New Mexico Treasures, including Santa Fe, Abiquiu, and Albuquerque. Tour private collections, spend time with studio artists, visit a number of established galleries, and trace the life of prolific artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Enjoy some of the finest cuisine New Mexico offers.

Questions about this trip can be sent to info@jra.org

Included: transportation to all planned events, some meals, all museum entry fees
Not included: transportation to and from New Mexico and during free times​, some meals, lodging
​

ARTIST STUDIOS
Artist visits include: 
- The contemporary Cochiti Pueblo ceramic artist Diego Romero
- Blown glass artist Flo Perkins who creates botanical works
- Paper and mixed media artists Gail and Zachara Reike
- Intricate wearable beadwork artist, Claire Kahn
and more!

COLLECTORS HOMES
These days, collections often run to investment portfolios or trophy-hunting accumulations of this season’s must-have objects. However, we will be visiting the homes of at least three dedicated arts supporters, who are connoisseurs, in the old fashioned, admirable sense of the word. 

LOCAL CULTURE
At the Nambe Pueblo, we will visit the home of a well-known potter. Time on our own allows us to explore the Museum of International Folk Art, Spanish Colonial Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture or The Wheelwright Museum. We spend time at the home and studio of Georgia O'Keeffe and see the landscapes that inspired her famous paintings. 
​
UNIQUE CULINARY EXPERIENCES
Experience award-winning restaurants that are the cornerstone of the culinary landscape in Santa Fe and learn about the architectural background of some of these striking spaces.
​

​​Learn all Houston has to offer with its cultural institutions, public art and more. Visit the premier Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; tour local artist studios; and have exclusive access to the region's top private craft collections.

Questions about this trip can be sent to info@jra.org

Not included: transportation to and from Houston, lodging, some meals

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Meet Executive Director, Perry Price, and enjoy a guided tour of the May exhibition and 4 resident artist studios, followed by High Tea hosted by HCCC.

Collectors Tours
The Houston Center for Craft will be arranging 3 or 4 exclusive private collectors' homes.

The Silos & Sawyer Yards, Arts District Houston
Arts District Houston is a state-recognized cultural district in Houston with one of the highest concentrations of working artists in the United States. We will be visiting the craft artists' studios. 

Glassell School of Art
New gallery and building across from HMFA. Studio and gallery tours.

Museum of Fine Art, Houston
Wander through a private guided tour of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, created especially for the JRA. The MFAH is home to some of the country's most revered craft collections including the Helen Drutt English jewelry collection and the collection of past JRA president Mel and Lee Eagle. 

Asian Center
Tour and lunch at one of the best buildings in the city. 

Foelber Gallery Jurying and Farewell Dinner
Foelber Gallery is the only ceramic gallery in Houston. We are jurying an exhibit of Texas ceramists for the JRA visit. They will also have the opportunity to vote for two artist and the prize will be a solo show at the gallery. Foelber has a back yard and will be having an outdoor dinner for the JRA and a tour of the school and firing area.
​

TERMS & CONDITIONS

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
All cancellations must be made in writing to the James Renwick Alliance at admin@jra.org. Refunds, less a cancellation fee and the non-refundable JRA contribution, are made if your notification is received at least one month in advance. No refunds will be made after this date except in the case of a medical emergency.

RESPONSIBILITY
Neither the James Renwick Alliance or any of the participating partners accepts liability for any expenses incurred by tour participants in preparing for the tour. We require that all participants be in good health. If you have a medical condition needing special medical attention, you must report it when filling out your application form by sending an email to admin@jra.org. We retain the right to refuse any applicant whose health, in our sole judgment, would negatively affect their full participation in the trip. Regardless of your health condition, we strongly recommend that if your current insurance does not cover medical costs while you are traveling, you insure yourself for the costs of medical care including, but not limited to: medical evacuation, baggage damage or loss, accident, and sickness. While we take every precaution, neither the participating partners, nor the James Renwick Alliance shall be responsible or liable for any loss, death, injury, illness or damage to or loss of property suffered or incurred by any person in connection with this trip.

​Artist studios, galleries and collectors' homes fill this trip to Durham and Raleigh, NC. Visits include the home and studio of ceramic artist Eric Serritella and other private collections, as well as a downtown gallery tour.

Questions about this trip can be sent to info@jra.org

Included: Lodging, lunch on Thursday-Saturday, dinner on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday
​Not included: Transportation to and from Durham, breakfast, dinner on Friday
​

Sleep at a contemporary art museum: 21c Museum Hotel (hotel is included in your registration fee), with our own private tour of the changing exhibits around every corner. 
​
See a bit of the American Tobacco Historic District, where JRACraft member Barbara Lee Smith lives and has her studio. She will show us her large wall pieces – often atmospheric landscapes – and discuss her processes of painting, collaging, and stitching them. 

Be welcomed by collectors Steven Burke and Randy Campbell, who have about 1200 miniature American folk art buildings, featured in the N.Y. Times and a recent documentary.  Also see the impressive collection of JRACraft members Mina L. Levin and Ronald Schwarz. 

Visit the home and studio of JRACraft Distinguished Artist Eric Serritella, where he will explain the techniques involved in his tromp l’oeil clay sculptures.

Other artists we will visit include: 

• Bryant Holsenbeck – environmental artist who makes delightful animals out of discarded materials 
• Barbara McFadyen – exquisite jewelry and book art 
• Theresa Arico – mosaic sculpture and furniture 
• Madonna Phillips – mixed media wall pieces with a shimmering glass surface 
• Sharron Parker – JRACraft member who does handmade felt wall pieces

​Explore the North Carolina Museum of Art, with its Judaic Art collection, a stick installation done by Patrick Dougherty (one of the Renwick’s WONDER artists), Beth Lipman’s Bride piece, and an extensive African Contemporary Art exhibit. 

Wander the halls of Artspace in Raleigh, which will have a contemporary craft show in place, other exhibits, and studios of 35 artists. 

​Enjoy browsing the work at Cedar Creek gallery in Creedmoor, Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill, and the galleries and public art within walking distance of our hotel in downtown Durham.
​
**ITINERARY MAY CHANGE**
​

JRA Day In-person
December 4, 2021 | Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
Join us at the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase ​for a holiday favorite for local members. 
​

The James Renwick Alliance for Craft invites you to the 2021 virtual JRACraft Annual Meeting. Preview our 2021 Distinguished Artist Series, hear about our new initiatives, and meet fellow craft enthusiasts and our board of Directors in our intimate break out rooms. 

​

J.G. Harrington, President
Tim Tate, Vice President for Programs
Barbara Wolanin, Secretary
Diane Charnov
Elizabeth Doyle 
Marilyn Falik
Caroline Kipp
Mallory Lawson  
Anne Mehringer
Ann Miller 
Sandy Mitchell
Amanda Phillips
Rebecca Ravenal
Lynda Slayen
Anne Swanson
Andrea Uravitch
​Jacqueline Urow
​Judy Weisman

​

"Our collection is a mix of works that has first been influenced by my mother Carolyn Alper, taking me for years to art shows and introducing me to my own tastes. " - Patty Alper

Patty and David's collection features Washington artists from her mother's collection, including Morris Louis, Gene Davis, Sam Gilliam. After years of influence from Carolyn, the couple branched out to expand their collection to include well-known artists like David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg, Sean Scully, Chuck Close, William Christenberry and a large collection of their friend Enrique Martinez Celaya. Their collection is informed by gallery and museum visits, and attending arts programs like the one at Anderson Ranch in Colorado.

Pictured: Left Sam Gilliam, Dreyfus sculpture, Flanking the doors is David Hockney screens, Right Gene  Davis

Organized by JRACraft Member, Tina Heller.

Once every other year, the Masters of the Medium award recognizes artists for excellence in their body of work in the five craft mediums of ceramics, fiber, glass, metal and wood.​

Masters of the Medium

• Demonstrate excellence in craftsmanship
• Influence the designated medium
• Contribute to the craft field ​

Join us October 30 at 2pm eastern in this free online event to celebrate the lives, work, and influence of our 2021 Masters of the Medium: David Harper Clemons, Sergei Isupov, Wendy Maruyama, Preston Singletary, and Consuelo Jimenez Underwood. The awardees will discuss their inspirations, influences, and the artworks that have defined their careers in this engaging presentation.

Click below to register for the Symposium & Awards or to take out a congratulatory listing in honor of one or more of the Masters of the Medium.
​

David was born in El Paso, Texas and spent much of his life in Austin, Texas.  Initially he began his undergraduate career attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, pursuing a degree program for Biology Art.  He attended the program for two years before returning to Austin to complete his BFA at the University of Texas in Austin, with a primary emphasis in painting. He earned his MFA in Metalsmithing in 2007 from San Diego State University. David taught in the art department at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas for 10 years. During 8 of those years he was responsible for creating and heading the Metalsmithing and Jewelry Department. In 2018 he relocated to Penland, North Carolina to dedicate his time to be an independent artist and workshop instructor.  Much of his work embraces the craft of Metalsmithing and it’s collected history of techniques and objects. The resulting works rendered in metal, mixed media, and hand made artist books are vehicles to communicate ideas surrounding identity, narrative, and forays into material and process-based work.  He has exhibited in numerous exhibitions including: Craft in America: Expanding Traditions, Different Tempers: Jewelry & Blacksmithing, RE/ACTIONS, and has work in the permanent collection of the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, National Ornamental Metal Museum. Yale Contemporary Craft Museum, Ollie Trout Collection at the University of Texas in Austin. ​

​Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramic using traditional hand building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using stains and clear glaze.  Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (TX), Museum of Arts and Design (NY), Racine Art Museum (WI), Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MA), and the Erie Art Museum (PA), at which he presented selected works in a 20-year career survey Hidden Messages in 2017 and Surreal Promenade in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art (MN). In addition to be being a working artist Isupov teaches workshops and lectures internationally at conferences, universities, museums and art centers. Important to his career have been the short and long-term artist residences at Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, MT), The International Ceramics Studio (Kecskemét, Hungary), and Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center (Skælskør, Denmark). ​

The art of Preston Singletary has become synonymous with the relationship between European glass blowing traditions and Northwest Native art. His artworks feature themes of transformation, animal spirits and shamanism through elegant blown glass forms and mystical sand carved Tlingit designs. Singletary learned the art of glass blowing by working with artists in the Seattle area including Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni. As a student and assistant, he initially focused on mastering the techniques of the European tradition. His work took him to Kosta Boda (Sweden) where he studied Scandinavian design and met his future wife. Throughout his 30+ years of glass blowing experience, he has also had opportunities to learn the secrets of the Venetian glass masters by working with Italian legends Lino Tagliapietra, Cecco Ongaro, and Pino Signoretto. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound. Recognized internationally, Singletary’s artworks are included in museum collections such as The British Museum (London, UK), The Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), The Seattle Art Museum (Seattle WA), the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), the Mint Museum of Art and Design (Charlotte, NC), the Heard Museum (Phoenix,  AZ), and the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC).