Longstanding art installation returns to the basics.

very winter, the Meadows Gallery of Denton’s Center for the Visual Arts is filled to the brim with exquisite furniture, ceramics, and fabric; delicately fashioned jewelry and paper work; even whimsical teapots and metal devices that appear as if they jumped out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Each year, the artwork that comprises Denton’s venerable Materials: Hard and Soft exhibition not only delights visitors, but also garners greater respect and attention from the art world.

The Greater Denton Arts Council has sponsored the artistic mainstay for 21 years. As an annual juried exhibition, Materials brings about 80 pieces of the best contemporary craft— in fiber, paper, metal, wood, and jewelry—from around the country to Denton.

Art lovers and the artfully curious will find that the exhibition catalog and center’s accessible weekday and weekend hours make it easy to spend an hour or two exploring the perspectives and ideas of the different works.

GDAC executive director Margaret Chalfant says visitors are welcome to request a guide. The arts council’s trained volunteers, or docents, offer informative tours of the exhibition. “We have a group of people who study the art and can give background information,” Chalfant says.

The docents customize their scripts, whether guiding a school group or the general public, sharing their own discoveries and increasing enjoyment for everyone.

»Return to Artistic Root

This year, officials returned to the exhibition’s roots by enlisting the help of the Materials: Hard & Soft founder, Georgia Gough, to judge the entries. Gough, a ceramic artist and retired art professor from the University of North Texas, says the exhibition has changed a great deal in the past two decades.

“In the early years, in ceramics, for example, a pot was a pot,” Gough says. “Now, the work is tending toward sculptural forms.”

In other words, these days, a teapot may have been the inspiration for the form of the work, but the final ceramic piece may not be able to function as a teapot. “I don’t think that’s bad,” Gough says. “That’s just the way our culture is going.”

Several new construction techniques are present in the world of fabric and fiber, while quilts have taken off. Some of the evolution of the craft also reflects a change in philosophy by the artists. “There’s a desire on the part of artists to send a message, rather than just create traditional craft objects,” Gough says.

»Career Maker

Many of the artists who have been selected are young and innovative and go on to have successful careers after their work is selected for Materials. As a result, the exhibition, which includes nationally known jurors and $5,000 in cash prizes for some of the best artwork, has earned the respect of dealers and curators around the country.

“It’s like being published,” Gough says. “Getting in a show like this might get you a gallery or an agent.”

»Getting Involved

The arts council hosts about a dozen exhibitions each year in both galleries. While Chalfant says the staff installs the artwork, volunteers are needed to give tours of exhibits. A docent leader trains volunteers how to research the art and talk about it. For more information, call (940) 382-2787 or visit the arts council web site at www.dentonarts.com.