Lana Crooks

This July: “A Memory” Lana Crooks & “Matriarchy” Horrible Adorables

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Stranger Factory Gallery
presents
“A Memory”
Lana Crooks
&
“Matriarchy”
Horrible Adorables

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A Memory
Solo exhibition of new work by Lana Crooks
July 7 – 30, 2017
Opening reception, July 7, 6-9 pm
The work for “A Memory” is inspired by victorian jewelry, mourning practices and hair work. For this exhibit I have learned traditional hair work using instructional manuals from the 1870’s and have used a number of materials (even my own hair) to emulate the victorian memorials. Creating wool skeletons and silk flowers encrusted in glass, jet, onyx and other semi precious beads to create modern memento mori specimens.
Lana Crooks loves the antique, the creepy, the cute and the mysterious. Constructing creatures from fabrics and found objects, she is a purveyor of faux specimens and soft curiosities that are a blend of science and fantasy. Sought after for her pattern-making abilities, she frequently teams up with other artists to breathe three dimensional life into their illustrations, earning her two Designer Toy Awards. She enjoys drawing from real specimens in dusty back rooms of Chicago’s natural history museums but, on an average day, you can find her in the studio surrounded by skulls, old books, aging fabrics, and a cat named Tanuki.

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Matriarchy
Solo exhibition of new work by Horrible Adorables
July 7 – 30, 2017
Opening reception, July 7, 6-9 pm
Horrible Adorables current body of work depicts matriarchal societies in the form of anthropomorphized creatures. It shows the social dynamics between royalty and their subjects; from those loyally serving their ruler to the fate of doomed queens after a revolt. Our hybrid creature interpretations are loosely based on matriarchies in the animal kingdom, where females reign supreme.
 
Horrible Adorables are the creations of Jordan Elise Perme and Christopher Lees; a wife and husband team from Cleveland, Ohio. They met at the Cleveland Institute of Art where Jordan graduated with her BFA in Fiber & Material Studies, and Chris was pursuing training in fine arts after completing his BS in Mechanical Engineering.
 
Jordan and Chris bring their soft sculptures to life by meticulously arranging patterns of felt scales onto hard carved forms. The resulting characters have qualities that are both cartoonish and eerily realistic at the same time. Horrible Adorables are strange hybrid creatures from a fantastical word. Their facial expressions and postures reveal recognizably human emotions as they interact with one another. Horrible Adorables can be found online and at indie craft fairs, galleries, and boutiques across the globe.
 
In addition to Horrible Adorables, Jordan also works as a freelance toy and textile designer. She has proudly worked for companies such as Little Tikes, Hasbro and Joann Fabrics.

Two brand new exhibitions opening in October at Stranger Factory!

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Stranger Factory is pleased to announce our Halloween group exhibition Bewitching VI in our main gallery. Bewitching is the annual Halloween group show featuring an eclectic and diverse group of artists creating their own personal versions of iconic Halloween-related imagery in a wide variety of styles and mediums. Halloween is an incredibly special holiday for Circus Posterus and Stranger Factory, and our favorite time of year. We hold many shows and events each year, but Bewitching is always one of our favorites, and we hope you’ll join us for this celebration of all things dark and spooky.

unnamedjThis years participating artists include Amy Earles, Shirrstone, Creeptoons, Michele Lynch, Jen Musatto, Dark Town Sally, Kathie Olivas, Anna Tillett, Danita Art, Horrible Adorables, Brandt Peters, Spluurt, Fika Art, Karl Deuble and more!

kBewitching VI runs October 7th – 31st, with an opening reception on Friday, October 7th from 6 – 9 PM.
Bewitching VI runs October 7th – 31st, with an opening reception on Friday, October 7th from 6 – 9 PM.

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What remains when all is said and done? 21 Artists translate the phrase “All That Remains” in this bone, fantastical anatomical, “remains” themed exhibition. From ink to thread, from stone to bone, a variety of specimens will be unearthed inside Stranger Factory on October 7th.

With guest curation by Lana Crooks
Featuring new works by:
Adipocere
Jeremy Bastian
Lana Crooks
Jessica Dalva
Kristina Drake
Matt Hall
Stephanie Inagaki
Darla Jackson
Jessica Joslin
Jennifer Joslin
Mahlimae
Lauren Marx
Caitlin McCormick
Stephanie Metz
Christina Mrozik
Forest Rogers
Virginie Ropars
Sinan Soykut
Tyler Thrasher
Jake Waldron
Katherine Walsh of FearsomeBeast
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Both Exhibitions will run October 7th – 31st, 2016.
Opening Reception on October 7th (6-9 PM)

*Several artists will be in attendance as well as Curator, Lana Crooks

 

Stranger Factory
3411 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

 

This July at Stranger Factory: “Mourning Apparitions”

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Mourning Apparitions

With new work from Kathie Olivas,
Lana Crooks, and Michele Lynch

Stranger Factory is excited to announce our July exhibit, Mourning Apparitions. With new works from Kathie Olivas, Lana Crooks, and Michele Lynch, the exhibition will embody ghostly projections through expressions of longing, loss, and grief as well as the playful nature of the spirits that stay behind.
KOpressKathie Olivas, co-owner of Stranger Factory, is known worldwide for her mixed media band of misfit children. We can expect to see approximately 15 original 3-D sculpts and some paintings from Olivas for Mourning Apparitions. The Misery Children will be portraying an often unspoken side of mourning: the hallucinations and hauntings that may result from a grief that is inadequately expressed or a ghost that doesn’t yet know how to let go of the bereaved.
LCpressChicago-based, Lana Crooks, is best known for her soft specimen-style sculpture. For Crooks, Mourning Apparitions is an opportunity to honor the realm of ghostly apparitions which pair well with her iconic, vintage style. We can expect to see 15-20 textile sculpts, elegantly displayed in shadow boxes, miniature museum cases, and bell jars.

MpressFigurative pop-surrealist, Michele Lynch, will also be exploring the land of ghostly hauntings with her Steampunk Souls. We are anticipating approximately 15 original 3-D sculpted figures and we might even see a few paintings from Lynch for Mourning Apparitions.

The opening reception is Friday, July 3rd from 6 – 9 pm at Stranger Factory. Kathie Olivas and Lana crooks will be in attendance. The Mourning Apparitions exhibition will be on display until August 2nd.
Stranger Factory
3411 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

Conjuring Updates!

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We have been busy showing you work in progress images from Conjuring Mischief, but we thought we would give you a look at 4 finished pieces we have taunted you with.

Get ready to see Skelves that range from the classic style of Travis Lampe, to the beautifully painted Candice Tripp, the majestic Scribe sculpted Skelve, and the wool fabricated finesse of Lana Crooks.

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Travis Lampe’s skelve shines with gold and exudes expression with a custom sculpted mask. Classic Lampe style!

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Candice Tripp worked her elegant detailed painting skills with a beautifully painted skelve. Wait until you see the detail on the leaves up close.

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Scribe put his sculpting skills to the test with a 4-legged Skelve that evokes a Chinese dragon parade.

lana crooks 1Lana Crooks also used a 4-legged skelve and let the skeletal system be the star with a fabric inspired structure. That tail!!!!

We have much more to show you, so keep your eyes locked on all our social media outlets.

“Conjuring Mischief” opens this Friday, May 2nd and runs through June 1st, with an opening reception on Friday, May 2nd from 6 – 9 PM.
Stranger Factory
109 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

 

Amanda Louise Spayd for ‘Septenary’ @ OhNo!Doom 7.7

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Pom poms and party hats, polka dots and pretty lace … Amanda Louise Spayd’s trio of critters for OhNo!Doom’s seven-artist sculpture show, Septenary, are straight out of a circus from a bygone era.

Not sure if she’s still sewing life into more dumpy dudes over there, but these three will be in the exhibition, curated by OhNo! gallery mistress, Lana Crooks. The bill also includes fellow Circus mate Chris Ryniak, along with Melita “Miss Monster” Curphy, J.Shea, Melissa Sue Stanley, Jake Waldron and Lana. Show opens July 7th through August 4th.

 

Septenary Group Sculpture Show @ OhNo!Doom 7.7

Now THIS is interesting. Ms. Lana “Plushinator” Crooks, needle ninja of OhNo!Doom, recently posted this postcard on her Facebook page stating: “… oh and I am curating (am in) this sculpture show on July 7th.”

Amanda Louise Spayd, Chris Ryniak, Melita “Miss Monster” Curphy, Jake Waldron, Melissa Sue Stanley  and J.Shea are all tagged in the photo.

Dear lord, is this another Imaginary Menagerie-esque barnburner in our midst? Because that lineup is bound to melt faces and savings accounts and any ounce of self restraint you may think you have.

I’ll be keeping a very close eye on this — details are still emerging, folks, so keep it locked!