Fiber Study Group Tour on Thursday, March 12, 2015
The Fiber Study Group of CHH and some of the general membership as well, joined Victoria LightmanLooking At Art Tours on Thursday, March 12. Seventeen of us met at 10AM at the Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 Caroline Street, for a walk through installation experience by local artist Tara Conley, of her exhibit, “My Life As A Doll”.
After seeing a brief film, Tara led us through several rooms of her unique view of the world of phrases and multiple meanings and her meditation of the status of women. She installed many of the 15 thousand phrases she has collected in several media from painting them on the walls to showing them in neon lights. Tara brought color and dimension to the exhibit with soft sculptures and sound poems.
Our next stop was at Jed Foronda‘s studio on Fannin. Jed is a young Houston artist who left his painting background to pursue a unique form of sculpture. He literally carves paper into tantalizing layers of color and texture that resemble topographical surfaces. He will start with a magazine and a single cut and slowly expand it until multiple movements emerge. His work on all white paper creates a three dimensional surface of endless rhythm and repetition. Jed had just completed his exhibition at the Lawndale Art Center.
The artist caravan moved on to the Memorial Area home of Anna Mavromatis, who also works in paper. Anna folds and prints her original art onto many types of paper including coffee filters. She uses all the book arts in her work, from combing paint to marbling to digital printing. Her work was lively and inspiring as was she. We all enjoyed the many collections in her home and were inspired by her work.
To close our art filled day, we followed Victoria to her 3 story tin house in the Heights and enjoyed a delicious lunch with her and her art. She and her husband collect a lot of Houston artist’s work and it looks great in their very contemporary home and gardens. She was not just the intrepid leader on a very watery day. She had a lot of happy fellow travelers.
The photographs by Nasreen Saeedi will give you the flavor of the day. Thank you Nasreen, thank you Victoria and thank you artists for your participation. It would not have happened without you.
Ivy Jensen