After experiencing days of rain (and snow!), Pasadena Art Alliance members traveled to the
Craft Contemporary Museum for the March meeting and to view two exciting exhibits: Strings
of Desire and Alicia Piller: Within. Suzanne Isken, executive director of Craft Contemporary
led the group through the two exhibits providing valuable background and insight. 
Both exhibits demonstrate the use of a wide variety of objects expressed in contemporary art
by truly gifted artists. They demonstrate a unique vision and creativity in their stunning use of
materials.  United by themes of human desire and longing, Strings of Desire brings together
thirteen artists who have created (what Suzanne called,) “a hybrid aesthetic that conflates
embroidery, painting, sculpture and architecture to explore personal identities that, like their
art forms, are not solitary.”   
Alicia Piller: Within is the artist’s first solo site-specific museum installation of multimedia
works that “investigate the relationship between the macro and micro perspective with
systems of knowledge, meaning and bodily forms.”  Her use of resin, latex, xeroxed imagery,
dried plants, stones and found objects create “cosmic and biological landscapes.” Like
the Strings of Desire artists, Alicia Piller challenges our notions of perspective and identity
through powerful art.
Once again Carla Walecka and Kris Pilon provided us with a delicious box lunch, this time
from Uncle Paulie, enjoyed by all in the sunny Craft Contemporary courtyard.
-Elizabeth Berry