Viewing: In Memoriam

A sought-after instructor, Signoretto was a regular at Pilchuck, and also taught in Japan. Here he is at Corning, where he was filmed for a documentary by Robin Lehman for his "Glass Masters at Work" series.

Thursday January 4, 2018 | by Andrew Page

In Memoriam: Pino Signoretto (1944 - 2017)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam

One of the most famous and widely hailed glass masters in the world, Pino Signoretto, known for his incredible facility in sculpting from hot glass, died at the age of 74 on December 30th, 2017. Equally comfortable fabricating for international artists such as Salvatore Dali, Kiki Smith, and Jeff Koons, he never abandoned the traditional clowns and other classic Murano figures, which he rendered at larger scale and with greater fluidity than anybody else. A funeral service was held at the church of Santa Maria e San Donato, one of the oldest churches in Venice, on January 3rd, 2018, to honor the man Alfredo Barbini once called the rare type of maestro who comes along once in a century.

Thursday November 30, 2017 | by Angela Laurito

IN MEMORIAM: Zoltan Bohus (1941 - 2017)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam

Zoltan Bohus, a Hungarian pioneer in the field, died of complications due to cancer on November 24th, 2017. He was singularly responsible for establishing glass art in Hungary, and quickly rose to international prominence for his architectonic sculptures of cold-worked glass or remarkable power.

Daphne Farago. courtesy: kate elliott

Friday August 4, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

IN MEMORIAM: Daphne Farago (1924 - 2017)

FILED UNDER: Announcements, In Memoriam, Museums, News

When Daphne Farago, a lifelong benefactor and supporter of Studio Craft, died on July 23rd, 2017, she left her collection of over 100 pieces to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. During her lifetime, Farago donated almost 1,000 objects to the museum, mostly made up of jewelry and textile pieces, though she also donated a substantial amount of ceramics, glass, wood, metal, and folk art. In 2012, she gave the museum their largest donation ever, totaling 161 craft objects. “Mrs. Farago really collected across the spectrum of craft,” Emily Zilber, curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet. “Her gifts have transformed what we do, and have really made craft much more visible at the museum because we have them.”

An influential cast-glass pioneer, the late Normal Courtney touched many lives and helped found Pratt Fine Art Center. courtesy: pratt

Tuesday June 13, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

IN MEMORIAM: Norman Courtney (1947-2017)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam

Norman Courtney, the founder of the glass program at Pratt Fine Art Center and a prominent Seattle artist, passed away in his sleep on April 29, 2017. In his memory, there will be a celebration of his life at Pratt this Saturday, June 17th, from 5 PM to 10 PM. Courtney was best known for being one of the leading figures in the Seattle glass art community during the 1970s, and helped to build Pratt from the ground up in order to bring arts and craftsmanship opportunities at little to no cost to lower-income citizens of Seattle. After Pratt opened in 1979. Courtney taught classes in glassblowing and casting as well as stained glass, and even built much of the equipment. He directed the glass program at Pratt until 1982, after which he remained on the advisory board until 2003. To his friends and family, Courtney was a figure of life, laughter and kindness who lived life to the fullest and cared deeply for his friends and neighbors.

Monday December 12, 2016 | by Vicky Clark

IN MEMORIAM: Ron Desmett (1948-2016)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam

You can’t talk about the late Ron Desmett, who died on December 7th from complications of cancer, without talking about his wife, Kathleen Mulcahy, or vice versa. The two were a team for almost 40 years; both exceptionally talented artists. They were co-founders of the Pittsburgh Glass Center, accomplishing what no one believed possible, a glass arts center that is still thriving. Appropriately they were honored together as PA Artists of the Year in 2013-14.

Klaus Moje in 2015. photo: fotoheidesmith

Saturday October 1, 2016 | by Nola Anderson

IN MEMORIAM: Klaus Moje (1936 - 2016)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam

Klaus Moje passed away in Canberra on September 24, 2016. He is remembered with great fondness by family, friends and colleagues throughout the world. His passion for glass and commitment to sharing its inspiration created bonds that stretched over decades, from his early years in Hamburg, through the heady experimental 1960s and 70s, and on to generations of emerging artists who have pushed the medium beyond all expectations. He will be remembered as a great artist who led by example, setting high standards for himself and always seeing the best in others.

The Glass Workshop circa 1986 (l to r): Richard Whiteley, Velta Vilmanis, Kirstie Rea, and Klaus Moje.

Thursday September 29, 2016 | by Andrew Page

FROM THE MAGAZINE: Looking back at Klaus Moje (1936 – 2016) and his founding of the Canberra program

FILED UNDER: Artist Interviews, Education, In Memoriam, Print Edition

The recent passing of Klaus Moje (1936 - 2016), who died at the age of 79 on September 24, 2016, after a protracted illness, has unleashed a global outpouring of grief and appreciation. Honored for his disciplined approach to technique and visionary work taking kiln-forming into the fine-art realm, Moje's impact on the glass art field is immeasurable. Celebrated as an artist, Moje was also hugely influential as an educator, and created the glass program at the Canberra School of Art, which has since been incorporated into the Australian National University's College of Arts and Social Sciences. Consciously not opening with a hot glass furnace, Moje designed the program in 1982 with a radically different approach than most glass education facilities in the world. In honor of Moje's legacy, the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet is republishing an article from the Spring 2005 print edition (GLASS #98) that provides unique insight into the founding of the Canberra program. In the article below, Moje shares his singular perspective on not just education but what it takes to become an artist.

Sunday February 7, 2016 | by Andrew Page

In Memoriam: Jim Norton (1957 - 2016)

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Education, In Memoriam, News

James "Jim" Norton, who died unexpectedly on January 28, 2016, at the age of 58, was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he studied art and glassblowing, and where he built his career as a glassblower and educator. After studying at the Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD) in Calgary, and the Pilchuk Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, he worked as a glassblowing instructor at ACAD ifrom 1986 until 2014. Norton also led summer workshops at Red Deer College from 1986 until 2005. When not teaching, he could usually be found working in the studio. He assisted in developing Skookum Glass in the 1980s, and opened the Double Struggle Studio in 1985 with Marty Kaufman and continued running the studio with Barry Fairbairn.

Saturday January 16, 2016 | by James Yood

In Memoriam: Marvin Lipofsky (1938 – 2016)

FILED UNDER: Announcements, In Memoriam

Renowned glass sculptor and a pioneer of Studio Glass, Marvin Lipofsky died at his home in Berkeley, California, in the early morning hours of Friday, January 15. He was 77 years old. Lipofsky had been in declining health for the last few years, though visitors to SOFA Chicago this past November will remember his dynamic public presentation at a survey of his work at the booth of Duane Reed Gallery, and his pleasure in holding court on a bench in the art fair’s main aisle, greeting a seemingly endless stream of well-wishers and acquaintances.

Monday September 14, 2015 | by Annette Rose-Shapiro

In Memoriam: John Perreault (1937-2015)

FILED UNDER: In Memoriam, News, Print Edition

John Perreault, the former executive director of UrbanGlass, died on September 6, 2015. from complications of gastrointestinal surgery. He was 78 years old. From 1993 to 1995, Perreault served as artistic director of UrbanGlass, and was appointed executive director in 1995, a position which he maintained until 2002. He was also the curator of the Robert Lehman Gallery at UrbanGlass, as well as the editor of GLASS Quarterly magazine. Perreault was a poet and a painter, but was probably best known as the chief art critic for the Village Voice and SoHo Weekly News, as well as a regular contributor to ARTnews. He was also senior curator at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on State Island, as well as the Everson Museum and the American Craft Museum. Perreault championed many art movements from feminist art to realism, pattern and decoration movement art and performance art. An early translator of conceptual art, his reviews were legendary, and thankfully devoid of “art speak.”

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.