The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. courtesy: creative commons. photo: carlos delgado

Saturday March 14, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Glass-art exhibition venues around the U.S. cancelling public programs or closing altogether to help stem spread of coronavirus

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, perhaps the most revered art museum in the U.S., has closed its doors as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 in New York City, where the mayor has declared a state of emergency. This flagship museum has closed before due to major threats -- after 9/11 in 2001 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 -- but unlike those brief days-long closures, this break will run at least from March 13th, 2020, through March 31st, 2020, and could even go longer depending on the evolving conditions. The Met is among a lengthy list of art museums and institutions in New York City taking safety precautions against large gatherings, and includes all large Broadway theaters, Carnegie Hall, all stages of Lincoln Center, as well as other major art museums.

Siren, 2020. Skeleton model, Marble dust, Resin, Steel, fishing net. 64x28x18. photo courtesy: paul mutino

Friday March 13, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

Rachel Owens employs glass for museum installation in Connecticut that sifts specific historical site for exploration of identity, environment, and economics

FILED UNDER: Announcements, Events, Exhibition, News, On Other Blogs

"The Hypogean Tip," an exhibition featuring works in glass by artist Rachel Owens, will be on display at the Housatonic Museum of Art through March 21, 2020. The exhibition explores the history of Bridgeport, Connecticut, including sculptures rendered in various materials, including large-scale casts in broken glass from the porch of the home of Mary Freeman (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and works cast in coal and marble dust that "invoke P.T. Barnum’s specter as well as his adverse impact." An extension of the larger "Life on the Other Side of a Cracked Glass Ceiling" project. The Hypogean Tip (The word Hypogean comes from the Greek words hypo (under) and Gaia (earth) together meaning underground), explores the history of Bridgeport through the lives of radical unmarried sisters of color Mary and Eliza Freeman, PT Barnum, and the ecology of the area affected by racism, industrialization, and capitalism from the turn of the century to present day.

The board of the Glass Art Society in 2020.

Thursday March 12, 2020 | by Andrew Page

The Glass Art Society cancels 2020 conference in Sweden due to coronavirus pandemic; will refund registration fees

On the evening of March 12, 2020, the Glass Art Society issued the somber announcement the board and staff of the artist organization had been hoping against hope they wouldn't have to make. The 2020 conference set to take place May 20 through 23rd in Småland, Sweden, will not be taking place due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus.

Joyce Scott, Head Shot, 2008. Seed beads, thread, glass, and bullets. H 18 1/2, W 4 1/2, D 4 1/2 in. courtesy: goya contemporary gallery, baltimore

Thursday March 12, 2020 | by Nick Lykoudis

Joyce Scott awarded 2020 American Craft Council gold medal, Katherine Gray inducted into College of Fellows

The American Craft Council has announced its 2020 ACC Award winners. Among the recipients are renowned glass artists Joyce Scott, who takes home the highly coveted Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship prize, and Katherine Gray, who was accepted into the ACC College of Fellows. The Gold Medal is the most prestigious award given by the council acknowledging a lifetime of achievements. Acceptance into the College of Fellows represents "an outstanding contribution to the crafts in America."

Wednesday March 11, 2020 | by Andrew Page

Salem cancels upcoming 2020 International Flameworking Conference citing coronavirus concerns

Citing consultations with health officials, Salem Community College has officially cancelled the 2020 International Flameworking Conference (IFC), which had been scheduled to run from March 20th through 22nd. The announcement explains the college is "acting to protect the safety and welfare of the glass community and other members of the public."

courtesy: mary childs and the duncan mcclellan gallery

Tuesday March 10, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

After the success of the 2019 GAS conference, St. Petersburg glass-art venues celebrate the "Glass Coast"

Energized by their successful run as the host city of the 2019 Glass Art Society Conference, St. Petersburg's vibrant, contemporary local glass community have come together for a glass-centric event which will "acquaint people with the art of the glass medium and the area artists working in glass," according to the event announcement. Taking place from March 26, 2020, to March 29, 2020, the self-titled "Glass Coast" celebration will feature demonstrations and lectures by local and visiting artists, with the goal to educate the public about American and International glass art.

Saturday March 7, 2020 | by Andrew Page

Public-access glass studios take preventative measures to protect users from spread of coronavirus

As concern mounts about the spread of Covid-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus, glass studios in the U.S. are being proactive and hope to help stop the spread as the disease is just beginning to be detected. While the number of confirmed cases remain far lower than in global hot spots in China, Iran, and Italy, the lack of available testing in the U.S. has many worried that the spread of the virus has not been adequately tracked. With the Seattle and New York City regions emerging as locations where dozens of cases have been confirmed, glass studios there are taking steps to do their part in limiting the spread. In addition to UrbanGlass in New York, The Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet reached out to the glass studios at Corning (Corning, New York), Espace VERRE (Montreal), Pittsburgh Glass Center (Pittsburgh), Pilchuck (Stanwood and Seattle, Washington), and Public Glass (San Francisco, California) to ask about what steps were being taken in the face of a potential outbreak of Covid-19, and whether they were still planning to attend the Glass Art Society conference in Sweden in May.

Zynsky's fused-glass-thread vessel Bald Eagle (2020) shown below a picture of a bald eagle. photo: andy morffew, courtesy: flickr; zynsky work courtesy: heller gallery, new york

Thursday March 5, 2020 | by Nick Lykoudis

OPENING: Toots Zynsky celebrates the plumage of endangered birds in New York City exhibition

Toots Zynsky's solo exhibition at New York City's Heller Gallery, which opens on March 6th, borrows its name, "Red List", from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. The title speaks to Zynsky's recognition of the fragility of our ecosystem and calls attention to our world's decaying biodiversity.

The artist in her studio. photo courtesy: james schnepf and the american craft council.

Wednesday March 4, 2020 | by Farah Rose Smith

CONVERSATION: Shayna Leib talks flow, glass, and movement

FILED UNDER: Artist Interviews, Exhibition, Image Gallery

Shayna Leib, whose artwork ranges from undulating undersea plant life to glistening, hyper-realistic French pastries, has appeared in 75 exhibitions since graduating from University of Wisconsin, Madison, with an MFA in glass in 2003. Her "Pâtisserie" series is currently on view in a group exhibition titled "Céramiques Gourmandes" at the Bernardaud Fondation in Limoges, France. While her impeccable desserts realized in glass and ceramic are the product of her intense precision and technical mastery, Leib's sea-inspired work is more spontaneous and flowing, inspired by her love of diving and attraction to the aquatic world. Her "Deep Aquarium" series was acquired for the permanent collection of The Deep aquarium in Hull, England.

Jiyong Lee, Mitosis

Tuesday March 3, 2020 | by Nick Lykoudis

Four glass artists among finalists for Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2020

The finalists for The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize have been announced, and four glass artists — Veronika Beckh, Jiyong Lee, Jessica Loughlin, and Tobias Mohl — are among the 30 artists short-listed. This annual prize, offered since 2017, is sponsored by the European luxury fashion house Loewe, and seeks to recognize artists that have made "fundamentally important contributions to the development of contemporary craft." The prize was developed to celebrate the luxury-goods company's origins as a 19th-century collective craft workshop, and the company's creative director, Jonathan Anderson, is among the 12 jurors. Others include award-winning architects Wang Shu and Benedetta Tagliabue, as well as museum directors Naoto Fukasawa, Olivier Gabet, and Deyan Sudjic.

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.