NWDC and Gallery Mack invite you to an exhibition in downtown Seattle’s Pike Market District on the theme of “Vessels.”
Vessels Speak Volumes
November 21, 2023 to January 13, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, December 8, 2023
Juried by: Tim Detweiler & Michelle Bufano
Human makers have made vessels since they first discovered that wet clay would hold a shape and that grasses could be interlocked to turn single strips to solid cloth. In Gallery Mack’s exhibition "Vessels Speak Volumes'' artist/members of Northwest Designer Craftartists take the functional form of vessel to tell tales, not just of the limits and abstract expressive potential of materials whether clay, fiber, metals, glass or wood but also to narrate personal and cultural stories of our time. Technique and craftsmanship are important concerns in this exhibition. Endless hours of weaving, polishing, hammering, pulping, scraping, wedging, and sanding allow and interplay of surfaces and depths, of luminous light and shadowy chiaroscuro. Some vessels allude to cherished myths of family and friends, others hint at large scale almost-too-painful personal and historical events. Each pot, bag, vase, round or low form invites your eyes to travel around the vessels and to look inside for what might be hidden.
Artists include: Nanz Aalund, Karen Abel, Lanny Bergner, Jon Kevin Blackburn, Danielle Bodine, Charissa Brock, David Chambers, Ginny Conrow, Gina Freuen, Zia Gipson, Noble Golden, P. Jill Green, Larry Halvorsen, Lois Harbaugh, Steve Jensen, Sharon Kita, Katherine Lewis, Nancy Loorem Adams, Julia Lowther, Anna Macrae, Dorothy McGuinness, Brian O'Neill, Barbara Osborne, Reid Ozaki, Inge Roberts, Terri Shinn, Kapka Stoyanova, Joan Stuart Ross, Jean-Marie Tarascio, John Taylor, Mary Tyler, Barbara J. Walker, Maria Wickwire, Bella Yongok Kim, and JudyZugish.
“Vessels Speak Volumes” is a collaborative venture between Seattle’s long-time Pike Market gallery, Gallery Mack and the nearly 70 year old artists organization Northwest Designer Craftartists.
Northwest Designer Craftartists (NWDC) was founded in 1954 to promote excellence of design and craftsmanship and to stimulate public appreciation and interest in fine craft. Artists in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, who work professionally in clay, wood, glass, metal, fiber, and/or mixed media, are members.
From the beginning, NWDC accepted only new members who had the highest professional craftsmanship and standards. Whether working in metal, wood, clay or textiles, NWDC members held a common respect for materials and process. Today, membership has grown to over 180 individuals working in a variety of craft mediums from weaving, quilting and basketry to an array of jewelry and metal arts, as well as mixed media artists who create using a variety of techniques and materials, blurring the lines between fine art and craft. Whether functional or not, there is quality work that exemplifies the continuity of craft tradition wedded to contemporary expression.