Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

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Houston Center for Contemporary Craft FREE ADMISSION & ONSITE PARKING.

Our mission is to inspire and connect people to the art and process of making through exhibitions, hands-on programming, resident artist studios and one-of-a-kind shopping. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) showcases emerging and acclaimed artists in exhibitions, introduces visitors of all ages to contemporary craft through hands-on and virtual programming, and supports the development of working artists through its artist residency program.

Heads up, craft community! 👋🏽 HCCC will be closed on Friday, October 23rd for a private event. We will reopen on Saturda...
10/19/2026

Heads up, craft community! 👋🏽 HCCC will be closed on Friday, October 23rd for a private event. We will reopen on Saturday, October 24th for our regular hours.

Case Study Spotlight: Zak FosterOn view now in HCCC’s Main Gallery, Zak Foster’s “SILVER DOLLAR” (2024) draws on the for...
10/16/2026

Case Study Spotlight: Zak Foster

On view now in HCCC’s Main Gallery, Zak Foster’s “SILVER DOLLAR” (2024) draws on the form of the fan quilt, a traditional patchwork pattern in which wedge-shaped pieces of fabric radiate outward like the ribs of a handheld fan. The style first emerged amid a growing fascination with Japanese art and design following the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and regained popularity during the Great Depression, when quilters made work with readily available materials such as feed sacks and fabric scraps.

Here, Zak adapts the fan’s branching geometry into a genealogical diagram that traces relationships between wealth, race, and educational opportunity across generations. Radiating fields of pink and blue map Zak’s own family history: the pink cloth identifies Foster’s slaveholding matrilineal ancestors, while lighter blue sections indicate family members who received higher education.

This visual mapping reveals a clear correlation between slaveholding and access to higher education, tracing how wealth, opportunity, and social status generated through slavery were transmitted across generations. The composition also exposes stark disparities within Zak’s lineage: while members of his maternal family accumulated wealth through slaveholding, his paternal ancestors lived as subsistence farmers and did not gain access to higher education until many generations later.

Part of Foster’s “Southern White Amnesia” (2021–ongoing) series, proceeds from sold works support a scholarship for descendants of formerly enslaved people, extending Zak’s personal reckoning into a material form of reparative action. His quilt positions the silver dollar not simply as currency, but as an object through which wealth, privilege, and their histories pass from one generation to the next.

📸
1-2. Photos by Graham W. Bell.
6. Anne Chatterton, “Fan Crazy Quilt,” 1894. From the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Raymond Vlasin and family, with deepest appreciation for the many friends with whom Claire Vlasin quilted.

10/15/2026

🌼Esperanza in Bloom!🌈

Good morning to these gorgeous Esperanza (Tecoma stans), also known as yellow bells or yellow trumpet flowers! Planted on the north side of our parking lot, these shrubs are bonafide South Texas natives, and can be found growing wild in the Hill Country near San Antonio. They are a favorite food source for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies and come in a variety of shades of yellow, orange, and red.

Their showy blooms are also long-lasting, making them a favorite for Houston gardeners, who can enjoy the display from spring through fall! Once established, esperanzas are drought-tolerant, grow up to 6 feet tall, and can live as long as 20 years with the right care.

Here at HCCC, we are very grateful to our incredible Craft Garden volunteers and Facility Manager Victor (Vic Srz) for their dedication to keeping the garden a healthy and thriving urban habitat!

Next time you come through, be sure to say ‘howdy’ to our yellow bells, and the rest of the flowers and plants in and around our Craft Garden! 💛🔔🌼

Jeff Forster: Sanctuary for SalvageOn view through October 24!Observant visitors to our Craft Garden may have noticed Je...
10/15/2026

Jeff Forster: Sanctuary for Salvage
On view through October 24!

Observant visitors to our Craft Garden may have noticed Jeff Forster’s fabulous exhibition “Sanctuary for Salvage” still on view! We have been thrilled to extend the exhibition’s run through October 24 and watch this unique, site-specific installation shift with the passing of the seasons.

Houston-based Jeff Forster works with reclaimed clay, glaze waste, and kiln debris to construct monumental columns that evoke historical ruins, rituals, and a sense of the sacred. Echoing totems, the columns of sacral architecture, and Japanese torii gates found in various spiritual spaces, Forster meditates on the symbolic and spiritual weight these pillars carry. By transforming materials like Styrofoam packaging into molds for his clay sculptures and reusing glaze waste, the artist’s process engages with themes of geological time and harnesses the unpredictable energy released during the firing process.

To learn more, visit>>
https://crafthouston.org/exhibition/jeff-forster-sanctuary-for-salvage/

📸 Laura Burlton

🔗Craft Community Day returns to HCCC! 🧶✂️Saturday, November 7, 11AM-3PM🪵Join HCCC for our free, annual festival highligh...
10/14/2026

🔗Craft Community Day returns to HCCC! 🧶
✂️Saturday, November 7, 11AM-3PM🪵

Join HCCC for our free, annual festival highlighting local artist guilds and community groups!

Visitors of all ages are invited to learn about craft through a variety of artist demonstrations and activities, visiting HCCC’s resident artist studios, and viewing the current exhibitions, “A Material Inheritance” and “In Residence: 19th Edition”.

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from food truck!

PARTICIPATING GROUPS
ClayHouston
Contemporary Handweavers of Houston
Gulf Coast Woodturners Association
Houston Area Blacksmiths Association
Houston Area Machine Knitters
Houston Book Arts Guild
Houston Calligraphy Guild
Houston Embroiderers’ Guild
Houston Knit at Night Guild
PysankaHTX
Red Bird Press
Texas Association of Original Doll Artists
Woodworkers Club of Houston
Zine Fest Houston

Please note: The HCCC parking lot will be blocked off for demonstrations, but street parking is available nearby.

Craft Community Day replaces Hands-on Houston in November. HoH will resume in December!

This program was supported by Impact 100 Houston.

Holiday by Hand Returns to Asher: Off the Wall!November 14, 2026 - January 30, 2027In celebration of HCCC’s 25th anniver...
10/13/2026

Holiday by Hand Returns to Asher: Off the Wall!
November 14, 2026 - January 30, 2027

In celebration of HCCC’s 25th anniversary, our annual Holiday by Hand sale returns to Asher: Off the Wall with a special Legacy Edition, featuring work by artists from every year of our esteemed Artist Residency Program!

From November 14 through January 30, shop one-of-a-kind jewelry, ceramics, textiles, home goods, and more while supporting artists’ careers and taking a journey through a quarter century of brilliant craft artists who have shaped and been shaped by HCCC.

Bring craft into your home this holiday season and discover handcrafted gifts for everyone on your list, from Asher-exclusive tableware and holiday decor to jewelry, wearables, works on paper, and more!

The sale is open during public hours at HCCC (Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM). Closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25 – January 2.

Learn more here>>
https://crafthouston.org/event/asher-holiday-by-hand-2026/

As always, HCCC Members receive a 10% discount on retail, exhibition, and studio sales (some exclusions apply). Not a member? Join here: https://crafthouston.org/support/membership/

🦃Black Friday at Holiday by Hand🛍️
Friday, November 27, 11 AM – 3 PM
Shoppers are invited to sip sparkling refreshments and listen to vintage vinyl while they shop!

📸 Liz Robb, ‘Hecate,’ 2026.

🕯️Too Hot to Handle🕯️Ceramic Candleholder WorkshopSaturday, October 17, 11AM-3PMWith the arrival of fall and shorter day...
10/09/2026

🕯️Too Hot to Handle🕯️
Ceramic Candleholder Workshop
Saturday, October 17, 11AM-3PM

With the arrival of fall and shorter days, create a unique candleholder to add cozy warmth and light to your evenings! In this workshop with ceramic sculptor and former resident artist Angel Oloshove, hand-build a lantern-style candleholder to cast dappled light in your home. Experiment with drawing and carving techniques, then add a colorful underglaze to bring your candleholder to life.

Please note that all sculptures will remain at HCCC to dry and be kiln fired. Finished ceramics will be ready for pickup approximately three-to-five weeks after the workshop. Participants will receive an email notification from HCCC staff once the pieces are ready.

This workshop is beginner friendly; no previous ceramics experience is needed. Space is limited to 15 participants, so early registration is encouraged!

To learn more and register, visit>>
https://crafthouston.org/event/ceramic-candleholder-workshop-2026/

🔗Stacked Silver Rings Workshop🔗Saturday, November 14, 11AM-3PMJoin metalsmith and former HCCC resident artist René Henry...
10/09/2026

🔗Stacked Silver Rings Workshop🔗
Saturday, November 14, 11AM-3PM

Join metalsmith and former HCCC resident artist René Henry to create your own stack of sterling-silver rings!

Participants will learn fundamental metalsmithing techniques to transform silver wire into a finished set of rings. Techniques will include proper butane torch handling, determining ring size, adding texture, and soldering. Participants will leave the workshop with a set of three rings to add dazzle to any outfit! This workshop is beginner friendly; no prior metalsmithing experience is required.

To learn more and register, visit>>
https://crafthouston.org/event/stacked-silver-rings-workshop-2026/

🕯️“The Candle Show” at Asher: Off the Wall🕯️❤️‍🔥Continues through October 31!❤️‍🔥On view now, “The Candle Show,” celebra...
10/08/2026

🕯️“The Candle Show” at Asher: Off the Wall🕯️
❤️‍🔥Continues through October 31!❤️‍🔥

On view now, “The Candle Show,” celebrates 25 years of illuminating contemporary craft with a special retail exhibition proudly presented by exploring the ritual and material poetics of candlelight!

This exciting show and sale brings together artists who shape light itself with handcrafted candelabras, holders, and wax-based forms. On view in our retail space, “The Candle Show” features work from a curated selection of artists working in clay, glass, and wax, including candles and candelabras by Gabo Martinez, Jessica Ninci, Meryl Pataky, and more!

🕯️Participating Artists🕯️
🕯️6pm Candle Co. ()⁠
🕯️Calico Botanicals ()⁠
🕯️Haley Cloyd (.made.this)
🕯️Chris Kerr-Ayer ()⁠
🕯️Gabo Martinez ()⁠
🕯️Jessica Ninci ()⁠
🕯️Meryl Pataky ()⁠
🕯️Louise Pennebaker ()⁠
🕯️Susan Plum ()⁠
🕯️Catherine Sieck ()
🕯️Samuel Warkov ()⁠

⁠To learn more, visit>>
https://crafthouston.org/event/asher-candle-show-2026/

📸Haley Cloyd, “Bride of Christ Candleabra,” photo courtesy of the artist.

🐝Stop Working Nights & Weekends:🐝🌃The Ground Truth Workshop 🌃TOMORROW! 10/8, 5:30-7:30PM CTDon’t miss your chance to joi...
10/07/2026

🐝Stop Working Nights & Weekends:🐝
🌃The Ground Truth Workshop 🌃
TOMORROW! 10/8, 5:30-7:30PM CT

Don’t miss your chance to join HCCC and business coach Jessica Abel in this interactive online workshop designed for craft artists! When your business isn’t bringing in the revenue you need, the instinct is to throw things at it to try to bring in more cash. But that instinct is expensive and often leads you down the wrong path. In this session, Jessica Abel demonstrates why, and what to do differently, with the Ground Truth Framework.

This event is free to attend but advanced registration is required!

To learn more and register, visit>>
https://crafthouston.org/event/ground-truth-workshop-2026/

Address

4848 Main Street
Houston, TX
77002

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+17135294848

Website

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