Viewing: News

Rachel Owens, Queens Giant no. 5 (Oldest Being in NYC), 2017. Broken glass cast in resin with steel. H 93, W 19, D 55 in. courtesy: ziehersmith, new york

Thursday March 23, 2017 | by Andrew Page

Rachel Owens’ majestic works in cast resin and glass explore globalization and endurance

FILED UNDER: Exhibition, New Work, News

Rachel Owens, whose previous solo exhibit at Zieher Smith Gallery in New York's Chelsea neighborhood was a pointed critique of consumer culture, turns her sharp eye (and shards of broken glass) to the pre-European American landscape, global glass production, and New York City history in a new body of shattered glass and cast resin sculptures. The exhibition, titled "Mother," is the product of taking molds of a 400-year-old tree in the Queens borough of New York City. Owens uses these molds to render sides of the trunk of the oldest-living being in the city in a wide palette chosen from shattered glass from surplus supplies of cheaply made bottles from China. Her work is an homage to the longevity of the tree, which likely predates the arrival of the first Europeans, and brings an environmental component in its reference to American colonization being driven partly by the overuse of natural resources such as wood in Europe. Owens' glass and resin creations soar skyward in a defiant majesty, limited only by the reach of the artist's arms in making the molds of her arboreal subject.

Pilchuck announces its 2017 John H. Hauberg Fellows, Tempestuous Commons. courtesy: pilchuck glass school.

Wednesday March 15, 2017 | by Malcolm Morano

Pilchuck announces a female-focused multi-media collaborative as 2017 Hauberg Fellows

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Fellowship, News

Pilchuck Glass School has announced its 2017 John H. Hauberg Fellowship recipients, a group called Tempestuous Commons, who plan to “explore the female form as a narrative tool for expression,” according to the announcement. Tempestuous Commons, a newly formed group of emerging artists working largely in mixed-media sculpture, is comprised of Ashley Berkman, Jade Usackas, Kelsie McNair, and Nadira Narine. Their Pilchuck residency, which provides living accommodations and access to all Pilchuck studios except its hot glass shop, will take place from April 26th to May 12th, 2017.

Tyler MFA graduate and faculty member Amber Cowan is the event's featured artist.

Tuesday March 14, 2017 | by Andrew Page

Co-chair Amy Lemaire talks about the more academic line-up at the 2017 Flameworking Conference

FILED UNDER: Education, Events, News

The upcoming international flameworking conference, which will run from March 24th through 26th at Salem Community College in Carney's Point, New Jersey, will be the 17th gathering of artists specializing in borosilicate glass. It will also mark a notable shift as many of the featured speakers and demonstrators are graduates of fine-art-degree programs, including the featured artist Amber Cowan. Throughout the programming of the three-day event which has recently featured highly skilled flameworkers such as Eusheen Goines (2016), Vittorio Costantini (2013), Loren Stump (2007), Cesare Toffolo (2004), a decidedly more academic tone is notable, starting with the opening-night lecture on the history of flameworking courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass's reference librarian Beth Hylen joined by the museum's properties of glass programs supervisor Eric Goldschmidt. Featured artist Amber Cowan not only holds an MFA in glass and ceramics from Tyler School of Art of Temple University, but is also on faculty. Other presenters include Beccy Feather, Jacob Moskowitz, Zach Puchowitz, Ryan Tanner, and Kim Thomas, all of whom studied art at the university level. The GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet checked in with conference co-chair Amy LeMaire to learn more about the lineup for the 2017 event.

Inside the Denver gallery, billed as the "flagship" location of Tansey Contemporary.

Tuesday March 7, 2017 | by Andrew Page

Santa Fe’s Tansey Contemporary opens new “flagship” location in Denver, Colorado

FILED UNDER: Announcements, News

When Jane Sauer Gallery, a Santa Fe outpost for ambitious art from craft materials including glass, was acquired by Jennifer and Michael Tansey in 2013, the Denver-based couple renamed it Tansey Contemporary but maintained relationships with most of its artists. Today, the Tanseys have opened the doors of a second, larger gallery space at 1743 Wazee Street in Denver, Colorado, which they are referring to as their "flagship" and headquarters where the owners will direct an "international expansion." Although this might sound overly ambitious given the challenging economy for work in glass, keep in mind that the gallery's co-owner Michael Tansey is also the chairman and owner of Art Miami, LLC, which runs not only the biggest Art Basel Miami Beach satellite fair each December but several other important art fairs in the New York and Palm Beach markets. The Santa Fe location will remain open on Canyon Road.

James Mongrain with his 2016 Arcobaleno Series.

Thursday March 2, 2017 | by Awura Barnie-Duah

EXHIBITION: James Mongrain celebrates the glory of Venetian glassblowing at the Museum of Glass

FILED UNDER: Artist Interviews, Exhibition, Museums, News

Towering, taut, and ornate, 130 exquisitely blown glass works are currently on view at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, where they will remain through October 15, 2017. These are the fruits of a four-year collaboration between master glassblower James Mongrain and patron and prominent collector George R. Stroemple. Organized into four groupings entitled the Adriatico, Atlantis, Poseidon, and Arcobaleno series, the works result from Mongrain's extremely disciplined approach to traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques, and represent his response to the more than one hundred 19th-century Venetian glass objects in Stroemple's collection, which are also displayed in the exhibition. This show is an homage to the traditions that inspired Mongrain to devote his career to mastery of the techniques and aesthetic rules of this historic high-water mark for glassblowing skill.

The cover of GLASS: Virtual, Real scheduled to be published in Fall 2016.

Tuesday February 21, 2017 | by Andrew Page

GLASS Magazine gets a new look, rolls out redesign in celebration of 40th anniversary of UrbanGlass

FILED UNDER: Announcements, News, Print Edition

The Spring 2017 edition of GLASS: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#146), on its way to newsstands and subscriber mailboxes, sports a new look. Completely redesigned in honor of the 40th anniversary of its parent, UrbanGlass, the new issue features an updated graphic style with fresh type treatments, more abundant white space, and an increase in photographs of individual artists as well as their work. It's the first major update to the magazine's design since 2003 and reflects the keen insights of the magazine’s longtime art directors, Stephanie and John Stislow, who for more than a decade have been honing the visual presentation of articles by some of the top arts writers to illuminate their critical insights.

Tobias Klein, Virtual Sunset II, 2013. Installation. courtesy: the artist

Tuesday February 21, 2017 | by Hailey Clark

The 2017 lineup of Pilchuck artists in residence links up with the theme of each summer session

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Education, News

A mix of artists, designers, and new-technology innovators have been invited to travel to the remote Stanwood, Washington, campus of Pilchuck this summer as part of the glass school's annual artists-in-residence program. These residents will explore how glass might dovetail with their own artistic vision, and will be assisted by highly-skilled glass gaffers. In the process, their presence is designed to act as a creative catalyst for the unique mix of students who come together each summer, drawn by this legendary school's unique approach to exploring expression and artistic exchange through the material of glass. Since being named permanent artistic director of the program in 2013, visual artist and educator Tina Aufiero has designed each summer's program, and she selected this year's artists in residence and instructors. (For an in-depth profile of Aufiero, see the Winter 2016-17 edition of GLASS (#145).)

The glass art museum in Ebeltoft, Denmark, will showcase emerging talent in juried exhibition. courtesy: museum website

Friday February 17, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

Danish glass museum exhibit to feature “Young Glass” competition finalists

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Award, Exhibition, Museums, News

On June 10, 2017, the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark will open an exhibit of work by the finalists in its fourth Young Glass competition. Since it was initiated by this museum of glass art in 1987, the juried once-a-decade competition has strived to promote and reward emerging talent in the medium. Four cash prizes totaling €42,000 (approx. $45,000 US) and two artist residencies will be awarded to the winners.

Butterfly Panels by Mark Ditzler

Thursday February 16, 2017 | by Awura Barnie-Duah

The Studio at Corning announces roster of 2017 artist residents

FILED UNDER: Announcements, News

The Corning Museum of Glass has released the line-up for its 2017 Artists-in-Residence program, and the list includes Martin Janecky, Judy Tuwaletstiwa & Michael Rogers, Claire Kelly, Karlyn Sutherland, Marina Hanser, Anna Riley, Mark Ditzler & Wayne Strattman, Elinor Portnoy, and Wendy Yothers & François Arnaud.

Dante Marioni

Thursday February 16, 2017 | by Andrew Page

A new student film provides insight into the Seattle glass scene

FILED UNDER: News, Video

The lighting during interviews could be a little brighter, and viewers might wish for more context on the changing marketplace for glass art, but a short documentary just posted to YouTube by a freshman at Oberlin College offers an insightful look at the contemporary Seattle glass scene. The last name of the aspiring filmmaker -- Mahlon "Dizzy" Farbanish -- provides a clue to how he got access to Dante Marioni, Preston Singletary, Janusz Pozniak, and Paul Cunningham. But the deft editing and crisp camera work are solely the work of the precocious younger Farbanish, who became fascinated by video editing when he began putting together videos of his and his friends' skateboarding exploits, which led him to take film classes in high school, and attend a summer workshop to further hone his skills. The short film holds together well, and its professional qualities don't betray that it's a student project.

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.