#crafthouston

What happened today, Gilbert?

By Ann Morton

In contemplating the What Happened Today? project, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, someone would be inspired to write a note on multiple days to chronicle their own life and become an active part of this effort. I got my wish, but from a quite unexpected source. It may surprise many to learn that a number of our 3 x 3 notes have been returned by prisoners in the Harris County and Montgomery County jails.

There has been one inmate in particular that, through his writings, we’ve come to know – Gilbert. Because he only had the first note he found in the Houston Chronicle, he has taken it upon himself to make his own What Happened Today note forms. This just adds to the charm of his contributions. His messages speak of his daily devotion to his faith and his commitment to become a better person.  So far, we’ve received a note from Gilbert for everyday between May 6th and June 11th – and we hope for more now that we have sent him his very own note pads to use!

We’ve been inspired by the hope and human spirit that shines through Gilbert’s notes. No matter your spiritual leanings, we think you’ll be inspired too. We might all learn something from Gilbert’s devotion to staying positive in the midst of the storm.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to host Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft, an exhibition organized by the Arizona State University (ASU) Art Museum and Ceramics Research Center in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Highlighting the Museum’s extensive holdings in craft objects made from wood, ceramic and fiber, the exhibition provides a national and international perspective on modern and contemporary craft and the current level of innovation and experimentation in material studies.

Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft is on view at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft through August 29, 2015.

Here is part 2 of a selection of videos from a symposium about Crafting a Continuumheld at Arizona State University Art Museum. Watch to learn more about the exhibition and the works in it.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to host Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft, an exhibition organized by the Arizona State University (ASU) Art Museum and Ceramics Research Center in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Highlighting the Museum’s extensive holdings in craft objects made from wood, ceramic and fiber, the exhibition provides a national and international perspective on modern and contemporary craft and the current level of innovation and experimentation in material studies.

Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft is on view at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft through August 29, 2015.

Here is a selection of videos from a symposium about Crafting a Continuum held at Arizona State University Art Museum. Watch to learn more about the exhibition and the works in it.

HCCC opened “Course of Action: 50 Years of Jewelry and Enamel at the Glassell School of Art" in the Artist Hall, and “Ceramics in the Environment” in the Craft Garden, on Friday, May 29th. Visitors enjoyed the exhibitions, and strolled through open studios by the current resident artists. Photography by Kim Coffman.

Embarking on a project such as the What Happened Today? exhibition leaves the richness of the outcome up to the members of the public who get involved. This can be unnerving, but in the case of the citizens of Houston, the results are every bit as interesting as we’d hoped. With the generous partnership of the Houston Chronicle, we expect thousands of notes to make their way to HCCC through July. We’d like to share just a few out of hundreds of 3”x 3” notes that have been submitted so far. Enjoy the texture of what has been shared–the character of the handwriting, the thoughts–and most of all, what happened on these days.

From the mundane, to life changing, this small sampling marks events in the lives of Houston citizens who thought them worthy of noting. In our age of digital, online connections, the exhibition will reveal the personality of each writer through their handwritten words in a way that simply cannot be experienced on the computer screen.

Plan a visit to HCCC to see What Happened Today?, on view  September 18, 2015 through January 3, 2016. Click here to learn how you can get involved in the project. See photos from the community workshops on our Facebook page.

PARTICIPATE IN OUR UPCOMING EXHIBITION THIS FALL!