Prestigious American Craft Council San Francisco Show “Makes Room” for Designers and Architects

The American Craft Council (http://craftcouncil.org/) is pleased to announce its return to San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center (http://www.fortmason.org/) this August 2-4, 2013, where—in addition to featuring the work of hundreds of top contemporary artists—it will partner with nine celebrated San Francisco-based interior designers and architects to present “Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft.” The unique showcase will celebrate the symbiotic relationship between craft and design and offer attendees a host of ideas on how to incorporate fine craft into their personal home décor.

Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft will transform the show floor of the Fort Mason Center into a show-stopping setting of eight room designs that reflect the character of each carefully-selected, inspiring piece of craft. Each designer will start with a blank, 10-by-8-foot white space and a beautiful craft piece made by a participating show artist. Each room will give context to the handpicked pieces of fine craft, bringing the art to life while capturing the interior designers’ and architects’ unique styles, whether contemporary, classic, elegant, or eclectic.

“Part of the joy of collecting is incorporating fine craft into your home and we want to provide our American Craft Council show visitors with some great examples of how to do just that, using top designers from San Francisco,” said Pamela Diamond, the American Craft Council’s Director of Marketing and Communications. “In addition, we want to expose the local design community to the high-end craft made by our makers, many of whom have reached the level of artisan through years of studying and working in a specific medium, teaching and having their work displayed in galleries and museums all over the world.”

For the designers, Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft presents an exciting opportunity to meet potential clients and educate them firsthand on the relationship between craft and design. Participating interior designer Nicole Hollis says, “I am inspired by people who make things with their hands, artisans who find new ways of working traditional shapes and materials. I'm looking forward to this unique collaboration."

Interior designers and architects participating in Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft include:

Lisa Bakamis of Lisa Bakamis Interior Design (http://www.lisabakamis.com/)
Marin-based Lisa Bakamis specializes in high-end residential and commercial interiors that offer an eclectic and cohesive blend of style, spontaneity, elegance and function

Mimi I. Chen, AIA of Three Legged Pig Design (http://threeleggedpigdesign.com/)
Three Legged Pig is not your typical architecture firm. The boutique firm specializes in creating spaces that are highly tailored to reflect and reinforce its client’s unique personalities.

Lauren Geremia of Geremia Design (http://geremiadesign.com/)
Recently named a Forbes Magazine ’30 Under 30,’ Lauren Geremia is a hands-on designer who draws on her fine arts background to design interiors with eclectic modern materials that tell a story.

Nicole Hollis of Nicole Hollis Design (http://nicolehollis.com/)
Bridging the worlds of art, fashion and architecture, Nicole Hollis’ work is known for its dark glamour, imagination and curatorial vision.

Steven Miller of Steven Miller Design Studio (http://stevenmillerdesignstudio.com)
Founder of San Francisco’s chicest new gallery, the NWBLK, Steven Miller is a celebrated and award-winning interior designer and furniture designer.

E.B. Min, AIA, and Jeffrey L. Day, AIA, of Min | Day (http://www.minday.com)
Award-winning architectural firm Min | Day is known for work that is “an exemplary demonstration of craft in the digital age.”

Melina Raissnia, Peace Industry (http://www.peaceindustry.com/)
Founder of San Francisco- and Turkey-based Peace Industry, Melina Raissnia is a designer best known for revitalizing one of Central Asia’s oldest rug traditions from extinction.

Nicole Socia, Socia Design (http://www.sociadesign.com)
With the belief that good design should be accessible to everyone, Socia Design specializes in crafting intimate interior environments that blend good humor with exceptional taste.

The American Craft Council San Francisco Show already draws thousands of fine craft collectors from across the Bay Area who find great joy in learning the master makers’ creative processes, developing relationships with the artists and learning the stories behind each handcrafted piece. With the addition of Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft, the American Craft Council hopes to inspire attendees by offering them a rare opportunity to preview the work of nine sought-after interior designers and architects, while also promoting awareness of the multitude of opportunities to commission an artist to create custom pieces for the home. As the largest juried fine craft show on the West Coast, the 2013 San Francisco Show is expected to draw more than 10,000 fine craft collectors and design enthusiasts.

WHERE
Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, CA
Located on Marina Boulevard at Buchanan Street, along the northern waterfront between Aquatic Park and the Marina Greene. Shuttles will be running from Marina Greene to the show on a regular basis. Click here for driving directions and a map.

WHEN
Friday, August 2: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 3: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, August 4: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

TICKET INFO
On-Site Admission
$14 one-day pass
$20 three-day pass
FREE American Craft Council members, children 12 and under
SPECIAL FRIDAY EVENING ADMISSION:  $5 after 5 p.m.

Advance Tickets
Attendees can purchase tickets online (craftcouncil.org/sf (http://shows.craftcouncil.org/sf)) and be entered into a drawing for a $250 gift certificate to spend on the craft of their choice at the show.
$12 one-day pass / $18 three-day pass
To reach the American Craft Council directly, please call 612-206-3100.

NOTE TO EDITORS
For high-resolution images and/or interviews with the American Craft Council, exhibiting artists, and/or Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft designers at the American Craft Council Show in San Francisco, please contact Erin Cullerton at erin@designagencyco.com or Ann Chou at ann@designagencyco.com or 323.522.6391.

About the American Craft Council
The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational membership organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb. Our mission is to champion craft. We promote the understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft through our award-winning magazine, American Craft; leadership conferences, symposia, and workshops; four annual juried shows for established and emerging artists held in Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Paul, and San Francisco; the ACC Awards, which honor outstanding artistic achievement and leadership in the field of fine craft; and a one-of-a-kind research library and archive documenting the history of the American studio craft movement. For additional information about the American Craft Council, call 1-800-836-3470 or visit: www.craftcouncil.org.

Design Agency Co (http://www.designagencyco.com) specializes in strategy and communications for creative design brands.

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The National Centre for Craft & Design is 10 and Growing

The National Centre for Craft & Design is 10 years old – what an amazing decade it’s been! We’ve attracted 758,645 visitors, presented 160 world-class exhibitions, launched 8 touring exhibitions reaching audiences of more than 117,000 across 30 venues, and welcomed over 19,000 people to our learning programmes.  

We’d like to thank all our visitors and supporters – and encourage new ones – by inviting everyone to join us for a birthday celebration.  We’re holding a free afternoon of fun and creativity for all ages at our iconic building on Navigation Wharf, Sleaford, and we’ll also be unveiling our latest exhibition, ‘Growing: Celebrating our Past, Exploring our Future’.

Activities will take place inside and outside.  There will be live music, dancing, ‘Make & Take’ workshops, demonstrations, craft drop-in sessions for all ages, yarn-bombing, badge-making, storytelling, ice cream, delicious food to enjoy in our riverside café, beautiful objects to buy in our fantastic shop, and three more exhibitions to see, plus ‘Growing’. Booking is not required as activities are on a first come basis

For our exhibition ‘Growing’, we invited some of the UK’s leading figures in the sphere of contemporary craft and design – artists, curators, writers and influencers – to nominate work by emerging and established artists who they believe will be the innovators of the future. Over 30 artists have been proposed by our nominators to create an exhibition demonstrating a wide range of craft media and forms: textiles, ceramics, glass, jewellery, basketry, furniture and millinery. There will be an online gallery to complement the physical exhibition, showing work by all the nominated artists.            

ENDS -  Editor’s notes below
EDITOR’S NOTES

The National Centre for Craft and Design sits at the heart of the market town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire in the riverside setting of Navigation Wharf. It is a unique and ambitious gallery that exhibits the most innovative, challenging and accomplished artists practicing within the craft and design arena today. The centre has four exhibition spaces including the largest gallery space in England dedicated to craft and design, a roof top gallery and a vibrant window space.

Our public programme is built around the themes of each exhibition and offers a lively and stimulating series of learning and participatory events including talks, workshops, conferences, clubs, groups, activities, lectures, seminars, screenings, short courses, and demonstration days. Our shop provides a visually stunning and inspirational area for demonstrating and promoting creative talent and our licensed café is a popular destination for local families and business people seeking a creative respite, or just a cup of coffee!

Open from 10am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
For up to date details and listings about The National Centre for Craft & Design, please visit www.nationalcraftanddesign.org.uk or call 01529 308710.

Follow us on Twitter @NationalCraft             Find us on Facebook: NationalCraftandDesign

10th Birthday celebration workshops on 20 July include:
•   Anna Collette Hunt offers a glimpse into her world of ceramic bugs  
•   Jeweller Aimee Betts demonstrates cording, braiding, knotting and linking techniques to create rope-work jewellery
•   Helen Snell demonstrates paper sculpture techniques. Visitors can create a paper boat sculpture inspired by her ‘Flotilla’ artwork in the gallery.
•   Textile artist Naseem Darbey offers a chance to explore her techniques.

‘Growing: Celebrating our Past, Exploring our Future’ runs from 20 July to 29 September.  It takes its lead from the very first exhibition held at The National Centre for Craft & Design, in 2003 called ‘What is Craft?, an exhibition of some of Britain’s most celebrated and best recognised makers. The 10th anniversary of The NCCD comes at an exciting time for contemporary craft. Technical and conceptual innovations have taken craft forward in exciting and unexpected ways, whilst the economic downturn has led to a re-evaluation of traditional techniques and re-use of materials. This exhibition will provoke new ideas and stimulate new ways of thinking about craft as a whole. The artworks displayed in ‘Growing’ are destined to become the icons of the future

Our own NCCD nomination is Paulo Goldstein, a Project Space artist at Collect 2013, the Crafts Council’s prestigious craft fair. We are commissioning Paulo to create new work as part of his ‘Repair is Beautiful’ collection. Our second commission will be a mini -residency throughout the opening weekend of the exhibition by performance craft artist Alec Stevens, who will be making new work in response to visitor input.

Crafts Council Director Rosy Greenlees nominated basketry artist Stella Harding for her innovative use of material and techniques and ambitious approach to scale and Sarah Warsop, “for her movement inspired jewellery which draws directly on her experience as a dancer and choreographer”. Journalist and former director of the Design Museum Alice Rawsthorn proposed Dutch based Italian designers Formafantasma, whose work comments on nostalgia and tradition. Japanese-born Hitomi Hosono, winner of the prestigious Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize 2013, impressed Bonnie Kemske, Editor of Ceramic Review, who nominated her exquisitely delicate and detailed porcelain sculptures adorned with intricate patterns influenced by traditional British ceramic techniques.

A body of ceramic work will also be on show by Joseph Hartley, New Designers 2013 ‘Designer of the Year’ whose work impressed no less than five of our nominators. There will be textiles by Mister Finch and Mai Tabakian, the latter selected by artist Gabriel Dawe. We are also showing glass from Samantha Donaldson (nominated by our sister organisation Design Factory), jewellery by Lisa Juen and furniture from designer  Sebastian Cox.

Complementing the exhibition will be an online gallery of all nominated artists’ work expanding on the physical show. This online gallery will offer an opportunity for comment and debate on the subject of the future of craft and design as well as an opportunity to view the exhibited artworks from afar.

In her essay for ‘What is Craft?’, Louise Taylor (then director of the Crafts Council) said: “Craft retains its traditional core but many innovators are challenging boundaries and using the language of ‘craftsmanship’ in new ways”. These words still pertain today, especially the extraordinary 3D printed work created by Michael Eden, nominated by leading ceramics specialist Adrian Sassoon, whose work uses new technologies to explore and alter traditional and iconic English designs.

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