Fall 2010 / Issue 120
As during Hurricane Katrina, geography and weather conditions will determine the extent of the impact of this latest disaster. In 2005, some New Orleans glass studios emerged from the storm with only minor wind damage, while others were blown from their foundation or submerged in raging floodwaters. As difficult as it is to predict what might come of the unfolding events, one can hope that his city too well-acquainted with loss and recovery will again find its resilience and emerge stronger than before.
To mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we visited the glass artists of New Orleans to examine their stories, their artwork, and their experiences surviving and rebuilding after the storm. What we found is a unique glass scene anchored by the glass program at Tulane University, where Gene Koss has held court and set the tone of individualism and ambition that is shared by many alumni of his program, each of whom pursue glass art with distinctly different approaches.
Revival of a different sort is a part of our cover article by our contributing editor James Yood on the photographs of John D'Agostino, a painter and photographer who uses a treasure trove of Favrile glass from the factory of Louis Comfort Tiffany to create rich landscapes of color and form that rival Abstract Expressionist canvases. Adding to their allure, his photographs capture imperfections in the glass, signs of age and wear that overlay texture and intrigue.
Rebirth is a theme in all our articles this issue, including our design feature. Analisa Coats Bacall examines the recycled glasswear designed by Torn Boontje and Emma Woffenden. Industrially produced wine bottles are given new life thanks to sophisticated designs executed by highly trained artisans who cut, grind, and polish old wine and beer bottles into objects of remarkable elegance.
Up=and-coming artist Mielle Riggie is profiled by another of our contributing editors, William Ganis. He examines Riggie's work in a variety of glass techniques as well as other materials, as an example of a new generation of glass artist who switches freely between process and media in pursuit of an idea. Unbound by tradition yet eagerly embracing traditional techniques, Riggie is able to update and reinterpret age-old practices, rediscovering them in the process.
The common thread in all of these diverse articles is that art has the power to transform and redefine, whether it be circumstance, material, or technique. It is something we would do well to remember as we watch and hope for the containment of the oil spill, and the beginning of another period of recovery.
Editor's Letter
Five years after storm-driven waters overwhelmed the levee system of New Orleans, a new disaster threatens the Gulf Coast as this issue is going to press. After an offshore drilling rig exploded and burned, British Petroleum is working to contain the gushing oil a mile underneath the steadily blackening waters off the coast of Louisiana. Driven by wind and gulf currents, this expanding dark cloud is threatening the fragile ecosystem and struggling economy of the entire region, including its battered cultural capital, the "Crescent City."
As during Hurricane Katrina, geography and weather conditions will determine the extent of the impact of this latest disaster. In 2005, some New Orleans glass studios emerged from the storm with only minor wind damage, while others were blown from their foundation or submerged in raging floodwaters. As difficult as it is to predict what might come of the unfolding events, one can hope that his city too well-acquainted with loss and recovery will again find its resilience and emerge stronger than before.
To mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we visited the glass artists of New Orleans to examine their stories, their artwork, and their experiences surviving and rebuilding after the storm. What we found is a unique glass scene anchored by the glass program at Tulane University, where Gene Koss has held court and set the tone of individualism and ambition that is shared by many alumni of his program, each of whom pursue glass art with distinctly different approaches.
Revival of a different sort is a part of our cover article by our contributing editor James Yood on the photographs of John D'Agostino, a painter and photographer who uses a treasure trove of Favrile glass from the factory of Louis Comfort Tiffany to create rich landscapes of color and form that rival Abstract Expressionist canvases. Adding to their allure, his photographs capture imperfections in the glass, signs of age and wear that overlay texture and intrigue.
Rebirth is a theme in all our articles this issue, including our design feature. Analisa Coats Bacall examines the recycled glasswear designed by Torn Boontje and Emma Woffenden. Industrially produced wine bottles are given new life thanks to sophisticated designs executed by highly trained artisans who cut, grind, and polish old wine and beer bottles into objects of remarkable elegance.
Up=and-coming artist Mielle Riggie is profiled by another of our contributing editors, William Ganis. He examines Riggie's work in a variety of glass techniques as well as other materials, as an example of a new generation of glass artist who switches freely between process and media in pursuit of an idea. Unbound by tradition yet eagerly embracing traditional techniques, Riggie is able to update and reinterpret age-old practices, rediscovering them in the process.
The common thread in all of these diverse articles is that art has the power to transform and redefine, whether it be circumstance, material, or technique. It is something we would do well to remember as we watch and hope for the containment of the oil spill, and the beginning of another period of recovery.