Exhibition dates: July 21 – September 1, 2017
with an opening reception Friday, July 21, 6 – 9pm.
Free workshop with Motoko Furuhashi Saturday, July 22, 10am – 12pm
CrossPASS is a project featuring collaborative and solo works by artists Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi that examines place through expanded media and the intimate lens of jewelry and small objects. The project targets a distinctive stretch of the Interstate 10 corridor connecting the unique borderplex region of El Paso, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The objective of CrossPASS is to allow site-specific locations and the artists’ shared personal inquiries along this route to initiate the collection of images, video and sound which directly influences the creation of jewelry and objects. The viewer is asked to join in their investigation of this land awash with dramatic terrain, vernacular structures and a multitude of boundaries; and, to uniquely discover these sites through the body.
For more information about CrossPASS visit http://crosspassexhibition.com/#
About the artists:
Motoko Furuhashi was born in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. While growing up in Tokyo, she received her introduction to art from her grandfather. Her recent works has been inspired by her experiences traveling around the world, and road that takes her to go one place to another. She received her Masters of Fine Art degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is appointed as an Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Oakland Museum of California, and Nobana Art Works in Ginza in Tokyo. Publications include 500 Plastic Jewelry design by Lark Books, New Rings: 500+ Designs from Around the World by Nicolas Estrada, and Humor in Craft by Brigitte Martin.
Demitra Thomloudis is a studio jeweler, visual artist and an Assistant Professor in the Jewelry and Metalwork area at the Lamar Dodd School of Art located at the University of Georgia. Originally from the Philadelphia area, she received her MFA from San Diego State University and her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her work is recognized nationally and internationally and has been invited to exhibit, lecture, and teach at institutions/fairs/events such as SOFA Chicago, Athens (Greece) Jewellery Week and the Penland School of Crafts to name a few. Artist residencies include a yearlong appointment at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Smitten Forum. Demitra is included in publications such as, 500 Plastic and Resin Jewelry and 500 Enameled Objects, The Art of Jewelry: Plastic & Resin: Techniques, Projects and Inspiration. Demitra’s work is represented by Charon Kransen Arts-USA, Alliages Organization-France, and Penland Gallery located at the Penland School of Crafts- USA.
