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Sunday June 19, 2016 | by Andrew Page

Reporter shatters misconception of fragility on longest glass footbridge set to open in China

FILED UNDER: Architecture, Design, News, Video

It would take extraordinary strength to breach three sheets of glass laminated together with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), yet high-profile structural applications, such as high-altitude footbridges in China, continue to awe the public who associate glass with fragility and a tendency to shatter. In an effort to dispell this unwarranted fear of walking on glass, a BBC reporter was invited to try to break a structural glass panel shortly before the opening of the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge, which is expected to open in July 2016 in Zhangjiajie, China.

Laura Donefer revels in the love her fashion show unleashes in the glass community. photo: dave hickie

Wednesday June 15, 2016 | by Andrew Page

GALLERY: Four-years-in-the-making, Laura Donefer’s glass fashion show at Corning GAS raises the bar

FILED UNDER: Image Gallery, New Work, News

Since her very first glass fashion show in Toronto in 1989, artist Laura Donefer has been cajoling artists to don costumes celebrating their imaginations and their material, which they then parade before an adoring crowd of fellow artists. For the closing-night party of the 2016 Glass Art Society conference last Saturday night, Donefer pulled out all the stops, memorializing the late rock stars Prince and David Bowie in a tightly choreographed sequence of moveable art and music as artists walked the catwalk set up at The Corning Museum of Glass auditorium. Because of the massive crowd of attendees, and a limit of 800 seats in the auditorium, there were two shows for the first time in the 27-year history of Donefer's productions. While the fashion extravaganza generates massive amounts of excitement, attention, and affection for Donefer, the Canadian artist says the epic event does not directly link up with her personal art practice.

Gallery Elena Lee

Tuesday June 7, 2016 | by Sarah Canny

Taking on new partners, a Montreal glass gallery finds a connection to a younger generation

FILED UNDER: News

Elena Lee, owner of the longtime Montreal gallery that bears her name, recently turned 74 years old. Aware of a new set of skills needed for success in the new world of social media, as well as the ever-growing number of galleries closing, Lee recently decided to take on two co-owners to help share her workload and finances. Her plan is to sell Elena Lee, but first, she must pass on her knowledge, expertise, and collection to her new partners. Florie Guerin and Pierre Boudreau are two young devotees of glass, well versed in the realm of art, ready to take on the flaming torch that Elena is eventually planning on handing them.

Friday June 3, 2016 | by Andrew Page

OPENING: Glass Wheel Studio showcases work by members of its 2016 Studio Artist Program in Virginia

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, New Work, Opening

Since opening in November 2015 in a 8,500-square-foot space in downtown Norfolk, Virginia, Glass Wheel Studio has offered exhibition galleries and affordable studio spaces to artists working in all materials but especially glass, a material that has received special focus in this town thanks to the bold programming and outreach of the Chrysler Museum of Art glass studio. In fact, the first 13 artists admitted to the nonprofit Glass Wheel Studio's "immersive studio practice program," includes several artists with connections to the museum's glass department, including its director Charlotte Potter.

Carmen Vetter, Flux #3, 2016. Kiln-formed glass. H 21, W 64, D 1 1/2 in.

Wednesday June 1, 2016 | by Andrew Page

OPENING: Carmen Vetter’s kiln-formed glass panels, skin self-portraits, at Traver

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, New Work, Opening

Opening today with an evening reception at Seattle's Traver Gallery, the exhibition "Surface" features Carmen Vetter's latest body of work — studies of texture and pattern rendered in layers of powdered glass kiln-fired to look like weathered landscapes. Monochrome or muted in color palette, the surfaces of the work take center stage as the artist selectively built up or removed layers of glass powders to evoke close-up maps of territory altered by unseen forces of erosion and time.

Amy Lemaire

Tuesday May 31, 2016 | by Andrew Page

Navigating flameworking’s rich trade routes: A conversation with artist and educator Amy Lemaire

FILED UNDER: Artist Interviews, New Work

With a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn — both in painting — Amy Lemaire would seem an unlikely expert to offer insights into the flameworking world. And yet she has immersed herself in the field, where she occupies key roles as an educator, instructor, researcher, and communicator, in addition to being a practicing designer and artist. An adjunct professor at the leading flameworking program at Salem County Community College, she also leads the Bead Project at UrbanGlass, (which publishes the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet), where she also teaches flameworking to university students. Noting major shifts in the flameworking landscape driven by the liberalization of marijuana laws as well as technical advances in the field, the Hot Sheet recently spoke with Lemaire about her own practice, and how the scene is changing.

Tuesday May 31, 2016 | by Andrew Page

VIDEO: Uncanny strength of Prince Rupert’s drop proven in hydraulic press experiment on YouTube

FILED UNDER: Video

PressTube, an only-on-the-Internet project in which different objects are crushed under a hydraulic press in videos posted to a YouTube channel, recently took on the Prince Rupert's drop, the super-hard crystal that gets its strength from the compressive stress generated by dipping hot glass in cold water. In a video entitled "Hydraulic Press: Prince Rupert Drop: Remake: Safe Tails," the legendary glass drops are set between blocks of wood, lead, and steel, and then subject to intense hydraulic pressure. The Results? Two out of three ain't bad.

Lino Tagliapietra, Osaka, 2011. Blown glass. H 20 1/4 in. courtesy: heller gallery

Tuesday May 31, 2016 | by Andrew Page

OPENING: Lino Tagliapietra at Heller Gallery on Thursday

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Exhibition, News, Opening

On Thursday evening, Heller Gallery will welcome maestro Lino Tagliapietra, who plans to attend the evening reception to kick off a month-long New York City exhibition of his work entitled "Celebrazione!" From June 2 through July 15, this gallery in the heart of the art scene in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood will feature a range of richly patterned sculptural vessels that showcase Tagliapietra's complex use of cane and murini to create bold abstract compositions on glass surfaces.

Anna Mlasowksky

Tuesday May 31, 2016 | by Andrew Page

Anna Mlasowsky awarded the second Corning Museum specialty-glass artist residency for 2016

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Award, Museums, News

A unique artist residency that offers access to industrial glasses and processes not usually available to artists, the Corning Museum of Glass Specialty Glass Artists-in-Residence for 2016 has expanded since Albert Paley's inaugural residency in 2014, and Tom Patti's in 2015. Earlier this year, Toots Zynsky was awarded this sought-after opportunity for 2016. Today, Corning announced the recipient of the second residency offered in 2016, this one going to German native Anna Mlasowsky who has already developed a reputation as an artist pushing the material in new technical and conceptual directions. Her residency is set to begin in late June and continue through the end of 2016.

A spread from the cover article on Martin Janecky in the Summer 2016 edition of GLASS (#143).

Sunday May 22, 2016 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: GLASS #143, Summer 2016

FILED UNDER: Announcements, News, Print Edition

The Summer 2016 edition of GLASS: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#143) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes next week. It comes bundled with the just-published 2016 edition of New Glass Review (#37), a special subscriber bonus at no additonal charge (the special GLASS plus New Glass Review bundle is also available at select newsstands, but at a higher cover price). Gracing the cover of the new edition of GLASS is a striking work by hot sculptor Martin Janecky, who has built on the advances of William Morris and his collaborative team, and added his own techniques to take three-dimensional glass into portraiture, with new levels of detail and precision. Students flock to Janecky’s classes, awed by his ability to sculpt full-scale human busts in real time, statues emerging magically while the glass is still hot on the pipe. Contributing editor John Drury experiences the magic by sitting for a portrait by the rising Czech star as part of his research for this article, which examines how Janecky is moving into more complex rendering of human form while developing a rationale for his highly realistic approach.

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.