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Saturday June 13, 2020 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Special Survival Story Issue: Summer 2020 edition of Glass (#159)

The Summer 2020 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#159) is on newsstands and has arrived in subscriber mailboxes. In recognition of economic challenges facing artists at this moment, UrbanGlass is making it available at a Pay What You Can rate. The typographic cover design consists of a jumble of weather-beaten red letters spelling out "survival" with the rips repaired with clear tape. It's an issue about rebuilding after adversity, and it's told through the words of glass artists.

A departure from our usual format of artist features, this special issue instead offers ten first-person tales of overcoming major setbacks, ways to recover, and how we grow from these experiences.

The Summer 2020 edition of Glass was conceived and reported in March and April, when the Covid-19 pandemic dominated news headlines and introduced a high level of uncertainty about the economic fallout of the prolonged shutdown. More recently, the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police sparked international protests and set off a moment of reckoning not only about police brutality against African-Americans, but about centuries of systematic racism in the U.S. and a need to take stock of racial divisions and inequities that have been unacknowledged and unexamined until now. While the new issue does not directly address these issues, we pledge that the magazine will work to amplify black artists' voices, and work toward greater diversity in the glass-art field.

For the Summer edition, Glass reached out to artists who had dealt with life-threatening auto accidents, fires, floods, and other challenges, to tell us their stories, share how they recovered, and how having endured life- and career-threatening setbacks shaped their perspectives on our current moment. 


Turning to the past as inspiration for the present, we asked glass artists about the keys to their recovery and healing. We found that their experiences dealing with disaster helped prepare them in some way for what they're experiencing now, and offered unique perspectives on where we are and what we all need to do to go forward.

The new issue includes first-person accounts of Oben Abright, Fabiano Amadi, Eddie Bernard, Christina Bothwell, Dale Chihuly, Pearl Dick, LIza Lou, Clifford Rainey, Ginny Ruffner, as well as the remarkable story of The Corning Museum's devastating 1972 flood, this special issue aspires to be a resource to the field and a celebration of our unique community.

In recognition of this difficult economic moment, UrbanGlass is offering the purchase of this special issue at a Pay What You Can rate. When you purchase the digital edition, you can choose to pay the cover price, half the cover price, or download the issue for no charge. We would like as many people as possible to read about and possibly be inspired by tales of loss and recovery, of setbacks and successes. It is our hope that this edition of Glass will provide encouragement and hope as we all navigate this time of healing.

All this plus four reviews and the latest news from the field.

Don't miss a single issue: Subscribe to Glass today.

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.