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CounterCraft: PSU Art and Social Practice in Residence at MoCC


How can we expand the definition of craft to include artists, makers, hackers, and do-ers, who are less visible? From the marginal to the illicit, how can exploring these clandestine craft practices help examine society, culture, and ourselves?

From the Lab at MoCC, the MFA students of PSU’s Art and Social Practice program will explore these questions through an ongoing series of programs, workshops, and events. The concept of CounterCraft will become the foundation for this unique residency partnering PSU and PNCA in dialogue in conjunction with 2013 Open Engagement.

By defining counter as outside the mainstream, we aim to highlight: firstly, counter-publics engaged in craft practices; and secondly, the making and distribution of counter-craft objects. CounterCraft seeks to explore processes and materials ranging from the utilitarian to the destructive, and interrogate concepts of social, cultural, political, and economic value related to this diverse representation of “crafters” and their crafts.

CALENDAR:

Thursday April 11, 6:30-8pm, The Lab at MoCC:
Workshop: The Botanical Craft of Attraction, organized by Heather Donahue and Sarah McLaughlin

Saturday April 27, 3-5pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Workshop: The Silk Road Marketplace and the Craft of the Deep Net, organized by Travis Neel

Tuesday April 30, 5:30-7:30pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Workshop: Bike Theft Storytelling and Theft Site Identification, organized by Zach Gough and Erin Charpentier

Thursday May 9, 6:30-8pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Panel Discussion: Crafting Conversation to Get What You Want: Art and Social Practice and the Art of the Ask featuring Harrell Fletcher, MK Guth, and Ariana Jacob, organized and moderated by Jen Delos Reyes

Saturday May 11, 1-3pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Drop-in-and-Make: May is Family Month, organized by Sharita Towne and Betty Marin

Friday May 17, 4-6pm, The Upper Gallery at MoCC:

Visiting Artist: Juna Rosales Muller presents Mending Patriotism, organized by Erin Charpentier

Tuesday May 21, 6:30-8pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Visiting Artist: Shani Peters presents Crafting Counter Histories: The Art of Counter Storytelling, organized and presented in collaboration with Sharita Towne

Saturday May 25, 3-5pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Workshop: Nail Craft, organized by Betty Marin and Grace Hwang

Saturday June 1, 3-5pm, The Lab at MoCC:

Workshop: Lost Craft, organized by Betty Marin and Patricia Vasquez