HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Winter 2020 edition of Glass (#161)

The Winter 2020 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#161) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes. On the cover is a work as voluptuous as it is complex by the late Michael Glancy (2050 - 2020), who passed away in August due to complications of lung cancer. The 2014 work is titled Shimmer, and features a repeating plus-sign pattern that forms a type of metal armor which is not uniformly protective but is broached several places by clear sections where the pattern on the opposing blown-vessel wall is visible from beneath. The work hints at complexities that lie beneath surfaces, revealing an inner dimension that can never be fully understood given the restricted vantage points. Viewed from our current perspective of political and pandemic turmoil, the plus signs might be seen as voting marks or positive Covid-19 test results, neither on Glancy's mind when he created it, but which speaks to the timelessness of his sculptural expressions.

Saturday November 21, 2020 | by Andrew Page

The potent relationship between glass and photography explored in gallery exhibition curated by Kim Harty

In 1877, inventor Edward Muybridge used tripwires to photograph a horse in motion, proving something impossible for the human eye to see in real-time. While his photograph that froze a trotting horse with all four hooves off the ground settled a bet, it became one of the best-known motion studies of the Victorian era, a field called chronophotography. The title of Rebecca Solnit's biography of Muybridge, River of Shadows, was adopted by artist and educator Kim Harty for her group photography exhibition that brings together the camera lens and glass artists who use photography to reveal insights into glass process, and could be considered a contemporary type of chronophotography.

Tuesday October 27, 2020 | by Andrew Page

The Glass Virus academic workshops in Europe go online in new Zoom seminar series that debuts Wednesday, October 28

The Glass Virus is a European initiative to foster dialogue among educators exchanging ideas about the best approaches to teaching glass art. The semi-annual in-person "Think Tank" gatherings had been centered at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, where artist and Glass Virus founder Jens Pfeifer heads the glass program. But the group has changed formats in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and is planning a monthly series of Zoom meetings to discuss a range of current issues and challenges to the field. The first event will take place online on Wednesday, October 28th.

Behind the scenes of the 2020 Live Auction broadcast of Pilchuck: Through the Kaleidoscope. Auctioneer Fred
Northup, Jr. and executive director Christopher R. Taylor. © pilchuck glass school

Monday October 26, 2020 | by Andrew Page

Pilchuck's $1.1 million virtual gala is a bright spot in a pandemic-ravaged economy

As the pandemic stretches on, much of the economic news from the glass-art world is more about survival than success. But the impressive auction results from Pilchuck's first-ever virtual annual gala, themed "Through the Kaleidoscope" and held online on October 17th, were something to celebrate. The results were all the more notable because zthe staff of Pilchuck, which in June canceled its 2020 in-person programming, braced themselves for sharply lower gala income for 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic 2019 gala's $1.2 million. And instead of the usual 150 to 200 auction items, they pared this year's offerings down to 96,

Tuesday September 8, 2020 | by Andrew Page

In Memoriam: Robert M. Minkoff (1951 - 2020)

Philanthropist and glass-art collector Robert Minkoff died on Sunday, September 6, 2020, from complications of central nervous system lymphoma, first diagnosed in 2018. Through the Potomac, Maryland-based Robert M. Minkoff Foundation, he funded a number of artist residencies, scholarship programs, and academic conferences, as well as giving to the Jewish Federation and Housing Unlimited, a program that makes it possible for those with mental-health issues to live independently. (Disclosure: The author served as the director of the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation until 2018.)

Charlotte Potter Kasic returned to the Hampton Roads area in January 2020 after three years in Vermont.

Thursday September 3, 2020 | by Andrew Page

Charlotte Potter Kasic named interim director of the Barry Art Museum as founding director Jutta-Annette Page nears retirement

Charlotte Potter Kasic, who returned to Norfolk, Virginia, in January 2020 to become the manager of museum education and engagement at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University, has been named as the museum's interim director as the founding director Jutta-Annette Page is set to retire in October 2020. Kasic is credited with the museum's fluid transition to virtual exhibitions and activities when the pandemic hit, and the institution is now open with limited hours.

Thursday September 3, 2020 | by Andrew Page

IN MEMORIAM: Michael Glancy (1950 - 2020)

Artist and educator Michael Glancy died of complications of lung cancer last Saturday, August 29th. 2020. He passed away at the age of 70 at his summer home in Harwich Port, Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Robin Stengel Glancy; his son Michael Glancy, Jr., daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Little Glancy of Baltimore, Md., and his beloved granddaughters Ella and Mae; as well as his son Robin Peyton Glancy.

Wednesday September 2, 2020 | by Andrew Page

Citing continuing uncertainty around the pandemic, the Glass Art Society postpones 2021 conference, will offer expanded virtual programming

The Glass Art Society has announced it will push its next in-person annual conference from 2021 to 2022, citing the ongoing uncertainty and health risks of Covid-19. After the planned 2020 conference in Småland, Sweden, was recast as a virtual event, attention shifted to the May 2021 conference, which was to mark the 50th anniversary of the artist organization, and had been planned to take place in Tacoma, Washington. Today it was announced that the celebration and the venue will remain the same, but take place on new dates -- May 18 through 21st, 2022 -- pushing the event a year ahead.

Tuesday September 1, 2020 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Fall 2020 edition of Glass (#160)

The Fall 2020 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#160) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes. On the cover is a self-portrait of Corey Pemberton, the cofounder of Crafting the Future, a nonprofit with a mission to expand the pool of artists who work with art from craft media, including glass, so that the field might become more diverse. Since the summer’s protests of police killings sparked a national dialogue about race that has reverberated across society, the art world has been challenged to reflect on how inclusive it has been. In the glass art field, where representation of people of color remains limited at best, it has sparked a necessary and overdue conversation about why racial disparity has persisted in this medium for expression, and what actions can be taken to change that. One focus of this issue of Glass is to illustrate the extent of the problem and to highlight potential paths toward progress, including the notable efforts of Pemberton and Crafting the Future cofounder Annie Evelyn.

Nate Watson is the executive director of Public Glass in San Francisco, as well as an artist, educator, and activist.

Sunday June 28, 2020 | by Andrew Page

INTERVIEW: Nate Watson expands on his public statement on the glass-art field's lack of representation

UPDATED 6/28/20 7 PM In the first weeks of June, as Black Lives Matter protests swept the U.S. and the world, the Glass Art Society received a letter from artist, executive director, and educator Nate Watson, who provided a sharp critique of the glass-art community as a place with a lot of work to do to diversify. The letter was deemed so urgent, GAS published it online in advance of the release of its regularly scheduled newsletter.

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.