Viewing articles by Farah Rose Smith

Steffen Dam, ‘toilettransformation’, 2020.
Permanent installation. photo courtesy of https://glasmuseet.dk/presse/?lang=en

Wednesday July 15, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

INSTALLATION: "Journey to M31" permanent exhibit by Steffen Dam at Glasmuseet Ebeltoft features glass cabinet

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Events, Exhibition, News, Opening

Journey to M31, A Toilet Transformation by Steffen Dam is a new site-specific permanent installation at Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, a contemporary glass museum in Denmark. Dam is a Danish artist who's been working with glass for over 30 years. Originally trained as a toolmaker, Dam merges casting and grinding techniques from other mediums, and has pioneered a unique body of work that frequently references aquatic specimens. The installation, his most comprehensive work to date, was made possible through a donation from The New Carlsberg Foundation. It occupies the former restroom on the first floor of the museum and the artist, who is represented in the U.S. by New York's Heller Gallery, suggests it be considered as a sort of 'Cabinet of Curiosities.'

Opeyemi "Ope" Omojola is increasingly incorporating glass into her jewelry works. courtesy: the artist

Thursday July 9, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Jewelry-artist Opeyemi Omojola reflects on business, the Bead Project, and wisdom in times of uncertainty

Opeyemi "Ope" Omojola was an artist-in-residence at the UrbanGlass Bead Project in the Fall of 2019 (Disclosure: The Hot Sheet is a program of the nonprofit art center UrbanGlass.) and she is looking forward to returning to the studios as borosilicate glass is figuring more and more into her work. Omojola owns Octave Jewelry, a company that is inspired by the balance between sharp geometry and soft organic form, showcasing kinetic pieces are inspired by both the infinite malleability of metal and the permanence of stone.

18449661 10154784749744527 8883891031391028962 O

photo courtesy of the Pilchuk Glass School Facebook page.

Sunday June 28, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Pilchuck Glass School announces cancellation of all 2020 programming, teaching artists to be paid anyway thanks to generous donor

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Education, Events, News

With the uncertainty around containing the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States in general, and Washington state in particular, Pilchuck Glass School has announced it is cancelling all of its summer and fall programs and residencies for 2020. Included in the announcement was the positive news that an anonymous donor has gifted Pilchuck with sufficient funds to pay all artists who had been scheduled to teach the cancelled classes.

12823524 0 Thumbnail Allison Eden Smile Mask

An example of Allison Eden's fashion-forward face masks. courtesy: allison eden studios

Saturday June 27, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

From mosaics to masks, Brooklyn designer Allison Eden shifts gears during pandemic from glass to fabric

Brooklyn-based glass architectural and interior designer Allison Eden, who has been designing handmade glass and tile mosaics in New York City, has started a new artistic venture: fashionable mask-making. Graduating in 1995 with a degree in fashion from FIT, Eden originally parlayed her clothing design skills to elaborately patterned glass tile mosaics, which have attracted a celebrity clientele. With the downturn in the home design business during the pandemic, Eden has refocused her design studio on a fashion-forward mask line, which started as her personal effort to stay safe at a museum opening as the pandemic started to arrive in NYC in March 2020.

photo courtesy of https://www.glassart.org/

Tuesday June 23, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

After a successful virtual conference, The Glass Art Society seeks diverse proposals for next year's 50th-anniversary conference in Tacoma, Washington

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Call for Submissions, Events, News

The 2021 Glass Art Society conference in Tacoma, Washington, was announced at the close of its successful first-ever Virtual Conference last month. Free and open to the public, the 2020 online event included awards ceremonies, demos, panel discussions, lectures, tours, and happy hours via live-stream and recorded video. Next year's event is planned to be an in-person gathering and proposals are now being accepted. The 2021 Conference will mark the organizations 50th year, and the landmark event is set to take place from May 19th through May 22nd. In a reflection of greater awareness of the work the glass-art field needs to do, the artist organization is encouraging presentations from diverse voices.

Tuesday May 19, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

The 2020 Glass Art Society conference will not kick off in Sweden, but on your computer screen Thursday morning

The 2020 Glass Art Society Conference scheduled to take place in Småland, Sweden became one of the countless events to be scrapped due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. But that won't mean this year will miss the annual gathering of the glass tribe. Kicking off at 10 AM Seattle time on Thursday, May 21st, and running through Saturday the 23rd (the original events scheduled dates) much of the planned program will be in place for the first-ever, totally-online event. The Virtual Conference will be free and open to the public via live-streamed and recorded video. Awards ceremonies, demos, panel discussions, lectures, tours, happy hours, and more will all be available. The goblet grab, portfolio review, and silent auction will all be part of the three-day event. There will even be a virtual version of the prized conference t-shirt, as well as a video experience of the annual collectors' tour.

Saturday May 2, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

INTERVIEW: Nancy Callan on her recent virtual artist talk and exhibit, as well as the challenges of making glass art during a pandemic

Nancy Callan’s artistic voice as a glass sculptor reflects her high-level training and talents. Callan attended the Massachusetts College of Art (BFA 1996) and lives in Seattle, where she is part of the vibrant Northwest glass community. On April 18th, 2020, she conducted a Virtual Tour of her Seattle studio. She showed attendees how she creates complex glass patterns. She also highlighted several of her popular series: "Droplets", "Panels", and "Palomas".

A still from a virtual tour of the Preston Singletary exhibition "Artifacts from the Future" at Traver Gallery.

Thursday April 16, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Using technology to connect artists and collectors during extended closure, Traver Gallery to host virtual happy hour with Preston Singletary

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Events, Exhibition, News, Video

The Traver Gallery will host an "In Conversation" event with artist Preston Singletary on Thursday, April 16th, from 5 PM to 6 PM PDT (8 PM to 9 PM EST) to make up for the inability to host a real-time opening event around Singletary's ongoing exhibition "Artifacts from a Future Dream". The exhibition, which Singletary describes as "an homage to the future generations of Indigenous people", explores the the healing power of amulets, art, and shared stories. Topics to be discussed in this evening's conversation between the artist and gallery director Sarah Traver include stories and objects that inspired the artistic works, as well as the intersection of tradition and modern life.

courtesy: the artist

Saturday April 4, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

INTERVIEW: Mel Douglas, who took top honors and AUD $15,000 in the 2020 Tom Malone Prize, discusses inspiration and process

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Award, News

Australian glass artist Mel Douglas, whose works (according to her own words) "explore and interweave the creative possibilities of this liminal space" has won the coveted Tom Malone Prize of 2020 for her work Tonal Value (2019). The Tom Malone Prize is a highly respected national event within the Australian glass arts community. Each year’s winning entrant is awarded AUD $15,000 and their work becomes a part of the State Art Collection where it joins works by previous winners. Now in its 18th year, the Tom Malone Prize continues with the generous support of Ms Sheryl Grimwood, AGWA Foundation Benefactor.

This rare and important Mosaico vase by Nicolò Barovier carries the auction's highest estimate.

Sunday March 29, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Chicago auction house Wright moves ahead with April 2nd auction "Important Italian Glass" with online-only sale of rarely available Murano glass works

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, museums, galleries, and auction houses have temporarily closed their doors to the public, and many exhibitions have been postponed for weeks until the lifting of a government-ordered shut down to stem the spread of the pandemic. But Chicago based Wright (and its New York/New Jersey-partner Rago, with which it merged business operations in 2019) will proceed with its much anticipated April 2nd auction of "Important Italian Glass," with individual estimates up to half a million dollars and rarely seen works by Carlo Scarpa, Nicolò Barovier, Tomaso Buzzi, and Ercole Barovier, among the more than 100 works available for sale.

Glass: The UrbanGlass Quarterly, a glossy art magazine published four times a year by UrbanGlass has provided a critical context to the most important artwork being done in the medium of glass for more than 40 years.