with a wide range of customers, and truly believes that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Give Local. Give Craft.

iwatson@pnca.edu (Isaac Watson) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:59:29 PDT

HOLIDAYS IN THE GALLERY

November 3–December 31

FIRST WEDNESDAY RECEPTION: NOVEMBER 2, 6–8 PM

This holiday season, The Gallery at Museum of Contemporary Craft celebrates the artists who have contributed to the vitality of the organization’s growth over the last 75 years. From functional ceramic casseroles to crocheted sterling silver jewelry; from repurposed bicycle gear belt buckles to delicate borosilicate glass vessels, The Gallery represents over 100 makers from the Pacific Northwest and across the United States, highlighting both regional and nationally noted artisans.

Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff is eager to assist you with selecting a hand-made, locally-crafted gift this holiday season. If you do not already have a museum membership, join now and receive a 10% savings on all Gallery purchases.

We have a number of in-store craft demonstrations and festivities lined up during the month of December, when three of our Gallery artists will create their wares on site, and happily explain the process and inspiration behind their work.

GALLERY ARTIST DEMONSTRATIONS

December 3, 1-3 pm
Jason Russell, ceramist

December 10, 1-3 pm
Mark Diamond, metalsmith

December 17, 1-3 pm
LeBrie Rich, fiber artist

Making Faces

iwatson@pnca.edu (Isaac Watson) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:28:01 PDT

Making Faces, a film by Richard Kegler documenting the lost art of pantographic type making will be screened twice at Museum of Contemporary Craft on October 29. The 45-minute film details the working process of the late Jim Rimmer as he designs and casts the font Stern, the only type font ever to have been released in both electronic and metal versions simultaneously. The font is a commemoration of the fine printer and type caster C. Christopher Stern, of Sedro-Woolley, Washington.

The showing is a fundraiser for the C.C. Stern Type Foundry, a non-profit working museum of type casting in Portland, Oregon.

$8 admission (cash or credit only). Tickets can be purchased at the door on a first come, first served basis, up to 30 minutes prior to showtime. Admission includes one free drink ticket.

Sponsored by Extensis, KeeganMeegan & Co., Peet Kegler Design and Premier Press.

New $300,000 Grant

iwatson@pnca.edu (Isaac Watson) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:57:35 PDT

The Museum received a grant totaling $300,000 over the next three years to support exhibitions and public programs from an anonymous donor.

Read the press release.