Art is Craft – Craft is Art: What More is There to Talk About?

ARTtuesdays/MIAMI Art is Craft – Craft is Art: What More is There to Talk About? Tuesday 05/10/16

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It’s not a new question; the boundaries between craft and art have long been contested. But with the explosion of interest in contemporary craft and the power of making, it seems to be a time to revisit the conversation. So what defines or divides an artist from a craft maker? Perhaps intention makes the distinction. Or, perhaps the unique use of materials. What blurs the lines?

ARTtuesdays/MIAMI is delighted to host its final event of the season on Tuesday, May 10 at Books & Books with a panel of specialists who will engage the audience to discuss how the new focus on makers, material arts and technology is influencing the conversation.

Abbey Chase, a local collector passionate about living with objects of all kinds, will moderate the conversation.

About the panelists:

A native Miamian, Abbey Chase, President and CEO, Chase Marketing Group, has been a civic activist and involved in Miami’s business and arts community for over thirty years. Since launching her company in 1994, Chase and CMG have built a reputation for successfully managing multi-faceted events, projects and programs. The CMG client list includes a multitude of arts organizations in our community. A member and past chair of the New World School of the Arts Foundation Board for three decades, she has helped encourage and support hundreds of young emerging artists. Abbey has also received numerous awards for her support of the arts and culture.

Frost Science Museum’s Exhibit Designer and Tour Manager James Herring also happens to be a skilled ceramic artist, practicing his craft for over 35 years. In addition to his exhibit design work at the Museum, he served as the president of the Ceramic League of Miami, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating members and the general public in all aspects of ceramics. A Miami native, James earned a BFA in Visual Arts from Florida International University with an emphasis on ceramics. He was an artist in residence at the Penland School in North Carolina and worked as the Visual Arts Director for Ground Level, an alternative gallery at Art Center South Florida.

Aurora Molina was born in La Havana, Cuba, in 1984. She emigrated to the United States at the age of sixteen, where she opted to pursue an education in art. Molina received her Associates of Arts in Visual Arts from Miami Dade College, a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts specializing in Mixed Media from Florida International University and a Master's Degree in Contemporary Art at the Universidad Europea de Madrid completed in 2009. She currently resides in Miami, Florida, where she works as a full-time artist working in fibers, exploring a number of techniques, from the traditional to the contemporary. Pat Oblak has been facilitating the creativity of both Artists and Artisans in South Florida since 1978. She considers it a very high calling. She is a painter, an Urban Sketcher and a former fiber artist, studying with Carter Smith. She is a former member of Florida Craftsmen, a charter member of the now defunct South Florida Fiber Artists and is currently an Administrator for Miami Urban Sketchers. The subject of High Art vs. Low Art is her favorite discussion. Be sure to join us for our 8th season at Books & Books on September 13, 2016. Mark your calendar!

When: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 Where: Books & Books 265 Aragon Avenue Coral Gables, FL 33134 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm Happy Hour * & Networking 6:45 pm to 7:00 pm Announcements 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Panel and Q&A

All programs are open to the public and free of charge. *Happy Hour runs from 4 to 7 pm at Books & Books on Second Tuesdays

ARTtuesdays/MIAMI is spearheaded by a group of volunteers who donate their time and resources to ensure that meetings are professionally organized and well attended. The program committee is comprised of Carol Damian, Lilia Garcia, Liana Pérez, Elisa Turner, Dora Valdés-Fauli, and Ilana Vardy.