Issue 165 | Winter
Editor's Letter
by Andrew Page
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire,” said the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats. Few have set the glass world ablaze like Lino Tagliapietra, the Muranese maestro whose stature as an artist is inseparable from his importance as an educator. Lino’s retirement from glassblowing was the focus of our Fall 2021 edition (#164), and in this issue we examine the corollary to his artistry—his role as teacher who dared pull back the veil on closely held Venetian techniques to unlock new expressive possibilities for glassblowers in the U.S. and around the world.
Lino initially taught straight technical demonstrations at Pilchuck and other venues, but as his development as an artist blossomed, his pedagogy shifted to public displays of his innovative processes and explorations. A handful of his most eager students were hired to be on the teams that became integral to achieving Lino’s repurposing of the decorative language of Venetian glassblowing in service of unique sculptural works. In our cover article, those that worked alongside him, sometimes for a decade or more, share what it was like on the hot shop floor—the challenges, the rewards, and what they learned along the way.
Through their reminiscences, a more fully realized portrait of Lino emerges. From his refusal to waste a scrap of glass to his ability work through grave injury, from his relentless focus on breaking new ground to the bonds he built with those that labored at his side, we gain new insight into the man and those he inspired to pour themselves into realizing his many glorious achievements in glass.
This issue showcases another teacher-student bond in Emma Park’s article on a remarkable exhibition of Fred Tschida’s kinetic neon works, which use rotation and persistence of vision to create ethereal rhree-dimensional vessels out of spinning two-dimensional neon outlines. While studying glassblowing, Richard William Wheater was an exchange student at Alfred where he first encountered Tschida’s work. He found them so inspiring, he changed his focus to neon. Back in Wakefield, England, Wheeler established one of Europe’s leading neon schools and fabricating facilities while developing his own impressive career as a successful contemporary artist. This fall, Wheater paid homage to his former teacher in a stunning exhibition that is helping to cement Tschida’s legacy in the international art world.
Also in this issue, contemporary art curator Seiko Yoneda investigates Rui Sasaki’s work and locates her installations and performances in the complex landscape of Japanese art; Anthony E. Cowan examines the sculptural meditations of Dutch artist Peter Bremers; and Richard Royal remembers the late Benjamin Moore in a touching tribute to his best friend.
Hourglass
The glass field’s industrial, scientific, academic, and art communities scramble to prepare for the fast-approaching 2022 International Year of Glass.
Reviews
Erica Rosenfeld and Jessica Jane Julius at Traver Gallery, Seattle; Sean Hogan at the Pilchuck Glass School Gallery, Seattle; Glass from the Leonard and Adele Leight Collection at the Speed Art Museum, Louisville; Tuomas A. Laitinen at the Yeh Art Gallery, New York City
UrbanGlass News
Announcing the 2021-2022 Studio Residents: Dorie Guthrie, Rae Yuping Hsu, Leo Tecosky, and Charisse Pearlina Weston
Reflection
by William Warmus
Venice in a Mediterranean World
Features
What I Learned from Lino
by Andrew Page
The maestro’s lessons on glass, art, and life, for those who worked with him most closely
To Split the Night
by Emma Park
Richard William Wheater, an internationally known artist and former student of neon visionary Fred Tschida, celebrates his mentor’s pivotal role in advancing neon as a material for contemporary art in an epic exhibition at the Art House and Neon Workshops in Wakefield, England.
Inward and Outward Journeys
by Anthony E. Cowan
In a solo Imagine Museum exhibition, Peter Bremers seeks transcendence through glass forms that invite meditation.
My Friend Benny
by Richard Royal
Memories of the late Benjamin Moore (1952–2021) from one of those who knew him best
At Home and Abroad
by Seiko Yoneda
After years of study and artist residencies in the U.S. and Europe, Rui Sasaki returns home, where her work confronts the historical boundary between kogei and fine art in her native Japan.
The 2021 Glass Resource Guide
The most comprehensive directory of educational programs and suppliers to the field