MATERIALS: HARD + SOFT INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY CRAFT EXHIBITION
CURATOR: Tanya Aguiñiga
MAY 27 - AUGUST 27, 2022

Recognized as one of the premier craft exhibitions in the country, Materials: Hard + Soft International Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition, began in 1987 and was originally initiated by area artist Georgia Leach Gough. Now in its 35th year, the exhibition shows the top national and international artists as we celebrate the evolving field of contemporary craft and the remarkable creativity and innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media.

This year’s call for artists drew over 1,100 submissions from 15 countries around the world and 43 states. Juror Tanya Aguiñiga selected 85 works for exhibition at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center including works from 25 states and 4 countries including Canada, Finland, Mexico, and the United Kingdom in varying media including metal, glass, wood, plastic, ceramic, fiber, and mixed media.

This exhibition is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Denton. The 35th annual Materials will be on view May 27 - August 27 at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center. Art will be on display in both the Meadows and Gough Gallery.

STORIES FROM NATURE
Curator: Catherine Ellis
MAY 1 - JULY 31, 2021

Catharine Ellis has been making textiles for over 40 years. Her work most often combines both weaving and dyeing. She taught the Professional Crafts Fiber Program at Haywood Community College for 30 years. For the last dozen years, her focus has been primarily on natural dyeing as she continues to research and develop new applications for the use of natural colorants in her own textiles and for her teaching. Catharine is the author of Woven Shibori, (Interweave Press, 2005, 2015) and The Art and Science of Natural Dyes (Schiffer Press, 2019) with co-author Joy Boutrup. Her work has been exhibited in venues worldwide and she teaches internationally. Catharine’s current “Garden Series” combines plant dyes harvested from her garden with her weaving.

Take a virtual tour of the show.

July 10 - August 29, 2020

Virtual Exhibition
UNCOMMON THREADS
Curator: Jeremy Noonan

Uncommon Threads is a juried exhibition of contemporary fiber arts, showcasing a wide range of styles and subject matter. Visit the gallery to view the work. Regular gallery hours are noon-5 pm, Wednesday-Sunday.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Cathryn Amidei, Jill Ault, Deborah Baker, Patricia Beard, Sarah Bearup-Neal, Marjie Benson, Boisali Biswas, Deborah Brown-Cage, Feather Chiavarini, Sam Dienst, Sherry Erskine, Raquel Esquives, Took Gallagher, Janet Hamrick, Lisa Hermesmeyer, Dorothy Jett-Carter, Kaylie Kaitschuck, Anna Kocherovsky, Hiroko Lancour, Stephany Latham, Kirsten Lund, Heather Macali, C. Pazia Mannella, Elise Martin, Nancy McRay, Mindy Mitchell, Ardele Monkkonen, Meredith Morrison, Jan Moskowitz, Jerome Patryjak, Kayla Powers, Monica Prince, Amelia Rennell, Dolores Slowinski, Rebecca Smith, Ruth Warnock, Carol Williams

CURATOR
Jeremy Noonan is Associate Professor/Head of Fiber and Textiles at the College of Creative Studies. MFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art, BFA, CCS. He is an artist and textile designer with creative interests that serves to straddle both disciplines. He is inspired by the philosophies rooted in Arts and Crafts, Modernism, and Folk Art. Noonan started his textile design career in 2000 and has held creative design positions at leading manufacturing and retail companies. In 2008 he started Noonan Studio, LLC. an incubator to explore pattern, color, and materials for a variety of surface applications. Client projects include commercial upholstery, architectural glass, area rugs, and home fashion. His art and design works can be found in both print and web publications: Hospitality Design, Interior Design, Metropolis, Glass Magazine, Surface Design Journal, Hyperallergic.

For a review of the exhibition, please visit: Pulling "Threads" at Detroit's Scarab Club via The Detroit News.

Thirty-four contemporary artists from across the United States participate in this exhibition. Whether sculptural, site-specific, or experimental, exhibited artworks are rooted in the structure, processes, and history in the constantly-evolving field of fibers.

Curated by María-Elisa Heg, curatorial fellow at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Mark Newport, fibers artist and Head of Fiber at Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Exhibiting Artists:
Andrea Alonge, Sylvie Alusitz, Théo Bignon, Ashley Blalock, Sarah Blanchette, Peter Clouse, Rebecca Davison, Evin Dubois, Tatiana Garmendia, Estephania Gonzalez, Lizz Hamilton, Gonzalo Hernandez, Margaret Hull, Saskia Jorda, Amy Keefer, DongKyu Kim, Kira Keck, Lena Klett, Molly Koehn, Jonathan Korotko, Erin LaRocque, Stephany Latham, Melissa Leandro, Margaret Leininger, Holliday Martindale, Kristen Miologos, Ann Morton, Andrea Petrini, Emily Schmidt, Kurt Treeby, Joy Ude, Clare Verstegen, Sarah Wertzberger and Chantal Zakari.

Community Reception: Thursday, September 12, 6 - 9 p.m.

Image: RedLine/Redwork by artist Kira Keck, cotton embroidery floss on aida cloth, 14.25” x 14.25,” photographed by Dan Meyers.

May, 23, 2018

The Scene @ Detroit Metro Times
Latest Scarab Club exhibit is a deep dive into interpretation
by Jerilyn Jordan
Under pressure. Under the weather. Underneath. The word “under” is defined as “extending or directly below” yet it evokes something personal within each of us.

The Scarab Club hosts [Under], a multimedia, juried exhibition that explores the many interpretations of the word through the eyes and hands of over 25 artists. Among some of the talent are Judi Bommarito, Myles Gallagher, Stephany Latham, and Kimo Williams. A Kresge Fellowship recipient, juror Jeanne Bieri has curated a collection that dives deep beneath the surface of perception.

[UNDER] opening reception will start at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25 at the Scarab Club; 217 Farnsworth St., Detroit; 313-831-1250; scarabclub.org; Reception is free and open to the public.

This year Ford is hosting a winter festival in front of the Michigan Central Station. "Together with the local community, we’re going to give a 3D light show on the building, a night market with music, food and activities for all ages and a first-of-its-kind exhibition showcasing emerging artists in Detroit. The event is running from January 18 -27 on Lacombe Drive in front of the Michigan Central Station."

Dates: Friday January 18th - Sunday January 27th

Time: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 20th, 5:30-10:00 PM, Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-9:00 PM

Location: Michigan Central Station, 2001 15th ST., Detroit, MI 48216

The Gold Medal Exhibition
Curated by Dominique Chastenet de Géry

Member Exhibition: November 21, 2018 - January 5, 2019
Closing Reception: January 4th, 2019
Where: The Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

The Gold Medal Exhibition is the annual unthemed, all-media show highlighting the talent of SC member artists. Each year the Gold Medal is awarded to the SC member artist whose work is selected as Best of Show by the juror.

Juror: Dominique Chastenet de Géry
Dominique Chastenet de Géry received an MFA from Wayne State University in 2016. In 2017, Dominique moved to Ann Arbor, where she set up a studio. She shows regularly throughout the Detroit area and in California, where her family settled in the late 1950’s. In the early 1970’s Dominique spent some time in Mexico before returning to study painting and classics at UC Santa Cruz. She moved to Chicago in the late 1970’s where she enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago, before ultimately moving to Detroit to raise a family. Throughout her career as an artist, Dominique experimented with a wide variety of mediums and bodies of work, including ceramics and textiles, as well as paper maché and encaustic. Now a full-time artist, she is devoting her practice exclusively to landscape oil painting. Recent shows include: “From Bird’s Eye to Fish Eye” at the Common Cup, Ann Arbor; “Water Sacred” at the Scarab Club; “Terrain” at the Detroit Artist Market; and a two person show at LA Artcore, Los Angeles, CA.

[UNDER]
Curated by Jeanne Bieri

Exhibition: May 23 - July 7, 2018
Reception: Friday May 25, 5-8 pm
Gallery Talk: Thursday, June 14, 6 pm
Where: The Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

Join us for the reception for the two new Scarab Club exhibitions on Friday, May 25th from 5-8 pm. [UNDER] is an all-media, juried exhibition where artists were encouraged to interpret and expand on the wide range of meanings and possibilities associated with the word "under".

The purpose of the exhibition is to recognize the diversity and achievement of artist whose work shows creativity of concept, excellence of design and expertise of media, to display these works to regionals audiences and to be an educational opportunity for students.

Juror: Jeanne Bieri
Jeanne grew up on a farm in Hastings, Michigan, taught in a two-room school house in Hopkins, Michigan, got married and moved to Detroit in 1972. In the 1980's she discovered art-making, began to translate the visual world into her own terms, and earned an MFA from Wayne State University. Jeanne uses sewing as a way to move ideas and images, a type of visual problem solving that keeps the artistic process flexible. She is a 2017 Kresge Fellow.

Above Artwork: Peacefully Drowning, Jessica Ashburn.

Women Strong
Invitation Only Group Exhibition

When: January 26 - March 30, 2018
Reception: February 2, 5 - 8 PM
Artist Talk: March 2, 1 - 2:30 PM
Where: Ellen Kayrod Gallery, Detroit, MI

"The Women Strong exhibition amplifies the voices of women from varying backgrounds and experiences and demonstrates the power and influence of women speaking through their art."

Whitdel Arts - House Warming
Group Exhibition

When: January 12 - February 3rd, 2018
Reception: January 12th, 7:00 -10:00 pm
Where: Whitdel Arts, Detroit, Michigan

"We’ve found a new home and we want you to celebrate with us! Whitdel Arts is relocating from our old space in Southwest Detroit, into our new home on 1111 Bellevue! You’re invited to the opening reception for our first group show at our new location to thank our members for their continued support through our transition. Please join us for the reception on Friday, January 12th - come see the show and check out the new digs!"

2017 Gold Medal Exhibition
Juried by Dennis Nawrocki

When: November 15, 2017 - January 6, 2018
Where: The Scarab Club, Detroit, MI

Reception: Friday, November 17, 5-8 pm
Gallery Talk: Thursday, November 30, 6 pm

The Gold Medal Exhibition is the annual unthemed, all-media show highlighting the talent of SC member artists. Each year the Gold Medal is awarded to the SC member artist whose work is selected as Best of Show by the juror.

Wax Stories
Juried by Patricia Aaron and Victoria Eubanks

When: November 3, 2017 - January 6th, 2018
Where: Niza Knoll Gallery, Boulder, Colorado

We are excited to present the second juried show of art works that incorporate the encaustic medium. Encaustic is an artistic process using pigments mixed with hot wax and fused with heat. The Wax Stories 2 exhibit features pieces from artists around the country who submitted works to a call for entries, juried by local artist Patricia Aaron and curated by Victoria Eubanks. Each piece is accompanied by an artist-composed story behind their creation.

Wax Poetic
Juried by Susan Irish

When: October 6 - December 6, 2017
Where: Fabulon Gallery, Charleston, South Carolina

Contemporary Encaustic, 2017
Juried by Lauren Lipinski Eisen

When: July 6 - August 2, 2017
Where: Royal Contemporary Gallery, Florence, Colorado

Fifteen contemporary artists were selected for this national juried exhibition based on their innovative approaches to traditional encaustic materials. You will see an exciting array of techniques, methods, and exploration into unexpected relationships between encaustic and a surprising variety of other media.

Summer Open Mixed Media Exhibition
Group Exhibition

When: June 23 - August 18, 2017
Where: Ellen Kayrod Gallery, Detroit, Michigan

Natural Dye Showcase
Juried by Yoshiko I. Wada

When: August 3 – September 5, 2015
Where: Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California

The Natural Dye Showcase is a national, juried exhibition highlighting excellence in contemporary use of natural dyes. The distinguished juror Yoshiko I. Wada chose 47 works by 35 fiber artists for their merit as works of art and for the artists’ skillful knowledge of the chemistry of natural dyes. The Main Gallery will be devoted to this exhibition, with an opening reception on Second Saturday, August 8, 2015 from 5 pm to 8 pm, preceded by a gallery talk by Yoshiko I. Wada at 4 pm.

All the works selected use fibers treated with natural dyes – indigo is used in many pieces, along with two dozen other dyes derived from plant, mineral, and insect sources. The works have been realized with a range of fiber techniques, such as tapestry and other weaving methods, shibori, sashiko, basketry, and embroidery. The finished pieces include wearable art as well as wall hangings, sculptural pieces, and book art. There are 18 California artists represented, along with fiber artists from 13 other states, from New York to Florida to Hawaii.