Our first full day in Houston was spent in the Arts District downtown with a visit to The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
The entry to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Steve and I have no doubt that art enriches our lives. So wherever we go we try to expose ourselves to art in one form or another. It was exciting to see just how diverse the Houston arts district was. We randomly chose the perfect day to visit a gallery because admission was free.
The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Gray and cobalt paint and porcelain vase
Bright yellow paint and porcelain vase
We meandered through the Center for Contemporary Craft and couldn’t help but wonder what the difference is between art and craft. The creations on display here were most definitely art in our eyes. But certainly required a great deal of craftsmanship to create.
Chalice at Priest’s Rock, Lake Clark, AK by Beth Lipman. C-print mounted to aluminum with gloss laminate.
I believe this one was titled Guinea Pig.
The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is just one of the 19 museums that make up the Houston Arts District. The Museum District is a destination with a variety of revolving exhibitions, art collections, performances, film series, and hands on activities. This area is brimming with masterpieces, cutting edge life sciences, history and the latest contemporary art works. The Museum District offers a wealth of inspiration and education for all ages.
Meta-Formation was an exhibit of forged metal objects that was so cool
I found this pig table particularly fascinating!
These forged metal objects looked like 3 Amazon women to me.
There are four zones that make up the Museum District. Each one is walkable. And each is so wonderful in its own way.
Andrew Hayes’ Chevron is made of fabricated steel and book paper.
Bound Helical Table by Rachel David of forged and fabricated steel and patina
This was so graceful and reminded me of a swan made of fabricated steel and wood.
After immersing ourselves in the fabulous craft exhibit we took a stroll to see the studios. We noticed that one artist in residence had her door open so we peeked in.
Nicolle LaMere
Artist in Residence Nicolle LaMere at her studio
These are called skobys and they are alive!
Skoby to the left and canvas covered with skoby made from the thin, mucous membrane that was skimmed from the top of a vat of fermented tea and spread .on the canvas
A bowl of liquid clay cups edged in gold leaf
An unadorned bowl of liquid clay cups by Nicolle LaMere
Artist Nicolle LaMere was very welcoming and so happy to tell us about her body of work. We were totally fascinated by her “living art” She uses items like paper, liquid clay and fermented tea or scoby to create her art. There were a couple of amazing bowls made of many tiny clay cups that we thought were particularly lovely.
Embodied Series
But what really enthralled us were her canvases “painted” with that fermented tea. Color variations were due to different ages of fermentation.
Living art which is part of Nicolle LaMere’s Embodied Series
Embodied Series in gold.
The three canvases that Nicolle had on display are part of her Embodied Series which explore the cycles of growth and death. These canvases are coated with the byproduct of a fermented sugar and tea beverage known as Kombucha. The symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that forms during the fermentation process creates a living membrane. It’s this membrane that LaMere cured and used to create these compositions. However it seems that the problem Nicolle is having with this art form is that the pieces continue to change over time. Of course this is due to the fact that the scoby that is scraped off the top of fermented tea and remains alive!
Beautiful gardens await as you exit The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Awesome fundraising benches in the garden surround a fountain
One of the very cool benches that are embedded with glass mosaic tiles list the donors.
I spy a Locavore by the fountain at The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
The Traveling Locavores wish you all a very happy, healthy and delicious 2021!!!
