VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents the exhibition eXtreme Tea.  On view January 16 – March 21, 2010.  Opening Reception Friday, January 15, 5:30 – 8:00 PM.

eXtreme Tea is a surprising exhibition of tea infusers and strainers—seemingly mundane household items that hold loose tea leaves for brewing in a pot or cup. However, because of the small scale and potential for minute decorative detail, these items present an exciting challenge for contemporary artists. The exhibition includes tea infusers made predominantly from metal, but also includes pieces made from glass, ceramic, fiber, plastic and combinations of mixed media. eXtreme Tea contrasts traditional tea infusers with inventive contemporary pieces that take these simple objects to extremes.

The exhibition was curated by Tom Muir, Distinguished Research Professor and Head of Jewelry and Metalsmithing in the School of Art at Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio. Muir earned his MFA from Indiana University and his BFA from Georgia State University. His work is in numerous collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, The White House Collection of American Crafts, and the National Museum of American Art.

Pictured: 

Top row, left to right: Victoria Altepeter, Steeped in Tradition, 2009. Infuser made from silver, nickle, hand-forged mokume gane, and a marriage of metals. Photo by Victoria Altepeter. Olga Barmina, Bombyx Tea, 2009. Tea strainer made from sterling and fine silver and 18K gold. Photo by George Post.

Bottom row, left to right: Victoria Lansford, Darling, lotus have some tea...(detail), 2009. Tea infuser, strainer, and drip stand. Sterling silver, fine silver, 22K/sterling bi-metal; Russian filigree, Eastern repoussé, chasing, chain making, and fabrication. Photo by Victoria Lansford. Dan Schatz, vT, 2009.Pierced silver tea infuser. Photo by Anne Wolf.