Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery is honored to present ‘s Warm, a mixed media installation by Hilary Pfeifer. A native Oregonian who grew up in an extended community of artists, Pfeifer has had a long relationship with Contemporary Crafts. She remembers cherished visits to 3934 SW Corbett as a young child more than thirty years ago. Today, her work is exhibited internationally and is part of many public and private collections. As a heartfelt gesture to give thanks for the inspiration that the organization has brought her through the years, Pfeifer has offered to individually sell the 1000 handcrafted multiples that comprise this installation, splitting the profits to raise money for the Museum’s capital campaign. Any "lovebug" on view is available to purchase for $50. As individual pieces are sold, they will be removed from the wall and replaced by vinyl silhouettes designed by Pfeifer, creating a constantly evolving installation.

Having first appeared at The Fuller Craft Museum in Boston, ’s Warm is literally a swarm of handcrafted mixed media lovebugs. Pfeifer created each individual piece with gem-like facets emerging from sanded wooden surfaces, then dressed the final forms with found materials, plastidip, flocking and a red flocked dot reminiscent of the marking on an actual lovebug. Kindred to the improv jazz that she listens to in the studio, Pfeifer works from an intuitively responsive space. An improvisational nature extends to Pfeifer’s approach in designing her installations as well; she starts with sketches and lets the final design become its own environment based on the interactive relationship with architecture and light. When an installation is reappropriated for exhibition at an additional venue, she looks at her work anew to give it a different and site-specific vitality.

RELATED PROGRAMMING

Opening Reception
Friday, January 12, 5:30–8 pm

EXHIBITION TOUR
Curator Walkthrough
Wednesday, January 24, 12 pm