The Houston center for Contemporary Craft has a strict “Don’t touch the art” policy, but if you could pick up the Kate de Para’s contributions to “Topsoil” — you can’t, but if you could — you’d find that the rock-like objects are very light. “It’s very deceptive,” de Para tells us. “The way we present [the items] we give them the illusion of having weight so people look at them and say, ‘Oh, they’re rocks,’ but they’re actually very lightweight. They weigh like an ounce each.” One of three artists participating in “Topsoil,” de Para is a textile designer, and her trompe l’oeil rocks are made from fiber-based materials. “I’m breaking down ordinary materials to create other ordinary materials. The rocks you see in this exhibit are actually composed of [fragile] Abaca fiber made from banana tree leaves.” De Para uses salt to create a textured surface, further creating the illusion of a rough, rock-like exterior. Works by ceramist Sarah House and craft artist Sarah Rebekah Byrd Mitzer are also included in “Topsoil.”
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Through May 25. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main Street. For information, call 713‑529‑4848 or visit crafthouston.org. Free.
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: April 4. Continues through May 25, 2014
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2014.