{"articles":{"data":[{"attributes":{"slug":"bridging-digital-and-physical-craft-hccc-honors-erick-and-mara-calderon","title":"Bridging Digital and Physical Craft: HCCC Honors Erick and Mara Calderon","author":"Art Blocks Editorial","content":"

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) will honor Erick and Mara Calderon at the 2025 Crafting a Legacy Spring Luncheon on May 1st at the River Oaks Country Club. This recognition marks a significant milestone connecting the traditional craft community with the generative art movement. Through Art Blocks and Generative Goods, the Calderons have pioneered bringing generative art into a new era that embraces blockchain technology.

Founded in 2001, HCCC is one of the few venues in the United States dedicated exclusively to craft education and advancement. What makes this recognition meaningful is HCCCs progressive definition of craft as a practice that connects makers, materials, and methods and challenges how we think about objects—a vision that aligns perfectly with the Calderons’ pioneering work.

\"Generative — Erick Calderon at SXSW operating an embroidery machine to create generative art-inspired wearables at the Generative Goods booth.

Erick Calderon (known as “snowfro” in the digital art world) transformed from owning a ceramic tile business to founding Art Blocks, a platform that revolutionized generative art on the blockchain. The Calderons are also active supporters of Houston’s arts scene, frequently participating in HCCC’s programs with their family.

\"HCCC_Kitemaking_Resident — **Left**: Hands-on Houston: Kitemaking at HCCC **Top right**: Resident artist Gabo Martinez in studio at HCCC **Bottom right**: This Side Up exhibit at HCCC. Photographs by Katy Anderson.

For the Art Blocks community, this honor represents important recognition from the traditional art world. Art Blocks has changed how we think about digital creation by enabling artists to express creative vision through code, producing unique algorithm-generated artworks. This innovative approach, where neither creator nor collector knows exactly what will be created until the moment of minting, has fostered a vibrant community of artists and collectors dedicated to exploring the creative potential of code as an artistic medium. This process mirrors the unpredictability valued in traditional craft, where material and process interact to create one-of-a-kind results.

Through Generative Goods, the Calderons have further expanded this concept by bringing coded algorithms into physical products. While Art Blocks focuses primarily on the digital realm, Generative Goods extends these creative principles into tangible objects, creating a bridge between virtual and physical art experiences.

The Art Blocks project Bokeh by Michael Kozlowski exemplifies this convergence, uniting algorithmic artistry with physical craftsmanship to create digitally instructed physical pieces that exist in both digital and tangible forms. Attendees of the Spring Luncheon will have the opportunity to bid on a Bokeh Wall Sculpture in the silent auction, featuring both the digital artwork and its physical counterpart.

\"Bokeh_lamps_mpkoz.png\" — Michael Kozlowsk assembles *Bokeh* lamps and wall sculptures. Photographs by Casey Joiner.

As generative art gains recognition in traditional spaces, the HCCC’s honoring of the Calderons presents an opportunity to expand beyond crypto collectors. Institutions like HCCC represent gateways to broader art audiences who may appreciate generative creation but haven’t yet explored blockchain-based collecting.

To support Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s free exhibitions and educational initiatives, consider donating to their Spring Luncheon here.

This recognition symbolizes the merging of digital innovation with craft tradition. By supporting HCCC, collectors and artists can help ensure that generative art continues to grow in recognition across the broader art world, crafting its legacy for future generations.

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