[photo credit: The Armory Center for the Arts]
Material Prophecies: Craft as Divination fills the Armory’s Caldwell Gallery with work in earth, fiber, metal, cyanotype, terracotta and film. According to the Armory’s exhibition statement, the show gathers artists who “turn to craft to divine memory, enact ritual, and seek knowledge of the future,” and describes their materials as “both medium and oracle.” Admission is free. On its final day, the gallery is open from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
The exhibition’s connection to the region’s recent history runs directly through Altadena. The Armory’s statement roots the show in the San Gabriel Valley, “where cycles of wildfire, floods, winds, and regrowth shape the landscape” — a framing given local weight by the Eaton Fire, which reshaped Altadena neighborhoods last year. The statement describes the show as reflecting on time as nonlinear and recurring, suggesting that transformation is both inevitable and generative. During the run, the Armory partnered with the Altadena Library on a free teen workshop, “Youth Prophecy: Futures Beyond Wildfire,” described by the Armory as a session on imagination and resilience in the wake of wildfire disruption.
The show brings together Jackie Amézquita, April Bey, Calethia DeConto, Emmanuel Louisnord Desir, Joel Gaitan, vanessa german, Sky Hopinka and Lani Trock. It is curated by Taylor Bythewood-Porter, the Armory’s Director of Exhibitions, with exhibition management by Danielle A. Hill, according to the Armory. The featured image for the exhibition is April Bey’s 2024 Jacquard work I KNOW ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT, a four-panel piece measuring 80 by 240 inches, courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
Earlier in the run, the Armory scheduled public programs tied to the exhibition, including a cyanotype workshop led by DeConto and a listening activation with Trock. In a May interview with the American Craft Council, which featured the exhibition, Bythewood-Porter characterized the artists as translators who give form to something intangible. The exhibition was also cited by the arts publication Hyperallergic in a spring roundup of Los Angeles shows.
On its final day, the Armory has scheduled a free First Saturdays exhibition tour led by teaching artists from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The Armory states that the tour is free but requires an RSVP.
The Armory Center for the Arts is at 145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, in the Gale Kohl Center for Creativity, a historic 1932 California Guard Armory building. The Caldwell Gallery is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For information, call (626) 792-5101 or visit armoryarts.org. The Armory lists lead program support from the Perenchio Foundation, with exhibition public programs supported in part by the California Community Foundation.
