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Justin Ginsberg, Spirit of Unrest, 2017. Found chair, glass. Dimensions vary. courtesy: the artist

Thursday August 3, 2017 | by Stella Porter

OPENING: Justin Ginsberg challenges complacency in S12 residency culminating in exhibit

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, New Work, Opening

A new show at S12 Gallery this month will see experimental glass artist Justin Ginsberg using household objects to explore a personal issue: the constraints of domesticity. Opening on August 4th, "Considerations and Ants" features a series of drawings, installations, videos, and objects created over the course of a summer-long residency at the Norwegian studio and gallery. Though this marks something of an aesthetic break from the artist's past work, the new exhibition continues his efforts to challenge viewers' assumptions about common structures by confronting the limitations the home can impose on freedom -- both as a physical cage and a source of financial confinement.

Matthew Szösz, Ouroboros, 2017. Fused glass. H 24, W 24, D 15 in. courtesy: traver gallery

Wednesday August 2, 2017 | by Stella Porter

OPENING: Traver Gallery turns focus to boldly experimental work in two new exhibitions

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, New Work, News, Opening

Traver Gallery in Seattle is honoring its historical lineage with its 40th anniversary group exhibition this month, but the focus of its two upcoming exhibits in August is decidedly forward-looking. Straying from its long history as a premier gallery for top-tier glass artists such as Lino Tagliapietra, Traver Gallery will open two exhibits by experimental artists this evening, timed to the opening of the Seattle Art Fair. John Kiley, known for his intense style of breaking glass, will open alongside artist couple Matthew Szosz and Anna Mlasowsky, who push the limitations of the material through the unconventionality of their work. This is the couple's first exhibit at Traver Gallery.

Mia Hall. courtesy: penland school of crafts

Tuesday July 25, 2017 | by Stella Porter

Penland’s new director, artist and educator Mia Hall, sees craft as critical to contemporary culture

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Education, News

Artist and professor Maria “Mia” Hall will bring her respect for the importance of craftmaking in contemporary culture when she takes over for the retiring Jean McLaughlin as director of the Penland School of Crafts in January 2018. “This is a lifelong dream. I couldn’t ask for anything better,” she told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet by telephone. “I’ve always been struck by everything there. It’s such a concentration of talent and innovation, and that has always been really fascinating for me,” she added. The craft school, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, has selected Hall to become the director at the start of 2018. She will succeed longtime director McLaughlin who made many important changes to the institution, including a large studio renovation project and an endowment increase from $2 million when she started in 1998 to $17 million today.

Jeff Zimmerman, Unique crystal vessel in hand-blown glass with mirrorized interior, 2017. L 14.5" W 9" H 8" courtesy: R & Company

Monday July 24, 2017 | by Stella Porter

OPENING: Jeff Zimmerman’s signature fluidity evolves into new chiseled forms

FILED UNDER: Design, Exhibition, New Work, News

Glass artist Jeff Zimmerman continues to skirt the line between art and design with his work included in a summer group exhibition at design gallery R & Company. The exhibit will remain on view through August 17 and is notable for some strikingly fresh geometric work for an artist known for fluid, kinetic forms.

Joe BenVenuto, Vessel, 2016.

Sunday July 16, 2017 | by Stella Porter

Seattle glass community unites to fund alternative cancer treatments for Joe BenVenuto

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Auction, News

Friends and colleagues of Joe BenVenuto are uniting to help the glass artist as he explores alternative treatments for anaplastic astrocytoma, a brain cancer with which he was diagnosed last year. BenVenuto has undergone a round of radiation and chemotherapy treatment, but he must now seek non-traditional treatments to mitigate the growth of the tumor for as long as possible.BenVenuto is looking into alternative treatments such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and other holistic treatments in the U.S. and abroad. But some of the costs of radiation and chemotherapy as well as alternative treatments are not covered by his insurance, leaving him to shoulder the cost on his own. Hoping to give Joe a chance to recover without being limited financially, his friends at Preston Singletary Studio decided to help. The studio will host a benefit open to the public with a silent auction at Traver Gallery in July. His friends are also raising money through an online donation page.

Pae White, Qwalala, 2017. Hand-cast glass, structural sealant. H 7.9, L 246, W varies. photo: Enrico Fiorese

Tuesday July 11, 2017 | by Stella Porter

Timed to the Venice Biennale, American Pae White’s project mixes architecture and glass art

FILED UNDER: New Work, News, Public Art

American artist Pae White’s newest work, Qwalala, is at once a visceral experience of color and a carefully crafted work of architecture. The outdoor installation, measuring 246-feet-long and almost 8-feet in height, is made of thousands of glass bricks winding in a snake-like form. The public art piece was installed to coincide with the Venice Biennale, and is part of a city-wide series of outdoor exhibitions across Venice, and was commissioned by Le Stanze del Vetro (which translates into “rooms for glass” in English), where it opened on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

courtesy: Echard Wheeler

Friday July 7, 2017 | by Stella Porter

EXCLUSIVE: Charlotte Potter leaving the Chrysler to focus on family and her personal art practice

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Artist Interviews, Help Wanted, Museums, News

After playing a major role in bringing the 2017 Glass Art Society Conference to Norfolk, Virginia, last month, Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio manager and program director Charlotte Potter is heading for the exits. Potter told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet that she plans to leave the job she's held since 2011. Potter, whose leadership put the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio on the glass-art map, plans to move back to her home state of Vermont by November. There she will focus on raising her newborn daughter and continue to pursue her successful art practice. Though it hasn't yet launched an official job search for Potter's replacement, the Chrysler Museum of Art is starting the process of finding a new glass studio manager and programming director to take over Potter's important role running the studio, which itself is in the process of being expanded in response to its considerable success drawing crowds and attention.

courtesy: Tyler School of Art

Thursday June 29, 2017 | by Stella Porter

HELP WANTED: Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia is looking for an assistant professor of glass

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

The Tyler School of Art at Temple University is searching for a full-time non-tenure-track assistant professor for its glass program. Candidates with mastery of traditional and contemporary glass techniques should apply by July 12, 2017, to receive priority. The ideal applicant would be able to teach a range of courses from introductory to advanced and conduct research-based classes that are both conceptual and experimental. Applicants should also have produced work shown in national exhibitions and demonstrate a passion for teaching their skill.

Noel Hart, Waiting for a twenty eight parrot, 2017. Handblown glass. H 16.5, W 13 H 3 in. courtesy: the artist

Thursday June 29, 2017 | by Stella Porter

OPENING: At Tansey Santa Fe, Noel Hart takes flight in colorful new works referencing bird plumage

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, New Work

Noel Hart’s solo exhibition, entitled “The Rewilding,” will open at Tansey Contemporary's Santa Fe location on July 7th. The Australian artist's latest work reveals an evolution toward more transparency, a greater sheen to the glass, as well as more depth to the individual works. Inspired by his close observations of the bird life in the backyard of his home in the Australian rainforest, which is teeming with birds and is a showcase of biodiversity and species interaction.This daily intimacy with biological diversity has led to increasingly vibrant artworks. “He’s going into a more sculptural direction," said Tilly Badham, marketing director for Tansey Contemporary, in a telephone interview with the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet. The new work also has a glassy transparent finish rather than an etched finish.” Hart, who was showing at Jane Sauer Gallery before it was purchased by Tansey four years ago, sees an increase in scale, and confident approach to color that betrays Hart's training as a painter.

Richard Royal, Optical Lens Series (untitled), 2017. Blown glass. H 18, W 18, D 18 in. courtesy: the artist.

Friday June 16, 2017 | by Stella Porter

Richard Royal, fusing math and art, to headline the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s fundraiser

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Artist Interviews, Auction, Education, News

The Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) will feature Richard Royal at its annual Art on Fire celebration and auction this September, coinciding with his residency at PGC. Royal, a former gaffer for Dale Chihuly at the Pilchuck Glass School, creates art fueled by his interest in the math inherent in nature, and he is drawn to the geometric possibilities of the material, as well as its optical properties. He's been blowing glass for more than 30 years and combines both blown and solid glass elements in his internationally recognized and highly photogenic work. Royal’s art has been on exhibit at the Mint Museum of Art and Design, the High Museum, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, among others. Royal is a prolific teacher, including a regular at the Pilchuck School. He has also taught before at PGC. As honorary artist, one piece of Royal’s work from his optical lens series will be for sale at the auction.

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.