HCCC has collaborated with local and national organizations, guilds and curators to frame an arts organization that is both accessible to general audiences, unwavering in its quality, and dedicated to contemporary craft at the highest level. In order to most fully educate the public about contemporary craft and support artists at all stages of their development, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft utilizes a three-part artistic approach involving exhibitions, artist studios and a retail gallery, with education interwoven into all three aspects.

HCCC’s artist in residence program is a unique way of presenting the best local and national artists to the public in an open, educational setting. HCCC’s new facilities provide rent-free studio space for five resident artists, whose work is supported in part through stipends provided by the Center. Weavers, potters, metalsmiths, woodturners, glassblowers and other artisans work in accessible, sunlit studios that are open to the public, providing visitors with opportunities to observe art in progress – and to interact with the artists themselves in an extremely meaningful way. The artists and the public become part of a dynamic creative process, watching imagination come to life – on the loom, at the lathe and on the anvil. For the artists, this innovative studio program also provides professional advancement and opportunities for collaboration between artists at all stages of their careers.

One of the primary goals of Houston Center of Contemporary Craft is to honor and value the hand of the maker and the eye of the beholder. The opportunity to both interact with artists in residence and view exhibitions of the highest caliber is a most welcome surprise for our audience, numbering nearly 13,000 to date, first graders to senior citizens, from neighborhoods across the region. On particularly busy days, there is an almost palpable sense of delight and ownership between the visitors and the art.

The Asher Gallery, the retail space of HCCC, offers an opportunity to touch and handle objects by many of the artists in our exhibitions, thereby gaining further understanding of the art. The Asher Gallery represents the most practical of our artistic objectives – to enable artists to make a living by making and selling art. All work is one of a kind, carried on a commission basis, and any proceeds are used to support the free programming at the Center. Background information on the artist is available free of charge.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is a not-for-profit organization that opened its doors in Houston’s thriving Museum District in September 2001 with a mission to advance education about the process, product and history of craft. One of the most innovative organizations in the country dedicated solely to craft, the Center provides a showcase for contemporary craft – and, just as importantly, supports and nurtures the artists who create exciting and original works in materials not sufficiently acknowledged and valued in Houston’s art community.