Brent Skidmore (b 1965), Low Slung Boulder Table, 2005, ash, basswood, acrylic paint, glass, photo courtesy of the artist.
:Showcasing the work of six young North Carolina studio craft artists, "Possibilities: Rising Stars of Contemporary Craft in North Carolina" illustrates the vitality and diversity present among a new generation of artists, and is on view through November 30 at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design.
The exhibition features works by Vivian Beer (metal), Devin Burgess (glass), Cristina Cordóva (ceramics), Anne Lemanski (paper), Brent Skidmore (furniture) and Jerilyn Virden (ceramics), all of whom are creating distinctive work that is quickly gaining national attention.
Selected for the quality of their work, the exhibition's artists visually and conceptually represent the dynamic future of craft in the region. "If you choose a work from a rising star, you make an investment in the future — yours and theirs," says Rob Williams, consulting curator of Craft + Design. The works featured here explore sculptural forms, high design, humor, politics and the confrontation of cultures.
Anne Lemanski (b 1969), "Rattus Mannus,” 2008, copper rod, mirror sheeting and artificial sinew. Collection of Phil McMillian and Cathy Schzoeder.
"Possibilities" includes evocative ceramic works from artists Cordóva and Virden. Cordóva creates work that captures both personal and universal confrontations of cultures experienced by Latin American immigrants, while Virden's sandblasted clay forms bridge the gap between the vessel and modernist sculpture.
Beer's sculptural metal forms that function as seating complement Skidmore's functional furniture with "Stone Age" influences. Contributing paper pieces to the exhibition, Lemanski's three-dimensional constructions of animal forms feature politically charged images on hand painted and appropriated paper fragments. Finally, Burgess presents groupings of blown glass that showcase the sophistication of high design.
The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is at 220 North Tryon Street. For more information,
www.mintmuseum.org
or 704-337-2000.
