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Urban Glass

Viewing: In Memoriam

Thursday August 6, 2015 | by Susanne Frantz

In Memoriam: Yoriko Mizuta (1956 – 2015)
FILED UNDER: In Memoriam, Museums, News
The glass world lost an exceptional scholar and advocate with the passing of Yoriko Mizuta who succumbed to cancer on August 3, 2015. She was 59 years old. As a long-time curator at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, Mrs. Mizuta was a key organizer of the triennial series of exhibitions “World Glass Now” which ran from 1982 to 1994. Those international overviews helped garner early attention to the contemporary glass art of Japan. Instead of indefinitely continuing those broad surveys, in 1997 she partnered with the Kunstmuseum Dusseldorf and The Corning Museum of Glass to present 20 artists from nine countries in an exhibition entitled “The Glass Skin.” The premise was to focus on glass as a literal and metaphorical surface, barrier, and crossing point. In addition to exploring the skin theme the show’s three co-curators hoped to encourage more exhibitions united first and foremost by an idea rather than simply a common material.

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Richard Royle, Habatat Galleries
courtesy: the artist

Wednesday June 3, 2015 | by Alexander Charnov

In Memoriam: Michael Nourot (1949-2015)
FILED UNDER: In Memoriam, News
Glassblower Michael Nourot, who, with his wife, Ann Corcoran, operated Nourot Glass Studio in Benicia, California, from 1974 to 2012, died on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the age of 66. At the start of his prolific 40-year career, Nourot attended the first session of the now-iconic Pilchuck Glass School, where he worked closely with founders Dale Chihuly and James Carpenter. In his glassblowing studio, Nourot went on the make decorative glass works, some of which were presented to popes and presidents, according to the studio website.

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Tuesday December 3, 2013 | by Andrew Page

GALLERY: Scenes from the Jonathan Christie Memorial Event
FILED UNDER: Image Gallery, In Memoriam, News
Billed as "A Celebration of Jon's Life and Achievements," a memorial event took place at the Chihuly Boathouse on Sunday Oct 20th from 11 AM to 2 PM, where the Evelyn Room and Hot Shop were open to friends, family, and well-wishers honoring the memory of the late Jonathan Christie (1968 – 2013). Organized by Jonathan's father, David, the event also saw the launch of a 24-page book entitled Remembering Jon that includes a 9-minute DVD focusing on the evolution of Lyrical Light (2006). Weighing two tons, and made up of more than 300 individual glass horns, the large-scale public artwork is installed at a Jacksonville performing arts center and represents the pinacle of the late artist's output in terms of size and technical complexity. The video was edited down from the 60-minute documentary entitled "Glass Ceiling" that was produced by the local public television station in Florida.

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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.