OPENING: Scenes from the kick-off reception for “Lifeforms 2016” at Pittsburgh Glass Center

More than 500 people attended last night's opening of the second "Lifeforms" exhibition at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, some drawn by the nonprofit's 15th anniversary celebration. But the main event was the exhibition of 55 life-like "biological glass models"  inspired by the highly realistic plant and invertebrate models made by the now-legendary father and son team of Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka. Spurred by the interest generated by the first "Lifeforms" exhibition in 2013, the 2016 jurors — artist Amber Cowan, PGC executive diretor Heather McElwee, artist Robert Mickelsen, artist Kait Rhoads, and art administrator David Francis — sorted through 177 submissions from around the world, including some from as far away as China, Argentina, and Russia. Though an homage to the Blaschka's lampworked forms, the exhibition was open to artists working with any technique to manipulate glass. According to the Website dedicated to the application process for the show, entries were judged for "accuracy in representing the organism, aesthetic beauty, presentation, and originality." You can view all the submissions here.

Among the exhibiting artists who attended the opening reception were Lisa Demagall, Wesley Fleming, Theo Keller, Michael Mangiafico, Anthony Milewski, Marc Petrovic, Sally Prasch, Kari Russell-Pool, Silvia Tabasso, and Robert Mickelsen.

It was Florida-based flameworker Mickelsen who originated the concept of honoring the Blaschkas through a juried exhibition. In the late 1800s, the father-and-son team had become famous for their skills at recreating highly detailed, realistic models that were used in academia.  In 1886, they were commissioned to make flowers for the Harvard Botanical Museum, and the Blaschkas would go on to make over 4,000 models of plants and flowers for the university over the next decades. Though closed for renovation, the Blaschka flowers will again be on view at The Glass Flowers gallery at the Harvard Museum of Natural history when the exhbiition reopens to the public on May 21, 2016

"Lifeforms 2016," which is supported in part by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass as well as two Pittsburgh radio stations, will run through May 15, 2016.

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