de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility Exhibition at the McNay Museum
March 1, 2024 – September 15, 2024
Located in the Tobin Exhibition Galleries
de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility presents works that explore culture on both sides of the United States-México border. Brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre live and work in the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California, México, and San Diego, California. After developing individual artistic practices they began to collaborate in the 1990s after discovering a shared passion for blown glass. de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility highlights their distinct maximalist aesthetic through four galleries of glass sculpture, lenticular prints, video, and installations.
The brothers use motifs from Aztec mythology, Catholic iconography, popular culture, and art history to build symbolically loaded imagery. Their mixed media works playfully incorporate humor and satire into critiques of consumption and indulgence. de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility embraces contradiction and multiplicity, inviting the viewer to form their own opinions and responses.
de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility is organized by the McNay Art Museum and co-curated by René Paul Barilleaux, Head of Curatorial Affairs, and Lauren Thompson, Curator of Exhibitions, with assistance from Mia Lopez, Curator of Latinx Art.
The brothers recently completed a separate site-specific installation at the McNay, de la Torre Brothers: Latin Exoskeleton. On view through Sept. 15, 2024, the work transformed the AT&T Lobby wall through a combination of tromps l’oeil wallpaper and lenticular images. Their presentations at the McNay are their first exhibitions in San Antonio.
The de la Torre brothers were featured in the Pilchuck Glass School segment in the COMMUNITY episode.
More images and information here.
Wayne Art Center’s 2024 CraftForms Call for Entry
Wayne Art Center is seeking submissions for the 29th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft, in the following mediums: basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art, and wood. Work created utilizing CAD/CAM technologies and 3D printing tools also is eligible.
Selected works will be on display in the Davenport Gallery of Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania from December 7, 2024 through January 25, 2025. This year’s juror Jo Lauria will present $10,000 in prize awards. For more information and to see last year’s artists, visit www.craftforms.org.
Here is the direct link for CaFe.
‘Between the Lines’ opening reception opens today at Craft in America Center
LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Craft in America Center is opening Between the Lines, a two-person exhibition featuring master glass sculptors John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards. These two maverick sculptors have shaped the field of glass through potent artwork and technical prowess. Constantly innovating, they use glass in ways that defy expectations— bending, casting and cutting it into astounding forms that push the material to its limits. Over the decades, both their intimate and monumental works address relationships with nature, spirituality, and family.
Line is the guiding force shaping the form of each work. Line and form relay philosophical signifiers stemming from the artists’ personal experiences and outlooks. Responding to concepts through abstraction, glass becomes a material for echoing dynamics of the natural world.
This exhibition pairs these two luminaries who are also tied by a teacher/student relationship: Edwards was once a student in Luebtow’s high school art classes. Insatiably curious about process, both artists consistently push the boundaries of technical development and have created significant facilities, both of their own and at institutions. In addition to illustrious art careers, the two masters have been instrumental in creating education programs and facilities in glass, and have taught scores of art students; Luebtow at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, and Edwards at Alfred University in New York.
With more than a century of knowledge between them, these objects are a glimpse at how these artists create abstract forms with powerful, transcendent ideas about beauty, conflict, tension, nature and existence.
John Luebtow has become one of the most respected names in contemporary glass sculpture over the past forty years. He developed innovative techniques in glass-making, introducing and incorporating gestural and expressive qualities into impeccably finished sculptural components. He holds a BA from California Lutheran College, and two MFAs from UCLA (one in ceramics and one in glass).
Stephen Edwards built one of the largest hot glass programs in the nation at Alfred University, where he taught for 22 years. Prior to that, an early stepping stone was working as an artist-in-residence at the Penland School of Crafts. Near Penland, he established his first private glass studio in Micaville, North Carolina in 1982. Edwards graduated from Illinois State University with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1980.
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 9, 3:00–5:00pm PST Artist talk: Saturday, April 27, 3:00pm PST
Original article here.
2024 Winter Highlights: Craft in Schools Field Trips & Partners
As we round the corner from winter into spring, our Craft in Schools program would like to reflect on our most recent and multimedia season of teaching artist & student programs. Throughout February, over 200 students across five schools learned about and explored the creative potential of puppetry, piñatas, reclaimed, and assemblage art from our Spirit of Play: Craft and Imagination exhibition.
Inspired by our most recent PBS Craft in America featured Play & Miniatures episodes, we connected and engaged these students ages 9-18 with featured teaching artists Lorena Robletto, Calder Kamin, and local artist Eleanor Tullock from the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre.
![Rosewood Elementary 4th grade classmates, a chaperon, and their teacher ooh and ahh over the many colorful plastic/recycled art sculptures by Calder Kamin](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Rosewood.Group_-1024x768.jpg)
![Smiling group photo of 2 dozen or so enthustiastic Paul Revere M.S. art class with their teacher among the many colorful plastic/found object sculptures of Calder Kamin](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.PaulRevere.Fieldtrip.Group1_-1024x768.jpg)
![Candid group photo of Rosewood elementary schoolers studying Schroeder Cherry's Future Voter artworks](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Rosewood.2-1024x768.jpg)
Our gallery visits investigated the environmental impact and hope within reclaimed/reuse art practices, guided by visiting artist Calder Kamin; we had a blast discussing school recycle programs, building out marker-cap jump ropes (pictured below) and exploring how we envision the future based on collective ecological responsibilities. Our curriculum explored poignant historical art related to Black History Month as seen in Schroeder Cherry’s historical puppetry and hopeful Future Voter Series assemblage art. Working with each of these artists was such a treat– full of personal artist-journey insights and messages of creative empowerment.
![A few Paul Revere M.S. students create assemblage art projects with various found objects, cardboard, and glue guns](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.PaulRevere.Calder1-1024x1365.jpg)
![close up photo of colorful star pinata's with varying shades of blues purples and oranges held in a group by Van Nuys High School student hands reaching from off-camera](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.VanNuys.Fieldtrip.pinata1-1024x768.jpg)
![Candid moment of Fairfax High School art students studying Mark Murphy's displayed miniatures and Loren Robletto's giant window Piñata](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Fairfax1-1024x768.jpg)
![Close up of cork and various found object mini figurines made by Palms M.S. students. Students work on their found object projects in the background](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Fairfax.2-1024x1365.jpg)
![Rosewood students discuss art together, sitting under a giant piñata display](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Rosewood.3-1024x768.jpg)
![Van Nuys high schoolers and Amazing Piñata Studios teacher craft star piñatas together with crepe paper](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7483-1024x1365.jpg)
All of us collaborating educators and crafters were wildly impressed and delighted in our students’ depth of inquiry, creative innovation, and visual thinking. Special thanks to the following schools teacher and chaperone collaborators at: Rosewood Elementary, Paul Revere Middle School, Palms Middle School, Fairfax High School, and Van Nuys High School.
![Joyful picture of artist Calder Kamin (in the hat) and Craft in Schools lead Sam S. playing recycled-crafted jumprope with a 4th grade Rose Elementary student. She's in mid jump while her classmates cheer her on.](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-21-at-2.38.18-PM-1.png)
![Fairfax.Students.and.Teacher.Puppets](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/W2024.Fairfax.6-1-scaled.jpg)
Community Partnerships: Reaching this many students in a whirlwind few weeks wouldn’t have been possible without key community partnerships. Our Craft Center would like to show our biggest thanks to all of our teaching artists and shoutout our wonderful LA-community partnerships with Remainders: Creative Reuse Space & Thriftstore in Pasadena; and Señora Robletto’s Mid-City Amazing Piñatas Creative Studio for donating our assemblage/reclaimed, piñata teaching artists, and piñata workshop materials. Do yourself a favor, explore and connect with these wonderful community shops and studios!
For more information about our Craft in Schools program or teaching artist opportunities, please contact (me) Sam@craftinamerica.org or center@craftinamerica.org
![Lorena Robletto (of Amazing Piñatas in LA) and Francisco Cardenas, PLAY, Craft in America](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Lorena-Robletto-1024x576.jpg)
![store front of Remainders Creative Reuse store and community hub in Pasadena, CA](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/its_here_somewhere.jpg)
![Calder Kamin with her unicorn installation, PLAY, Craft in America](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Calder-Kamin-with-her-unicorn-installation-Denise-Kang-photograph1-edited-1024x576.jpg)
Craft in America Hosts Two Innovative Glass Artists
The Craft in America Center will host “Between the Lines,” a two-person exhibition featuring master glass sculptors John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards from March 9 through May 25.
The two sculptors have shaped the field of glass through their own work and their technological prowess. With a constant desire to create and innovate, they both use glass in ways that defy expectations – bending and cutting to give it shape. They walk the fine line of pushing the material to its limits. Over the decades, they have created work that pertains to their relationships with nature, spirituality and family.
Art begins with the line for both artists. It is the guiding force for shaping the form of each work. Responding to ideas through abstraction, glass is a material for echoing the natural world.
The exhibition pairs the two luminaries, who are also tied by a teacher-student relationship. Edwards was once a student in Luebtow’s high school art classes. Insatiably curious about processes, the artists consistently push the boundaries of technical development and have created significant facilities, both of their own and at institutions. In addition to illustrious art careers, the artists have been instrumental in creating education programs and have taught numerous art students – Luebtow at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles and Edwards at Alfred University in New York.
Original post in the Beverly Press here.
See portraits of Black life, as told by puppets, at new LA exhibit
The new “Spirit of Play: Craft and Imagination” exhibit at Craft in America is running through Saturday, March 2.
When puppets speak, people listen, says artist, educator and puppeteer Schroeder Cherry.
Cherry uses puppet play to teach people about the U.S. African diaspora. Organizers of his new “Spirit of Play: Craft and Imagination” exhibit, featured at the Craft in America nonprofit center in Beverly Grove, say that Cherry uses the “disarming quality” of play to both educate and engage viewers. His “family of idiosyncratic characters” tackles topics like the history of slavery, and contemporary life in America as a Black person.
The new Los Angeles exhibit — now running through Saturday, March 2 — showcases realistic-looking puppets and assemblage to educate both children and adults about Black culture and history in the U.S.
Read the full article in the Los Angeles Daily news here.
![Craft in America, Spirit of Play installation](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0608-edit-1024x768.jpg)
2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows
Congratulations to the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows, especially Navajo/Dine quilter Susan Hudson, featured in the QUILTS episode.
arts.gov/honors/heritage/list?title=&field_year_value=2024
Getty Marrow Digital Communications Paid Internship 2024
Craft in America is pleased to announce that we have received a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship grant for this summer and we are offering a Digital Communications internship.
The Craft in America Digital Communications intern will provide support and assist in various aspects of organizational digital media content and management. Projects include cataloging and captioning our digital video library, research for the Craft Video Dictionary, cataloging our Craft in America Center library, researching and writing artist biographies for the website, and creating promotional materials.
Over the summer, the intern will participate in outreach with artists, outside organizations, collectors, local businesses, student groups, and art schools. In addition, the intern will be involved in researching and writing web and social media content to support the organization’s programming, website, and PBS documentary series. The intern will be trained to use our website and Constant Contact and will have structured time to familiarize with Craft in America’s resources, artist database, and style guide. Familiarity and knowledge of Adobe Suite, Google Suite is a plus.
This paid internship is on-site at the Craft in America Center two days a week and remote for three days a week for a total of 40 hours a week. Intern must be available for 10 continuous weeks between June 3-Aug 23, 2024.
To Apply
Submit résumé, two letters of recommendation or contact information (phone/email) for two references (teacher, professor, former employer, etc.), and a description of how you meet the requirements for the position. Email all submissions to apply@craftinamerica.org with the subject heading “Internship.” Applications due April 15, 2024.
Eligibility
Students must:
- Be a member of a group underrepresented in careers related to art conservation, museums, and/or visual arts organizations, which can include groups defined by – among other things – socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, geographical origin and/or any life experiences that add diverse and underrepresented perspectives.
- Be currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate in either a bachelor’s degree program or an associate’s degree program. Students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college by June 2024. Students who graduated the semester or quarter immediately before the internship begins are also eligible. (Students who are enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible.)
- Attend college in or be a permanent resident of LA County; and
- Be a United States citizen or permanent resident (non-citizen authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis; also known as a “green card” holder). Students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) status valid through the internship period are also eligible.
About Craft in America
Craft in America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 2004 with the mission to promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media. The Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated Craft in America documentary series first aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and has produced 31 hour-long episodes to date. These programs are filled with artists, techniques, and stories from diverse cultures, blending history with living practice.
In addition to the series, Craft in America’s organizational efforts include extensive websites (pbs.org/craftinamerica and craftinamerica.org), a YouTube channel (youtube.com/craftinamerica), multi-disciplinary educator guides that adhere to national standards, and the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. All of Craft in America’s multimedia educational content is provided to the public at no charge.
Smithsonian Craft Show May 1-5, 2024
THE SHOW
National Building Museum
May 2-4, 10:30 am-5:30 pm
May 5, 11 am-5:00 pm
TICKETS
Daily general admission: $20
Groups (10 or more) & students: $15
Preview Night Party: $250
Early Entry & Visionary Reception, Preview Night Party: $500
For tickets and more information, visit smithsoniancraftshow.org
PREVIEW NIGHT, May 1
From 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
First Look and Visionary Reception
Meet Smithsonian Visionary and SWC Delphi Award winners as you enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
From 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Preview Night Party
Meet the artists. See and shop their work. Enjoy joyful cuisine from around the world.
EVENTS
May 2, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Panel Discussion: Trio in Glass
Moderated by Stephanie Stebich, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this talk will feature Visionary and Delphi award winners Dan Dailey, Judith Schaechter and Norwood Viviano. Registration required.
May 4, 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Saving Culture and Art in Crisis
Light Lunch and Presentation by Dr. Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian’s Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-large and founder of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, discusses their vital efforts to preserve cultural heritage under threat in our country and around the world. Cost: $50 includes Admission to the Show.
Project Threadways Symposium
The annual Project Threadways Symposium brings together scholars, activists, makers, and thinkers to present research, share stories, and encourage dialogue about history, community, and power—all through the lens of fashion and textiles. Presentations, dinners, exhibitions, and workshops create a multi-day experience in Florence, Alabama, centered on material culture and making.
In 2024, the theme is The Future. On April 19-20, 2024, participants will gather at The Factory and virtually to imagine a better way for textile manufacturing. Presenters will consider the balance between art and business, connect heritage and healing, preserve craft and community, and look to the past to chart a more sustainable future. Presenters include:
Carla Fernández, fashion designer
Cassidy Zachary and April Calahan, Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast
Kim Kelly and Joeann Pettway West, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy
Rebecca Burgess, Fibershed
Sherhonda Allen, Project Threadways oral historian
…and more to be announced.
Natalie Chanin of Project Threadways will also hold a Zero Waste workshop for in-person attendees.
This event offers in-person and virtual experiences. There will also be a special dinner event, with a guest chef and more details to be announced soon. If you would like to be added to the waiting list for dinner tickets, please contact think@projectthreadways.org.
More information and registration here.