Schantz Galleries now offering residential architectural commissions by James Carpenter

For artist and designer James Carpenter, glass is not a passive, transparent medium. It is a medium capable of being manipulated, either in itself or through architectural elements, to modify natural light, engage viewers, and transform our experience of an interior space and the natural world around it. We see this at play in his large-scale architectural projects like the exterior envelope and lobby of 7 World Trade Center Tower, the campus of the Israel Museum, and the Gucci Asia Headquarters in Tokyo.

Beth Lipman, One Portrait of One Man, 2017. Glass, metal, paint, adhesive. H 120, W 108, D 16 in. courtesy: the artist. photo: weisman art museum, university of minnesota.

Thursday February 1, 2018 | by Allison Adler

EXHIBITION: In a museum commission, Beth Lipman's artistic dialogue with renown American painter Marsden Hartley spans a century

Beth Lipman spent almost ten years planning a commissioned work for the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) that reflects on the paintings of acclaimed American Modernist Marsden Hartley. The invitation came as part of the Minnesota museum's series entitled "Sympathies", in which artists were invited to, in the words of senior curator Diane Mullin, "ponder their own work with and through the work of other artists/makers" in the museum's permanent collection. Mullin has long been an admirer of Lipman's explorations of material culture inspired by the 17th-century Still Life tradition, and chose her because of "the manner in which she entwine[s] material, history and biography in her salient objects and arrangements."

Justin Ginsberg, Catching Glass Formed by Water #1, 2016. Glass. H 7 in, W 9 in, D 6 ½ in. Courtesy: Traver Gallery.

Tuesday January 30, 2018 | by Valerie Hughes

OPENING: Justin Ginsberg puts glass inquiries on display in Traver exhibit opening February 1

Justin Ginsberg has always been one to push the limits of glass and his upcoming exhibit, “LIQUID / ROPE / COILING” at Traver Gallery is no exception. It features a multitude of works from the past seven years, including drawings, videos, and glass pieces that were conducted during residencies at The Museum of Glass, S12 Studios, the Pilchuck Glass School, and the Toyama Institute of Glass. The exhibit opens on Thursday, February 1, 2018 and concludes on Saturday, March 31, 2018. The artist will attend the opening night from 5 PM -8 PM. Since 2013, Ginsberg has also been the head of the glass area at the University of Texas in Arlington, as well as an assistant professor of practice there.

Scholarship applications for the Pilchuck Glass School's Summer and Fall 2018 sessions are due on February 1st. courtesy: pilchuck glass school.

Friday January 26, 2018 | by Malcolm Morano

Only five days left to apply for a Pilchuck Summer 2018 scholarship

Pilchuck Glass School is offering a robust series of scholarships for its Summer 2018, and week-long Fall 2018, sessions. Due by midnight – Pacific time – on February 1st, scholarship applications will put students in consideration for general scholarships, a long list of specialized scholarships, and two incredible artistic merit scholarship opportunities: a residency at Norway’s S12 Open Access Studio and Gallery, and a multi-week live/work program in the glassmaking Mecca of Murano, Italy (supported by Laguna B).

Laura Donefer, Todesmarche Revisited, 2013. Cast glass and concrete. W 180 in. courtesy: alfstad& contemporary.

Monday January 22, 2018 | by Valerie Hughes

EXHIBITION: Laura Donefer's meditation on historical suffering is on view in "Shine the Light"

While glass artist Laura Donefer's works had dealt with violent themes in the past, their severity and scope reached new heights in her 2013 work, Todesmarche Revisited. The 15-foot long glass and cement work is comprised of approximately 900 cast glass feet, commemorating the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust through a reference to the eponymous Nazi Todesmarche, or "Death March." It can now be seen again at Alfstad& Contemporary of Sarasota, Florida, as part of the exhibition, "Shine the Light." The show recontextualizes Donefer's monumental work with photography by Charlotte Schmitz, and a film by Deborah Haber and Dave Marshall, each exploring persecuted voices of the past and present. It was curated by Deborah Haber of DEEP Arts, a non-profit arts organization focused on promoting new work, and runs through February 2nd. On Wednesday, January 24 at 4pm and Friday, January 26 at 6:15pm, Haber and Donefer will be discussing "Shine the Light" as part of Alfstad& Contemporary's Artist Talks Series.

Steven Durow, Mother’s Desk, 2017. Kiln-cast and Hot-sculpted glass. H 36, W 42, D 22 in.

Saturday January 20, 2018 | by Angela Laurito

EXHIBITION: Steven Durow confronts personal childhood trauma as artistic inspiration for "Heartland" decades later

FILED UNDER: Exhibition

Do vivid recreations of traumatic events help us to recover from them? Artist Steven Durow contemplated this for about 20 years prior to the debut of his exhibition “Heartland” now at Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. Each piece serves as specific testimony to abuse suffered by the artist during his developmental years.…

Thursday January 11, 2018 | by Andrew Page

HELP WANTED: The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass seeks full-time assistant curator

FILED UNDER: Help Wanted, Museums

The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah, Wisconsin, is seeking a graduate-degreed candidate with museum experience to fill the open position of assistant curator. With a wide range of responsibilities -- from maintaining exhibit records to assisting in their organization, from overseeing exhibit installation to managing the museum's collections database, from maintaining donor records to engaging visitors through tours and written materials -- this full-time position that reports to the museum's executive director, Jan Smith, requires a masters degree in art, art history, museum studies, or related experience, as well as demonstrated ability in the Past Perfect museum collection management software.

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.

An architectural rendering of the Glassbarge concept. courtesy: the corning museum of glass

Tuesday January 2, 2018 | by Joseph Modica

The Corning Museum of Glass to mark 150th anniversary of move from Brooklyn with glassblowing along Erie Canal, Hudson River

In honor of the 150th anniversary of its move from Brooklyn, New York, to the Finger Lakes region of New York State, The Corning Museum of Glass will launch a mobile, all-electric glassblowing canal boat that will showcase the hot glass process to audiences along the Hudson River and Erie Canal. The event is designed to commemorate the 1868 relocation of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company to Corning, New York. The company shipped its industrial glassblowing equipment piece-by-piece via canal barge to its new home in Corning, New York, where it grew into the international corporation Corning, Inc., which is the main funder of The Corning Museum of Glass. A four-month celebration of this 19th-century move is planned with glassblowing demonstrations along this famous canal route that will not only mark the historic anniversary, but also serve to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Erie Canal, which opened in 1817, transforming transportation and making New York City the leading port in the United State

Pilchuck 2017 Emerging Artists in Residence Lydia Boss and Morgan Gilbreath. courtesy: pilchuck glass school

Monday December 18, 2017 | by Joseph Modica

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Pilchuck's emerging-artist residency program seeks applicants for Fall 2018

Pilchuck is now accepting applications for its Fall 2018 "Emerging Artists in Residence" program. Successful applicants will head to Stanwood, Washington, which runs from September 17th through November 9th, receive a $1,000 stipend, studio space, kiln access, cold-working equipment, and room and board. The deadline to apply is January 9, 2018.

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.