movements like Dada and mediums like photography that were initially rejected by the art world at large only to become integral and celebrated parts of it now. And this show certainly helps ask those kinds of questions. Take Jean Ann Fausser’s Let Me Entertain You and read just the description of the medium – the spout is a high heel from a shoe, the handle is an ankle strap, and intricately knotted red thread contrasts a hand against a black background. It’s a teapot with sass and turns a traditionally functional and overtly feminine kitchen object into a come-hither piece more suited to a pedestal. Fausser is also one of the founding members of the Brady Craft Alliance, and she describes her enjoyment in viewing and creating craft as “seeing the hand of the artist in the work is something I never tire of in my own collection and I hope that’s the response people have to my work.” She’s right - the show is overwhelmingly tactile. The first impulse of many viewers is often to reach out, feel the fibers and stitching and the glaze in a way that most painting exhibits don’t. Bob Hawks’ Smoke Signal is an exquisite turned-wood piece that’s mirror surface all but begs to be caressed. The show puts an emphasis on materials and construction, but artists in all genres have been using what’s around them for hundreds of years. That’s exactly what craft artists of all kinds are doing in studios and living rooms across the country: making a conscious effort to use old techniques in fashioning novel compositions. Fine craft answers the question of how to pay homage to the past while coexisting with modernity and its delight with everything retro. Craft connects the era of fifty years ago with the self-sufficient, out-there chic that pervades contemporary culture in everything from art to fashion to bands. Oklahoma artists are right in the thick of it. In the words of curator Jeannine Falino,“the strengths of this year’s VisionMakers in textiles, woodturning, and basket making demonstrate that the participants in this exhibition draw upon a deep well of regional practice.” Craft has always been something appreciated in situ – a quilt on the bed, a beautiful piece of needlework on the kitchen wall – and it’s obvious that these artists have turned everything on end to help us see materials and techniques for the pieces of art that they really are. It makes the prestamped ceramic bowls sitting in your dish drawer seem nothing if not banal and manufactured. You’ll never look at your teapot, your favorite sweater, or a quilted blanket the same way again. VisionMakers will be on exhibition at Living Arts, 307 E. Brady in Tulsa, from September 3rd through September 30th, 2010. An artist’s critique with curator Jeannine Falino will be held September 11th from 4-6 pm followed by the opening reception from 6-9 pm. Visit www.bradycraftalliance.org for more information. n Elizabeth Downing is not an art critic, but a photographer of the urban landscape and a technical writer who lives in Tulsa. She can be reached at beth@bethdowning.com.
(top) Jean Ann Fausser, Tulsa, Let Me Entertain You, Knotted thread, Spout: Shoe high heel, Handle: Shoe ankle strap (bottom) Bob Hawks, Tulsa, Smoke Signal, Turned wood
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