Austin Museum of Art, 823 Congress Avenue, Texas
United States of America
15 November 2008 - 8 February 2009
The Austin Museum of Art continues its tradition of supporting Texas artists by showcasing The Texas Chair Project. Eighty Texas artists, including 26 living in the Austin area, will have works on display at AMOA-Downtown located at 823 Congress Ave.
The Texas Chair Project is a unique artist exchange conceived by Damian Priour, a seventh generation Texan artist. In 2007, Priour created 100 miniature chairs using his signature combination of glass and limestone and mailed them to fellow artists throughout Texas as a gift.
Priour included a letter inviting each artist to create a chair of their own making to be shown at the Museum and mail it back to him in the same 8 x 8 x 8 inch box in which his gift was sent.
The project garnered an overwhelming response; Priour received 80 chairs from his colleagues—some of whom were his friends, others were strangers. Yet all the artists are united by their collaborative efforts to produce a truly Texas-sized exhibition.
The Texas Chair Project will feature a selection of Priour’s chairs and all of the responses created by noted Texan artists including Kate Breakey, David Hesser, Sara Hickman, Jesus Moroles, Margo Sawyer, Bob Schneider, James Surls, Sydney Yeager, The Art Guys, and 71 more.
After the exhbition, these response chairs will join Priour’s already extensive chair collection which inspired The Texas Chair Project. Priour and his wife Paula have been collecting chairs since the 1970s.
Priour explained his passion for chairs and what they represent, saying: “Chairs are a ubiquitous part of our lives. They are all around us and can represent so many things. Chairs are a natural derivative of the human form; its parts—the leg, back, foot—are named after parts of our body. They can be comforting, like sitting in your mother’s lap, or austere, as a place for punishment.”
“Nearly 100 artists have applied their imaginations to revise and re-envision, and even reinvent the chair as we know it,” Friis-Hansen said.
The chairs featured in this exhibition are distinct to each artist’s particular style, though many used the project as an opportunity to begin working in a new direction.
The artists made their chairs using a variety of media, either two- or three-dimensional, and they were encouraged to use elements for which they are known. Creativity was the only requirement.
The Texas Chair Project builds upon the long-standing tradition of artists exchanging their works with one another. This practice, an extension of the art itself, has existed for centuries and has evolved into a way for artists to communicate with each other, keeping with the spirit of the artist community.
Many artists also use trade to show their appreciation for others’ ideas and skills. Priour explained trading work is a sign of respect in the art community and provides artists “a way to have the things they love surrounding them."
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