HAND-WERK

The artists in "Hand-werk" explore the design, materials and processes associated with the traditional hand or craft arts including textiles, wood, glass, and photography. Conceptually their exploration represents a variety of approaches to expression, including the functional and decorative, the global or regional, the personal or political. This idea addresses discussions in art around "the artist's touch" in contemporary objects; if it exists, or ever did, in comparison to manufactured/fabricated artworks.

Jane Brucker, creates works using found or inherited objects and traditional means such as metal casting, woodturning, sewing or knitting to communicate themes of memory and fragility. Her work with precious metals translates the detritus of the human experience into a reflection on loss. In her textile pieces, she often dismantles existing objects, reweaving the constitutive threads to generate new shapes or forms.

Terry Lenihan’s work captures the human gesture during a moment of celebration–a celebration between generations of women. The work also represents the tension created between generations by contrasting industrial material such as concrete with translucent dress patterns. The dress patterns can be read as a rigid form to be followed or as a wise guide for constructing femininity.
Amanda Ransom exhibits an installation of handmade glass flowers and insects which are part of her French-Canadian heritage. These exquisitely beaded forms are reflective of feminine delicacy and beauty and create a romantic environment for Ransom’s work in film and video projection.