of art & design
Exhibitions at The Crafts Center - Fall 2009
Who We Are:
The Works of Conrad Weiser and Jim Pressley
Exhibition: August 24 - November 1, 2009
In 1966, Conrad Weiser became the Director of “The Craft Shop” at a time when the program had recently relocated from the Erdahl-Cloyd Student Union to the Frank Thompson Gymnasium. NC State sophomore Jim Pressley also joined the program in 1966 as a student staff member, and in 1970 he became Assistant Director. When Conrad retired in 1993, Jim became Director. Collectively, these two served the Center from 1966 through Jim’s retirement in 2007. Besides their professional roles within the University, both Jim and Conrad have spent a lifetime making the art they love. Jim came to The Crafts Center as an avid photographer, while Conrad’s love of art takes form in clay.
We welcome our past directors in this exhibition of their works. Conrad’s vibrant explorations in Raku will be displayed in our new “street gallery” windows along Jensen Drive. Selected prints from Jim’s personal works will be displayed in the R.A. Bryan Foundation, Inc. Gallery located in The Crafts Center’s Commons area. We are truly pleased to share the works of Jim and Conrad in this, The Crafts Center’s grand reopening exhibition.
NC State Through a Pinhole
Exhibition: October 12 - October 30, 2009
The Crafts Center is challenging the students at NC State to a competition to capture the campus as seen through the eye of a pinhole camera. With a pinhole lens and assistance provided by The Crafts Center, students will build their own simple box camera. On Saturday, October 3, student participants will gather at The Crafts Center to load and learn how to take negative images using their homemade camera and photographic paper. They will then go out with the challenge to capture campus life or architecture and return to process their images in The Crafts Center’s darkroom. At the end of the day, participating students will turn in the best of their images for exhibition. A panel of judges will evaluate the images and select the ten best. These will be enlarged, and along with all of the other entries, will be displayed in The Crafts Center’s main entry. Visitors and class participants will then have the opportunity to vote for one best image. The winner will receive a free Crafts Center class of their choice! So come explore NC State as seen through a pinhole and vote for your favorite image. Winner to be named on Friday, October 23rd.
Selected Works by Crafts Center Members & Instructors
On Display: October 21 - November 8, 2009
Two beautiful display cases in the lobby of the University Theatre in Thompson Hall are featuring the work of selected Crafts Center members and instructors: pottery by clay studio member Al Headen, turned wood pieces by Wood Studio member Steve Driggers, watercolor paintings by instructor LAura Azzi, photograph by instructor Gary Knight, and pottery by instructor Edge Barnes.
Deep Green: a juried exhibition of Knit Designs by students in the NCSU College of Textiles
Exhibition: December 3 - December 15, 2009
Reception: December 3 (time to be announced later)
Knit textile designs created by NCSU College of Textiles students in conjunction with Cotton Incorporated’s Fabric of Our Lives Design Competition. Funding for this exhibition was awarded through a competitive grant presented to the College of Textiles by the Importer Support Program of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated. Students in the College of Textiles created knit designs using digital software which were then executed on the College's electronic jacquard, V-bed, and other knitting machines. The theme of the exhibition, Deep Green, emphasizes the earth friendly characteristics of cotton and the measures taken by cotton growers in the past 25 years to promote environmentally friendly growing methods.
NEW! “Street Gallery” Windows
Look for craftwork displays throughout the year in our brand new “street gallery,” a series of lighted display windows in the front of The Crafts Center along Jensen Drive.
On display now: Crafts Fair "sneak peek" at pieces by artists and craftspeople who will be participating in our Crafts Fair.
For a listing of past events and exhibitions, please visit our Exhibition History page.
CRAFTS CENTER INFORMATION: 919.515.2457