Panamanian artist Isabel De ObaldÍa created a new work Rey del Ceynote for the 2009 Rakow Commission from the Corning Museum of Glass.
The Corning Museum of Glass unveiled its 24th annual Rakow Commission on October 16th. The 2009 commissioned artist was Isabella De ObaldÍa, a Panamanian native who has trained in several artistic forms. With the $10,000 provision granted by the late Dr. and Mrs. Leonard S. Rakow, De ObaldÍa created Rey del Cenote, which can be literally translated as “King of the Cenote.” The work is clearly influenced by the ancient and tribal art of the indigenous Panamanian people. This piece depicts a totem-like figure of a crocodile, shaped similarly to a ceremonial baton used by many native Panamanians, and is said to have a “shamanic presence” by the Museum’s curator of modern glass, Tina Oldknow.
—Krystal Elliott