Imperfecta Artist Talk: Michael Hoeye

The Imperfecta Gallery is excited to host a talk by author Michael Hoeye, who will share insights related to "Other Ways of Seeing - from the Collection of Martha Banyas," a permanent space dedicated to the collections of his life partner, prominent enamel and cloissoné artist Martha Banyas.

Martha thought that a beautifully made object offered a new way of seeing the world. She sold tens of thousands of objects over her 25 year career as a crafts trader and gallerist. Every one of those objects told a story or an anthology of stories. About itself, its design and making. About its maker. About the culture that produced it. And about the commerce that moved it along trade routes from market to market over years, centuries and sometimes millennia.
Martha loved those stories, and she loved the detective work that led her to them. She was born to follow clues. She asked questions, combed through markets, studied maps, trekked to remote studios and interviewed craftspeople wherever she went. She bought, sold and collected with unforgettable energy and commitment. And she did it with the respect and affection of someone who was an acknowledged maker in her own right.
During this talk, we’ll look at some of the materials Martha collected, the makers she met, the historic trade routes she followed, the fabled marketplaces she visited and some of the writers and thinkers who guided her work as a trader and collector.

About Michael Hoeye

Muchael Hoeye is the author of the Hermux Tantamoq Adventures, a series of children's mystery novels about a watchmaker mouse. Michael has taught in the MBA program at Maryhurst University in Portland as well as working in New York as a textile designer, stagehand, fashion photographer, photographer’s assistant, and high school teacher.

About Martha Banyas

Known nationally for her work in metal arts and enameling and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the national Enamelist Society, Banyas was a world traveler in constant pursuit of her art and a collector of artworks, artifacts, everyday objects, jewelry and textiles from Indonesia, South-East Asia and Eastern Europe.

About Imperfecta's Other Ways of Seeing space
Imperfecta's Other Ways of Seeing space will rotate on a monthly basis a curated, exclusive selection of Martha's collectables, which include Ex Libris, Persian Miniatures, and ethnographic and tribal arts and crafts. Each monthly drop include a variety of pieces with a shared theme.