The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) has announced the eleven artists selected for its 2022-2023 cohort of residents.
HCCC’s artist residency program, which launched more than twenty years ago, provides residents with 24/7 access to studio space, professional development opportunities, a monthly $1,000 stipend, and the opportunity to give an artist talk. Selected artists have the option of a three-, six-, nine-, or twelve-month residency. This year, over 145 artists applied from across the U.S. and beyond.
Learn more about each of the selected artists below:
Bennie Flores Ansell
Fall 2022
Bennie Flores Ansell is a craft artist and photographer from Houston whose residency will be in collaboration with the Houston Center for Photography. Ms. Flores Ansell was born in Manila, Philippines and grew up in the United States. She is a Professor in the Art Department of the Houston Community College and holds an MFA from the University of Houston and a BA from the University of South Florida.
Margot Becker
Spring 2023
Margot Becker is a fiber artist from Hudson, New York whose work explores sustainability, the value of labor, and the role of craft in late capitalism. Ms. Becker received a BA from Bard College in 2009 and an MFA with California College of Art in 2020.
Felicia Dean
Summer 2023
Felicia Dean is a fiber artist from Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds an MFA in Interior Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BA in Studio Art from Florida State University at Tallahassee. Ms. Dean is an Assistant Professor in the School of Interior Architecture at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her work explores biracial identity, digital and analog production processes, and materiality.
Juan Escobedo, “Deconstruction/Construction Boots,” 2021, cardboard and paper. Image courtesy the artist.
Juan Escobedo
Summer 2023
Juan Escobedo is an El Paso-based fiber artist whose work explores his identity as a Mexican-American queer male from a low-socioeconomic border community. He holds a BFA from New Mexico State University and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Ian Gerson
Summer 2023
Ian Gerson is a fiber artist and educator based in Houston. His work, which often incorporates sculpture, installation, and community engagement, investigates issues related to climate change and queer identity. Mr. Gerson has an MFA in Sculpture and Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin. Recently, he participated in the Galveston Artist Residency, and his work was included in HCCC’s CraftTexas 2022 juried exhibition.
Miles Gracey, “Loose Ends,” 2021, bubinga, camphor, ebony, brass, glass, 22 x 52 x 18 inches. Image courtesy the artist.
Miles Gracey
Winter 2022 – Spring 2023
Miles Gracey, from Cambria, California, is a trained cabinetmaker. He received a BFA with a minor in Sculpture and New Genres from the Otis College of Art and Design, and completed a nine-month program at The Krenov School at Mendocino College.
Guadalupe Hernandez
Summer 2023
Guadalupe Hernandez is a multidisciplinary artist who was born in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and is currently based in Houston. Mr. Hernandez’s elaborate papel picado portraits and gestural oil paintings examine his cultural identity and draw on childhood memories and family stories. He holds an MFA and a BFA from Houston Baptist University.
Yeonsoo Kim
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
Yeonsoo Kim is a clay artist who was born in Haenam, South Korea, and is a long-term resident artist at Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. Mr. Kim holds an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Georgia in Athens and a BFA in Ceramics & Glass from Hongik University in Seoul. Mr. Kim’s practice is informed by “Onggi,” a type of Korean earthenware, and focuses on the relationship between old and new as it relates to humanity, nature, and space.
Shradha Kochhar, “I’m cocooning,” 2021, cotton and bamboo, 66 x 20 x 10 inches. Image courtesy the artist.
Shradha Kochhar
Fall 2022
Shradha Kochhar is a textile artist, designer, and educator who was born in New Delhi, India and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Kochhar holds an MFA in Textiles from the Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor of Design in Knitwear Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology Delhi. Her work, which explores sustainability and intergenerational craftsmanship, utilizes an organic cotton strain indigenous to India.
Lakea Shepherd, “You Gon Eat’cho Watamelon,” 2021, thread, waxed linen, found objects, basketry, beads, acrylic paint, semi-precious gemstones, and felted wool. Photo courtesy the artist.
Lakea Shepard
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
Lakea Shepard is a fiber artist currently working in her hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She holds a BFA in Crafts with a focus on Fibers from the College for Creative Studies. Ms. Shepard’s interest in textiles was shaped by her parents’ work as a mechanic and as a textile production worker.
Rebekah Sweda
Winter 2022
Rebekah Sweda is a ceramicist working in Detroit, Michigan. She holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and BAs in Chemistry and Art from Calvin University. Ms. Sweda currently works as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University. Her artwork explores negative and positive space and balance through slicing vessels.
