[photo credit: Eventbrite]
Tang, founder of Pasadena Craftsman Tile, has created everything from pencil drawings and dance posters to ceramic tiles at Monrovia Gold Line Metro station and tile work on Pasadena’s A.R.T. Bus.
“This exhibition is like a lifetime’s achievement,” Tang said.
The tour, from 11 a.m. to noon, examines “Cha-Rie Tang: 48 Years of Artistic Innovation in Pasadena,” running through January 18. It allows direct dialogue with Tang about her creative process, business challenges and artistic philosophy.
Her artistic journey shifted when “a friend stumbled across some original Ernest Batchelder plaster tile molds buried in his backyard,” Tang recalled. The discovery sparked her concentration on tilework and Pasadena’s Arts and Crafts heritage.
“I decided to concentrate on ceramic tiles and glass—permanent materials. I flourished,” she said.
Tang holds degrees from MIT and the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has completed public art commissions throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, including works at the City of Los Angeles Public Library at Exposition Park and the Los Angeles County Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
The exhibition organizes her work into six thematic sections: “Nature and Nurture,” “Coming to Pasadena,” “Technology New and Old,” “Running a Tile Business,” “Fun with Glass Art” and “Putting It All Together & Beyond.”
“Nature is my inspiration,” Tang said. “When inspiration sparks, I branch out and experiment with new materials and processes.”
Curator’s Tour: Cha-Rie Tang: 48 Years of Artistic Innovation in Pasadena will run on Thursday, December 18 at 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pasadena Museum of History, 470 W. Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91103. For more information, call (626) 577-1660 or visit pasadenahistory.org. Ticket prices: $18 general admission, $13 for museum members.
