California Masters: State of the Arts

California Masters: State of the Arts is an exhibition of twelve preeminent artists from across California who exemplify leadership in contemporary craft. Two artists, one from the South and one from the North of the state, were chosen to represent each of six primary craft disciplines: fiber, ceramics, wood, glass, metals, and alternative materials.  The resulting group of works highlights innovation and technical rigor while speaking to a uniquely California context. Each of these artists has been a professor or luminary within their field, and has thereby influenced the current generation of handmade producers in this state.

California Masters was on view at the Craft in America Center in West Hollywood from July 11-October 3, 2015. The exhibition includes the following artists: Tanya Aguiñiga, Julie Chen, Marilyn da Silva, Katherine Gray, Marvin Lipofsky, Wendy Maruyama, Laura Mays, Steven Portigal, Sandy Simon, Christina Smith, Carol Shaw-Sutton, and Consuelo Jimenez Underwood.

This exhibition is presented in conjunction with California Handmade: State of the Arts, curated by Craft in America Center Director Emily Zaiden in collaboration with, and on view at, the Maloof Foundation for Arts and Craft in the foothills of Alto Loma, CA.  For this exhibition, the twelve core artists (represented in California Masters) were asked to recommend six colleagues in their field, currently working and living in California, resulting in a historically important snapshot of the state of California craft today.

Photos by Madison Metro