HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Winter 2019 edition of Glass (#157)

The Winter 2019 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#157) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes this week. On the cover is a new work by Danny Lane from his brand-new "Carved and Cast" series.

Jessica Loughlin, Receptor Of Light V, 2018. Glass. H 18, W 21, D 7 in. Loughlin's piece won the FUSE Glass Prize in 2018.

Friday November 22, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

CALL FOR ENTRIES: JamFactory seeks Australian and New Zealand applicants for third annual FUSE Glass Prize

JamFactory has announced the dates for its third biennial FUSE Glass Prize, awarded to glass artists in Australia and New Zealand. According to the website, the prize is awarded to artists who "push themselves and their work to new limits" and display "contemporary artistic expression, the outstanding public collections in the region, and the globally connected art glass ecosystem." The prize began in 2016 as a collaboration between JamFactory and glass collectors Jim and Helen Carreker. The winner will be awarded a $20,000 non-acquisitive cash prize. Additionally, the David Henshall Prize Emerging Artist prize will be awarded to a newer artist, who will receive a $2,500 cash prize and a professional residency at JamFactory.

Tansey Contemporary Gallery, which moved from Santa Fe to Denver in 2017, is permanently closing its doors on November 23. source: facebook

Wednesday November 20, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

Tansey Contemporary in Denver to close gallery doors before the end of November

After three years in Denver, Tansey Contemporary is closing its doors. Owners Mike and Jennifer Tansey acquired the gallery in 2013 when they purchased the Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe. Because the couple lived in Evergreen, Colorado, at the time, they transitioned to a second Denver location in 2016. A year later, the Santa Fe location was closed when they realized they couldn’t divide their time or attention. Just before Thanksgiving, they are planning to shut the doors of their Denver location as well, citing the challenge of managing major contemporary art fairs while also running a gallery.

Tuesday November 12, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

Cal Breed's solo exhibition at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts explores his interest in wind and water

Deeply in touch with nature and the elements, Alabama glass artist Cal Breed depicts wind and water in ways both friendly and powerful. Breed has been working in glass since the mid 1990s, when he apprenticed with renowned glass artists such as Cam Langley, Paul Cunningham, Dante Marioni and Lino Tagliapietra. He sought out those experts intentionally, determined to be trained before he started creating on his own. His work has been recognized by the likes of Martha Stewart and Oprah (His Roxy Pitcher was on the "O List" several years ago -- and continues to exhibit a simple grace).

Orange, traditional pumpkins are only one of the styles for sale at the Glass Pumpkin Patch of Carmel, but it's the style where most artists and collectors make their start. courtesy: nick leonoff

Tuesday October 29, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

The Uncanny Power of the Glass Pumpkin: A closer look at an unusual fall tradition that has proved to be a surefire fundraiser

The year was 2007. Thousands of colorful glass pumpkins -- from traditional orange to iridescent rainbow in all different sizes -- glinted in the autumn sun. Just outside the field in Palo Alto, California, a line of eager customers was jockeying for position, waiting for the official start. The pumpkins had been on display all week in advance of the kick-off of Great Glass Pumpkin Patch 2007, but this was the first day of sale. What took place next, according to glass artist Nick Leonoff, could only be described as a “frenzy.”

Friday October 18, 2019 | by Andrew Page

Sheridan College will host event that celebrates its central role in the Netflix "Blown Away" phenomenon

On Saturday, October 19, Sheridan College will host a discussion for media and the public about the successful Netflix reality program "Blown Away," a Canadian-based television production that worked closely with the art college. In an afternoon of discussions and demonstrations at its Oakville, Ontario, campus, Sheridan sees the event as a way "to celebrate our deep connections -- and the fiftieth anniversary of our glassblowing program," as it was explained in the announcement of the event. At 12 noon on October 19, a press-only event will offer interviews with the show's artists Deborah Czereskoand Alexander Rosenberg, as well as assistants Emma McDonald and Alyssa Getz. There will also be high-level representatives from the production staff of the program, as well as the head of the glass program at Sheridan, Koen Vanderstukken, who served as Blown Away's series consultant.

Sibylle Peretti, Snow Child III, 2019. Glass. H 40, W 45, D 20 in. courtesy: huntsville museum of art

Thursday October 17, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

OPENING: In joint museum exhibition, Sibylle Peretti and Stephen Paul Day seek "connections" through shared themes

The work of artists Sibylle Peretti and Stephen Paul Day share a somber beauty and haunting quality, often based on folklore and childhood memories. Featuring over 25 works from the past decade of their careers and several new pieces, the couple's aptly named joint exhibition "Connections" will go on view October 20, 2019, at the Huntsville Museum of Art.

A portrait of the artist by photographer Ele Runge. courtesy: uarts, philadelphia.

Wednesday October 16, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

AWARD: Simone Fezer wins $5,000 University of the Arts Borowsky Prize, will lecture at Philadelphia campus in November

Philadelphia's University of the Arts has announced that artist Simone Fezer is the seventh winner of its annual Irvin Borowsky International Prize in Glass Arts. The prize is awarded to an artist whose work is "conceptually daring, exemplifies technical skill and innovation, and advances the field of contemporary glass," according to the award announcement by UArts. The winner receives a $5,000 award, and gives a lecture at the UArts campus. Fezer, who is based in Germany, plans to do so in November.

$Refract$

Monday October 14, 2019 | by Eve Aaron

Refract Seattle, a four-day festival debuting Thursday, hopes to expand the Northwest glass-art scene into a region-wide art extravaganza

From October 17th through 20th, the glass-art community of artists and institutions throughout the Seattle area are teaming up to host the very first Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience, a four-day festival that has the potential to solidify the Northwest Coast as a center of American glass, and broaden its appeal to the wider public. The festival was spearheaded by Chihuly Gardens and Glass that together with the Glass Art Society, funded a research project exploring the Pacific Northwest region as a major center for glass art. It discovered some 700 artists and over 100 studios working in the material, and identified opportunities to expand awareness and cooperation in the field. Inspired by its research findings , Gardens and Glass joined forces with Visit Seattle, the official tourist partnership, to create Refract.

John Kiley & Dante Marioni, Leaf Halo, 2019. Blown and cut glass. H 15, W 13, D 14 in. courtesy: traver gallery

Thursday October 3, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

OPENING: John Kiley and Dante Marioni's cutaway collaborations, April Surgent's haunting landscapes at Traver

Boldly experimental and technically rigorous are terms that can be applied to the collaborations between John Kiley and Dante Marioni, which are going on view this evening at Traver Gallery. Lino disciples and arguably two of the top American glassblowing masters who have known one another for almost two decades, they first connected in 1991 when Marioni stopped in at the restaurant where Kiley worked wearing a Pilchuk Glass School t-shirt after Kiley had just registered to take a class there.

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.