hand + spirit + art
Arizona Designer Craftsmen - Members’ Juried Exhibition
March 8 - May 20, 2007

by Vicki Donkersley

Art quilts, weavings and petit point needlework, glazed and raku-fired clay, works in wood, hand-forged steel manipulated into elegant forms and jewelry set with unique stones—these are a sampling of the fine craft works presented in our exhibit featuring artist/members of the Arizona Designer Craftsmen.  Founded over 45 years ago, ADC is a statewide organization that advances fine contemporary crafts and provides peer support for Arizona artists. 

Hand + spirit + art is the fifth collaborative exhibition hosted by Tohono Chul Park and the Arizona Designer Craftsmen, showcasing some of the state’s finest artists who create innovative and provocative works by hand. In organizing the juried exhibit, ADC artists were permitted to submit up to four examples of their work for review.  A total of 194 pieces by 56 artists were viewed by Tohono Chul’s curators, Vicki Donkersley and Peggy Hazard, who were faced with the daunting task of choosing a fraction of the entries for display.  After much deliberation, 56 pieces by 40 artists were selected based on excellence, creativity and craftsmanship. 

It is always a joy to present work of artist/members of the Arizona Designer Craftsmen in our galleries.  It is amazing to see how different artists use the same medium, yet have such distinctive approaches.  They each explore the properties of their media – the earthiness of clay, the beckoning “touch me” quality of fiber, the rich texture and grain of woods, the shimmer of precious metals.  They scour shops for vintage beads or hunt for fabrics from around the world; they experiment with glazing techniques or conquer hard metals by heating and hand-forging them into evocative forms.  They “paint” on fiber with stitching, create intricate beadwork tapestries on a loom, turn wood on a lathe to form bowls of simple grace, and show us again and again the vibrancy of their artistic visions.

While some works are a montage of geometry and expressive color, other pieces express the artists’ perspectives on the world around them – their homes, careers, health and family, travel and culture.  These works dazzle us, make us stop and think and, sometimes, make us smile.  Enjoy the creative talents of the Arizona Designer Craftsmen and be sure to cast your ballot for the People’s Choice Award!

Click here to print prospectus