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Laura Kramer with Pyrophyllite (2015) at the opening reception of her Heller Gallery exhibition. photo: gabi gimson

Tuesday May 30, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

CONVERSATION: Laura Kramer mines her archaeologist past in works unearthed from creative depths

FILED UNDER: Artist Interviews, Exhibition, New Work

On a deep-sea archaeological excavation in the Caribbean, designer and glass artist Laura Kramer discovered that she was perhaps too invested in the aesthetic form of each artifact. In the process of cleaning a find, Kramer labored assiduously over the excavated object almost as if each was an individual work of art rather than an objective relic of past civilizations. Her temptation to influence the aesthetic presentation of these pieces helped her decide not to continue her career as an archeologist.

Matthew Szösz, untitled (inflatable) no.73, 2017. H 12 1/2 W 7 D 8 in. Glass. courtesy: Wheaton Arts

Monday May 29, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

OPENING: Second “Emanation” at WheatonArts harnesses synergy between fabrication and concept

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Events, Exhibition, Museums, New Work, News, Opening

WheatonArts in Millville, New Jersey, is preparing to unveil its second “Emanation” exhibition during its long-running GlassWeekend event, a biennial gathering of collectors and artists to celebrate, discuss, buy and sell glass artwork coming up on June 9, 10 and 11, 2017. WheatonArts is a multi-dimensional nonprofit in Southern New Jersey, with programs ranging from a museum of American glass history to programming celebrating regional folk culture. But “Emanation,” initiated in 2015, is focused on the contemporary moment in art through an ambitious program to break down the barriers between fabricators and contemporary artists, something that other programs such as the high-profile Glasstress program by Berengo Studio in Venice don't directly address. Unlike that program, which brings well-known artists to Venice to have their ideas realized by glass masters, the "Emanation" project is based in the studios of WheatonArts' Creative Glass Center of America, best-known for its long-running fellowship program that allows artists free rein to realize experimental ideas at this unique facility. The New Jersey project is careful to avoid the one-way street of becoming a fabrication station. There are multiple efforts to create synergy between the artists and the facility, including during the installation of the exhibition component. The artists chosen for the second iteration of "Emanation" -- Emily Brown, Vanessa German, Michael Joo, Lorna Simpson, Therman Statom, Matthew Szösz, and the group Flock the Optic -- reveal varying levels of technical expertise working with glass, which creates interactions that cross-pollinate between artists approaching the project with different perspectives.

The exterior of Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle as pictured on its website.

Wednesday May 24, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

SCHOLARSHIP: Chihuly Garden and Glass offers $10,000 for Seattle-area emerging glass artist

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Call for Submissions, Education, News

In honor of its fifth anniversary, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the for-profit long-term Chihuly exhibition in Seattle Center, is offering a $10,000 scholarship for an emerging glass artist in the Seattle region to take classes at either Pilchuck Glass School or Pratt Fine Arts Center. The program is offered in conjunction with the Chihuly Studio. Though announced through Facebook and a press release, information on how to apply for this opportunity hasn't been easy to locate. The application is on the Garden and Glass website, but only under "Events," where it comes up at the bottom of an article about the organization's fifth-anniversary activities. Still, this is a generous opportunity, one of a series of initiatives to give back to the glass art community, and worthy of attention for every Seattle-area glass artist who fits the criteria.

The cover of the upcoming edition of New Glass Review features work by Thaddeus Wolfe.

Tuesday May 23, 2017 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Summer 2017 edition of GLASS (#147)

FILED UNDER: Announcements, New Work, News, Print Edition

The Summer 2017 edition of GLASS: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#147) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes next week. Once again, GLASS is partnering with The Corning Museum of Glass to distribute the latest edition of its annual exhibition-in-print, New Glass Review (#38), which is bundled with the summer issue of GLASS magazine at no extra charge to subscribers (newsstand copies carry an increased cover price for the special bonus issue). On the front of the new edition of GLASS is a striking work in neon and paint by celebrated American artist Glenn Ligon investigates issues of racial identity, American history, as well as the nature of language itself. The 2012 work Double America, features the word "America" shown twice, in white neon and inverted and painted black, creating a powerful graphic that challenges the nation's ideals and aspirations at a time when the country is so profoundly divided.

2016 TIGA Artist-in-Residence, Matthew Szösz, Ampere's Law. glass fiber. courtesy: artist website.

Tuesday May 23, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Toyama, Japan, glass program’s artist-in-residence program open to applicants

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Call for Submissions

The Toyama City Institute of Glass Art (TIGA) is now accepting applications for its sought-after artist-in-residence program, set to take place October 19 to November 29, 2017. Each year, TIGA selects one artist of any glassmaking discipline to work and live for six weeks in Toyama, Japan, aptly dubbed “Glass Town”—a seaside city with a 400 year-old crafts tradition. TIGA’s artist-in-residence program was established in 2010 to invigorate the local community and promote Toyama’s rich cultural and arts heritage. Former artists-in-residence, selected from an international and diverse group of applicants, include Anna Mlasowsky (2011), Ethan Stern (2012), Ben Wright (2013), Pavlina Cambalova (2015), and Matthew Szösz (2016). The current faculty includes head professor Jin Hongo and associate professor Amy Rueffert.

rendering of the Chihuly Sanctuary. courtesy: Buffet Cancer Center website.

Friday May 19, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

OPENING: Chihuly Sanctuary lends comfort to patients at Buffett Cancer Center

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Architecture, New Work, News, Public Art

This afternoon, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, Nebraska, will unveil The Chihuly Sanctuary—an extensive installation, featuring more than 200 original works by lauded glass maestro, Dale Chihuly. The sanctuary is a keystone of the Healing Arts Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine. and was made possible by a lead gift from Omaha philanthropists, Walter Scott and his late wife, Suzanne. The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center began construction in 2010 thanks to a major donation by Pamela Buffet and her late husband Fred, a relative of billionaire and Omaha native, Warren Buffet. Fred Buffett died of complications from kidney cancer in 1997. The 615,000-square-foot building cost $323 million to construct and is set to open its doors to patients in June.

Laura Kramer, Georgia, 2017. Glass. H 8 W 11 D 13 in. courtesy: heller gallery

Thursday May 18, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

OPENING: Laura Kramer blends glass with objects from nature in new work debuting at Heller Gallery

FILED UNDER: Exhibition, New Work, Opening

One of New York’s leading glass art institutions, Heller Gallery presents an exhibition featuring works by artist and designer, Laura Kramer, who synthesizes natural forms and uncommon objects in glass to "explore the liminal." Since 2000, Kramer has created intriguing glass sculptures from found curios and organic objects, like wasp nests and barnacles. Her objects explore the hybridization of fine art and natural findings, mimicking shapes and textures found in the natural world while defying any accepted system of classification.

courtesy: www.vermontglassguild.com/events

Tuesday May 16, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

OPENING: Vermont Glass Guild members unveil new work in second annual exhibition

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, Image Gallery, New Work, Opening

UPDATED 5/18/2017

courtesy of yaya website

Tuesday May 16, 2017 | by Lindsay Hargrave

Artist James Vella named glass studio manager of New Orleans nonprofit program

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Education, News

New Orleans-based artist James Vella, known for his strikingly realistic glass trout and delicate goblets, has assumed the position of glass studio manager as of May 1, 2017, at YAYA (Young Aspirations Young Artists), a New Orleans-nonprofit that offers classes and after school programs to local children and teenagers. Vella's full-time position will be responsible for duties formerly filled by two part-time employees, and this expanded role was developed in response to the organization’s growing audience and educational ventures in the New Orleans community.

Leana Quade, Release (video still), 2017. Glass panel and strap. courtesy: artist website.

Thursday May 11, 2017 | by Gabi Gimson

OPENING: Leana Quade’s anxiety-producing experimental glass projects on view in Pittsburgh exhibit

FILED UNDER: Curiosities, Exhibition, New Work, News

The Pittsburgh Glass Center has unveiled an exhibition by glass artist and self-proclaimed mad scientist, Leana Quade, best-known for her coiled glass springs and shattering a flat piece of tempered glass by ratcheting it into a tighter and tighter curve until it explodes. You can experience the nerve-rattling effect of her performance piece Release (2017) in the video below.

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.