VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents the exhibition Iron: Forged, Tempered, Quenched.

Iron: Forged, Tempered, Quenched celebrates the rich history of American blacksmithing by bridging historical and contemporary works and illustrating the wide variety of blacksmithing techniques and processes currently practiced in the U.S. The exhibition is one of the most significant exhibitions of blacksmithed objects in decades. The exhibition educates audiences about the processes used to create historical and contemporary ironwork.

Contemporary pieces are exhibited alongside important historic works, such as farm implements and tools, to allow visitors to visually identify how blacksmithing artists combine contemporary design sensibilities with historical traditions and techniques to create their pieces.

Iron features more than 40 pieces by 38 artists from across the U.S., including Elizabeth Brim, Frederic Crist, Carl Jennings, John Medwedeff, Lee Ann Mitchell, Noellyn Pepos, Jon Shearin, Lee Tribe and James Wallace. Local and regional artists in the show include Dave Koenig, founder of the Houston Area Blacksmiths’ Association (HABA), members of the Austin Metal Authority, and Texas artists, such as Todd Campbell, Tim Bailey, and Lars Stanley.

Contemporary works on view include sculptural and conceptual works and interior furniture, including select pieces from the permanent collection of The National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Made possible by generous support from Triple S Steel, Nancy and Rich Kinder, and Michelle and Frank Hevrdejs.

Pictured:  detail of a work by Seth Gould. (Full image, below).