VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents the exhibition The Paper Runway, on view June 5 - September 4, 2010. Opening Reception Friday, June 4, 5:30 – 8:00 PM. The opening event will be a celebration of fashion and contemporary craft. Featuring open studios by HCCC’s current artists-in-residence and In Residence 2009, an Artist Hall exhibition of works by the 2009 artists-in-residence.

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.

About Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is a nonprofit arts organization founded to advance education about the process, product and history of craft. Since opening in September of 2001, HCCC has emerged as an important cultural and educational resource for Houston and the Southwest—one of the few venues in the country dedicated exclusively to craft at the highest level. HCCC provides exhibition, retail and studio spaces to support the work of local and national artists. In addition, HCCC is a wonderful resource for art educators and provides mission-related educational programs in schools and underserved communities. Visitors enjoy viewing innovative exhibitions, engaging with resident artists, creating their own craft objects in a variety of workshops, and shopping for one of-a-kind gifts and home décor in the Asher Gallery.

HCCC is funded in part by grants from The Brown Foundation; Houston Endowment, Inc.; the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance; Texas Commission on the Arts; the Wortham Foundation; and Windgate Charitable Foundation. Continental Airlines is the official airline of Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

Pictured above: Jennifer Davies and Nancy Eisenfeld, Dancing with the Stars. Plastic netting, kozo pulp, ribbon, tulle, thread. Images courtesy The Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Georgia Institute of Technology.