On View
Mirror/Mentor
Jan
20
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Mar
12
Jan 20, 2021
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Mar 12, 2021
On View
Mirror/Mentor
Jan
20
–
Mar
12
Jan 20, 2021
–
Mar 12, 2021
Photo credit:
Lara Nguyen, Connective Contours (Lara, Steven, Sather, Jess), Digital illustration. Image courtesy of the artist.
Photo credit:
Lara Nguyen, Connective Contours (Lara, Steven, Sather, Jess), Digital illustration. Image courtesy of the artist.
Mirror/Mentor brings together work by Warren Wilson College Art professor Lara Nguyen and three of her former students, Steven Horton Jr. (class of 2017), Sather Robinson-Waters (class of 2018), and Jess Self (class of 2014).
The diversity of media, styles, and themes in the art on view reflects Lara’s philosophy of teaching and mentoring. For Lara, the idea of being a mentor who is a mirror does not mean producing students whose work mimics her own. Instead she follows the advice of her mother, who told her to set an example for her four younger siblings--mirror for them how to live fully in this world. As she worked, and sometimes struggled, to integrate the different layers of her own very full life, Lara discovered her students were as curious about this art of living as they were about learning artistic techniques and handling different media.
The terms of Lara’s life changed when she was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma cancer (uLMS) in 2018. Her works in this exhibition hold up a mirror to teach us her new reality: stage 4 cancer, incurable and terminal. The photo series Un-Broken pictures the scars from her own surgeries and the healed wounds of family and friends embellished in gold as a means of adornment and repair in the vein of the Japanese art of kintsugi. In Brushes with Death, the artist creates new tools from her own hair lost due to chemotherapy. The mixed media sculpture Forbidden Grapefruit is a new iteration of a poem written about her mother’s journey, which became a series of performances and installations.
The body as vessel, trauma, a daily artistic practice, making as a means of social justice, and repurposing and repairing with the hopes of reemergence are among the overlapping themes that connect the works of these four artists--teacher and students.
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 6-7 pm EST
Online visitors can register to attend a virtual tour of this exhibition featuring Curator Julie Caro in conversation with Exhibiting Artist Lara Nguyen. This is a free event. A $5-10 donation at time of registration is recommended.
The Center is offering free, unguided visits and affordable tours of its exhibitions to the public. Guests can reserve a 30-minute visit to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact in their Craft Research Fund Study Collection, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 11 am - 5 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.
Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center can only allow a maximum of five guests in its public space at once and will require the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.
Monday, March 8, 2021, 6-7 pm EST
Join Mirror/Mentor Curator Julie Caro in conversation with exhibiting artists Lara Nguyen, Steven Horton, Jr., Sather Robinson-Waters, and Jess Self. This is a free event.
about the artists
Photo credit: Jamie Hopper
Photo credit: Jamie Hopper
Photo credit: Jamie Hopper
Photo credit: Jamie Hopper
exhibition Images
exhibition Images
Curated by Julie Levin Caro, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, Warren Wilson College.
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Since its inception in 1964, the North Carolina Arts Council has imagined and executed an innovative vision for arts development that touches every corner of our state — all 100 counties — from the mountains to the coast.
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UNC Asheville transforms lives through leadership and education. The designated liberal arts and sciences institution for the UNC System and one of the nation’s top 10 public liberal arts universities, UNC Asheville enrolls 3,600 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate majors and a Master of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree. UNC Asheville also encourages students to take part in a nationally acclaimed undergraduate research program and participate in interdisciplinary learning. From internships and hands-on projects, to study abroad and community engagement, students experience an education that extends beyond campus into the vibrant City of Asheville, the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and the world.
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In order to increase the value and relevance of craft to society, the Center works to advance the understanding of craft in higher education, museums and cultural institutions, and across disciplines. Field building strategies include convening thought leaders, creating, documenting and disseminating research, and launching innovative leadership initiatives. We provide grants and fellowships to emerging and established craft artists, curators, and scholars in order to build a future for the field of craft.
Recognizing that Asheville and the surrounding area has been a bastion for craft in the United States dating back to the Cherokee, the Center is actively working to preserve and advance the craft legacy of Western North Carolina through the development of our property in downtown Asheville, North Carolina and through a series of exhibitions and community-focused initiatives.
67 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 785-1357 | info@centerforcraft.org
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Gallery Hours: Closed — Reopening Fall 2019
