The Summer 2018 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#151) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes this week. Bundled with the summer 2018 edition of GLASS is a copy of the completely redesigned exhibition-in-print, New Glass Review (#39), which is produced by The Corning Museum of Glassand bundled with each 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 by Ivana Šrámková, the Czech artist whose pairs cast-glass with found objects to create timeless creatures with human-like personalities. Symbols of personal and political freedom, the works spring from the artist's unique imagination, often inspired by a random object -- a textured stone, a weathered piece of wood -- that guide the creation of the cast-glass bird form that becomes its perfect complement.
As contributing editor John Drury writes: "Šrámková's capricious birds revel in the simple pleasure of their intuitive making--hand following a train of thought as a free association takes physical form."
The work of a very different Czech artist is the focus of contributor Allison Adler's article that examines the question of cultural appropriation raised by a new body of work by Martin Janecký that was directly inspired by the rich iconography surrounding the Mexican Day of the Dead rituals. Though she leaves the final judgement to the reader, Adler states" We can perhaps see Janecký's work as an act of respectful translation, prompted by an invitation."
Contributor Lindsay Hargrave considers the state of the glass programs at the Chrysler Museum of Art, which recently saw two high-level departures. First Charlotte Potter, who put the glass studio on the map through innovative performance-art programming, left to focus on her family and personal art practice. Then glass curator Diane Wright decamped for the Toledo Museum of Art. Interviewing their respective successors, Hargrave finds opportunities intertwined with the challenges of adjusting to these changes.
Artist Amy Lemaire has been observing the flameworking scene for two decades, and she eagerly accepted the assignment to attend the 18th-annual International Flameworker's Conference to survey the state of things. She found that the field is in transition, with a certain maturity mixing with increasing diversity.
Contributing editor William V. Ganis rounds out our feature articles with a mediation on how the material of glass is ideally suited to become a frame -- either a literal encasement of other elements, or figurative, in how it can elicit an awareness of optical perception. Citing examples as diverse as Roni Horn and Paul Stankard, Ganis leads us on a provocative discussion of the power of glass volumes.
All this plus four reviews, a back page essay, and the latest news from the field.
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