Steve Klein, Shelter 12, 2010. kilnformed glass. H 11, W 16, D 16 in.
The group show titled “Act 2: The Next Track” opening this Saturday, March 12th, at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, Washington, will feature the kilnformed glasswork produced by 20 artists during Pilchuck’s 2009 and 2010 summer residencies. Organized by the museum and co-curated by Kathleen Moles and artists Steve Klein and Richard Parrish, “Act 2: The Next Track” will be on exhibit through June 12th.
In the summer of 2009 and 2010, twenty emerging glass artists retreated into the woods of the Northwest Coast to participate in Pilchuck Glass School’s professional residency program. The program was supported by co-curators Klein, Parrish, and Moles, and by Bullseye Glass Co., which supplied all the glass used in the sessions and produced the exhibition publication as well as a video. The artists include Valerie Adams, Lisa Allen, Gloria Badiner, Karen Bexfield, Kim Brill, Carol Carson, Judith Conway, Susan Cox, Steve Immerman, Steve Klein, Robert Leatherbarrow, Ursula Marcum, Sarah Nelson, Catharine Newell, Lesley Nolan, Richard Parrish, Paul Tarlow, Els VandenEnde, Flo Vazquez, and Robert Wiener.
Ursula Marcum, Drawer 3, 2009. Kilnformed glass, precious metal inclusions. H 5 ?, W 8 ?, D 1 ? in.
Throughout the summer months the artists-in-residence were pushed to create and explore kilnformed glass while working within a collaborative community of like-minded artists, some of whom were entering the world of glassmaking from previously established careers. As co-curators (and participating artists), Klein and Parrish encouraged each of the artists to develop a new outlook on their individual work, and the round-table discussions became a forum for sharing ideas and knowledge.
In an online exchange, Bullseye Gallery executive director Lani McGregor reflected on the summer happenings on her blog, and artist Gloria Badiner responded with her take on the collaborative aspect of the program saying, “the planning and gathering together of the residents combined a diversity of talent it would have taken me a lifetime to find on my own – if ever. The opportunity to work, challenge oneself and experiment with glass while sharing and learning from the results of others was like graduate school in hyper-speed.”
Steve Immerman, Harmony, 2010. Kilnformed glass. H 3 ?, W 19, D 17 in.
The results of this collaboration of artists and curators is the exhibition “Act 2: The Next Track,” which will open this coming weekend in La Conner, Washington. From the work of graphic-designer-turned-glass-artist Valerie Adams to surgeon-and-glass-artist Steve Immerman, the show promises to be a blend of the range of possibilities offered by kilnforming technique.
—Alica Forneret
For more on the work in the show and how it was made during the Pilchuck residencies, watch an online video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhQRGW4TPCs
IF YOU GO:
“Act 2: The Next Track” March 12, 2011 – June 12, 2011Opening Reception: Saturday, March 12, 2011Museum of Northwest Art
121 South First Street
La Conner, Washington 98257
Tel: 360 466-4446
Website: www.museumofnwart.org