Image credit: Amy Usdin
33rd annual Materials: Hard + Soft International Contemporary Craft Competition & Exhibition
Meadows Gallery, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center
February 7 - May 9, 2020
Recognized as one of the premier craft exhibitions in the country, Materials: Hard + Soft began in 1987 and was originally initiated by area artist Georgia Leach Gough. Now in its 33rd year, the exhibition opens to international artists as we celebrate the evolving field of contemporary craft and the remarkable creativity and innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media.
This year’s call for artists drew over 1,032 submissions from 16 countries around the world and 42 states. Juror Beth McLaughlin selected 72 works for exhibition at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center including works from 26 states and 3 countries including Honk Kong, Canada, and the United States in varying media including metal, wood, plastic, ceramic, fiber, and mixed media.
This exhibition is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Denton.
2020 juror | BETH C. MCLAUGHLIN, FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM
Beth C. McLaughlin is Chief Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. Ms. McLaughlin has held leadership and curatorial roles in the arts and museum fields for over 25 years at institutions across the U.S., including Fuller Craft Museum, Oakland Museum of California, and DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. She has curated over 45 exhibitions and has served as a juror/adjudicator for a number of cultural organizations, including American Craft Council, Fiber Art Now Excellence in Fibers, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Providence Holiday Art Sale, and the City of Worcester. Ms. McLaughlin has been published in several books and periodicals, such as Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussyhats, Fiber Art Now, the Decorative Arts Society Newsletter, and American Craft Magazine. Ms. McLaughlin is passionate about expanding awareness of the craft field, promoting the makers, and exploring the transformative powers of handmade objects.
Kim McCollum, Woven Study 2, Cotton and acrylic, 2018, 10” x 10”