Handwork 2026: Shaped in the Northwest
NWDC presents contemporary craft today created by members of NWDC. All members are welcome to submit work to be selected by two jurors from the Richland, WA area. It is an opportunity to celebrate excellence in craft and design, and to showcase current trends in hand craft. It promises to be a important exhibition marking today’s trends and tomorrow’s expectations.
Juror’s Statement | Vicki and Ron Gerton
It has been both an honor and a joy to be able to jury these works of art. As we went through the images, it became apparent of both the breadth and the artistic skill levels of the members of the Northwest Designer Crafts Artists. We were very happy when we learned that we got to display one entry of every artist who had submitted images. It would have been difficult to eliminate any of the artists. It was difficult to select only one piece for each artist.
By having several images from each artist, I was able to see the different explorations on a theme the artists were pursuing, playing around with different presentations. With every different artistic medium there are different rules for excellence, and it was apparent that all these artists were seeking the often-elusive perfection within their choice of mediums. -- Vicki
As an engineer with no formal art education, I look at technical skills and what creates a visual response. If art creates a response, positive or negative, then it has done its job. A banana taped to the wall or a photo-realistic painting are examples. My personal tastes are also a factor. I have learned that there are some definition issues about “art” that I don't care about, i.e... "Art vs Craft". If ten different jurors were looking at the items, ten different results are likely, with a few pieces being agreed on by all. The overall judgement, I suspect, would be the same, no matter what is selected. --Ron
This work by the Northwest Designer Craft Artists will be a great show. It will be a treat for those of us living in Eastern Washington to see this excellent work that we would otherwise have to travel many miles to view. We are excited to share this art with our community.
March 31, 2026 to May 1, 2026
In Person at:
Gallery at the Park
89 Lee Blvd
Richland, WA 99352-4222
About the Jurors
Ron Gerton
Ron Gerton is a retired mechanical engineer with 31 years’ experience in the nuclear field. He is a self-taught artist and has made most of his equipment, including a bronze casting foundry. He combines bronze castings of distorted sagebrush plants with his beautiful wood turnings to create fantastic sculptures. The bonsai plant, skillfully trained to defy nature and gravity, heavily influences his work. He is also an accomplished jewelry artist and taught jewelry casting at Columbia Basin College for 13 years.
He has been the featured artist for a month-long shows at several galleries in the Pacific Northwest. He has pieces in the permanent collection of the Detroit Museum of Art, the New York Museum of Art and Design, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Addison Museum of Art in Boston, The Minneapolis Museum of Fine Art, the Mobile Museum of Fine Art, the Fuller Craft Museum of Brockton, MA., The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, and the University of Michigan Art Museum., His work can also be found in many fine private collections.
Vicki Piper Gerton
As a child, Vicki Piper Gerton learned to love textiles and color when she and her mother were constantly working on sewing projects. Her college training as a microbiologist and medical technologist enhanced her visual skills and trained her in chemistry, which would come in handy later when she learned to dye fibers. In the early 1980’s she joined the local fiber arts guild, Desert Fiber Arts, where she learned the ins-and-outs of fiber arts from weaving, spinning, dyeing, basketry, felting, silk painting, surface design, and bookarts from local artists, some of whom would become well known on the national fiber arts scene. As a lifelong learner, she continued to take more art classes both locally and nationwide and obtained her Master of Teaching degree from Washington State University. She taught fiber arts classes as an adjunct instructor for eleven years at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, WA. Her work, including wearable arts, bookarts, basketry and wall pieces, live in the homes of many people, both local and nationwide. She has won many awards for her work in shows in the Pacific Northwest.
Photos Courtesy of Bob Allen and Gallery at the Park.