Donors of the JRACraft Renwick Gallery 50th Acquisition Fund are invited to a private artist talk for Mariko Kusomoto.

Born in Kumamoto, Japan, and based in Massachusetts, Mariko Kusumoto prevails upon fabric to construct forms of elegant simplicity and evocative imagery. Her designs are incorporated into jewelry and sculptural pieces, as well as in collaborations with fashion designers; in January 2019, her work appeared on the Jean Paul Gaultier catwalk at Paris Haute Couture. Fascinated by the potential of different materials, Kusumoto strives to bring out each fabric’s inherent characteristics and beauty. Using a proprietary heat-setting technique, she gives the fabric a new identity through reshaping it into three-dimensional forms. In addition to finding inspiration in the material itself, she is motivated by the process of experimentation, during which accidental discoveries lead to new ideas.

JRACraft supported the acquisition of her necklace as part of the Renwick Gallery's 50th Anniversary Acquisition Campaign.
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Join the James Renwick Alliance for Craft in Mount Rainer at the Otis Street Artist Studios for an arts block party in celebration of our 40th anniversary. The festivity will include open studios, artist demonstrations, LuvPlates food truck, a live mural painting and, of course, anniversary cake!  

Registration is not required, but registration will allow you to pre-select your meal and enter you into a raffle to win a prize the day of the event. Payment for food will be required the day of the event directly to the food truck. 
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Participating artists and organizations include:
- Zenith Foundation Mobile Wood Truck featuring a woodturning demonstration by the Montgomery County Woodturners*
- Blue Fire Ceramic Studio featuring a tile painting demo by Robert Devers and a Balik demo by Kelly Posey*
- Washington Glass School including Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz, with a demonstration of enameling on glass by Patricia De Poel Wilberg*
​- Multimedia artists Martha Jackson Jarvis and Njena Surae Jarvis and abstract artist Anne Marchand
- Mosaic artist Valerie Theberge featuring a mosaic demonstration*
​- Orange Door Studios including Ellyn Weiss, Veronica Szalus, Brian Williams and Ellen Sinel
- Painter Janis Goodman 
- Blue Door Studios including Alec Simpson
- Otis Street Art Projects including the studios of Chris Bohner, Gloria Chapa, Chris Combs, Elizabeth Curren, Art Drauglis, Liz Lescault, Kirsty Little, Shelley Lowenstein, CeCi Cole McInturff, Lisa Rosenstein, David Mordini
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* Includes Demonstration

ALL ARE INVITED TO JOIN!
​REGISTER BELOW