Saturday February 24, 2024 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Spring 2024 edition of Glass (#174)

The Spring 2024 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#174) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes. On the cover is a striking collage of works by the father-and-son team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, who, in the 19th century, were hired by universities around the world to create life-like models of plants and invertebrates for scientific study. The article considers the invertebrates drawn from the Harvard University collection, which are currently on view at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut in an exhibition that blends art, history, and science. Because the Blaschkas were not divers themselves, they had to imagine how the examples pulled from the deep would have appeared far below the surface, as the article’s author and experienced scuba diver William Warmus points out in his wide-ranging article that considers how to best understand this work in our contemporary moment.

Friday February 23, 2024 | by Jana Elsayed

CONVERSATION: Michiko Sakano debuts "Droplets," her sculptural lighting series at New York City's Heller Gallery

Michiko Sakano, a Brooklyn-based glassblower known for her technical precision and originality, steps into the limelight with her first solo exhibition, "Droplets," at Heller Gallery in New York. This collection represents a radical departure from contemporary trends in lighting design, introducing sculptural, molten forms that are not suspended but sit on a tabletop, as they were displayed at the gallery, glowing in hues of pink, yellow, and white. The exhibition is testament to Sakano's commitment to embrace the spontaneous, and present glass in a fluid form independent of the rigid engineering that defines much of lighting popular today.

An example of a Yoshitomo Nara Snow Globe (H 4 1/2, W 4, D 4 in) listed by EBay reseller Tokyo Select 55, which identified the Brand as MOMA.

Friday February 23, 2024 | by Jahlil Rush

Yoshitomo Nara’s glass snowglobes face recall due to safety concerns

At first glance, Japanese Neo-Pop artist Yohshitomo Nara's portraits of children seem familiar, rendered in the iconic anime style of soft hues, pastel colors, with thick outlines. But look closer and you might notice the facial expressions are not the usual generic friendliness. Instead there are shades of something malevolent -- an adult-like scowl of discontent, a downcast gaze, or, on rare occasions, an actual weapon in hand. With an international cult following for his unique vision of dark cuteness, Nara has exhibited his canvases at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In fact, the MOMA Design Store even carries a line of objects for sale credited to the artist, but it is no longer offering the glass spheres encasing figures in Nara’s “Little Wanderer” snow globes. These have faced a recall from the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission, because, according to the CPSC, the glass globes are susceptible to fracture easily and pose a danger of injury.

Tuesday February 20, 2024 | by Andrew Page

CONVERSATION: Curator Davira S. Taragin on her exhibition "Look What Harvey Did" at the Chazen Museum of Art in Wisconsin

The Chazen Museum of Art, which originally opened on the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus in 1970, is home to 24,000 works in its permanent collection, ranging from ancient Greek to modern African. In 2005, the museum was renamed after a major gift from university alumni Simona and Jerome Chazen (1927 - 2002), which allowed for a significant expansion when a second museum building opened in 2011. Running through August 16, 2024, is an exhibition of 40 works from the patrons' glass works. Titled "Look What Harvey Did! Harvey K. Littleton's Legacy in the Simona and Jerome Chazen Collection of Studio Glass," the exhibition spans 60 years and includes works from Michael Aschenbrenner, Dale Chihuly, Daniel Clayman, Dan Dailey, Clifford Rainey, Ginny Ruffner, and Lino Tagliapietra, among others. The exhibition was curated by Davira S. Taragin, who spoke to the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet by telephone about how she approached the project.

Danny Perkins & Richard Royal standing in front of their new joint exhibition, Parallel

Friday February 9, 2024 | by Jana Elsayed

Danny Perkins and Richard Royal celebrate a friendship and share an exhibition space at the Patricia Rovzar Gallery in Seattle

Light, be it through layers of resin over abstract color fields on canvas, or embedded in glass sculptural objects, is the theme of a dual exhibition running through the end of February. Danny Perkins and Richard Royal are exhibiting together at the Patricia Rovzar Gallery. The two-person exhibition entitled "Parallel" celebrates an enduring friendship between two artists who first crossed paths during the early years of the Pilchuck Glass School. Each individually delve into and extend the inherent attributes of their chosen mediums in works that share a preoccupation around the transformative influence of light on color.

RIT residents gain access to round-the-clock access to the hotshop.

Thursday February 8, 2024 | by Jana Elsayed

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: RIT Glass Studio Residency offers 24-hour access to glass facilities during Fall 2024 - Spring 25 academic year

There's still time to apply for a unique opportunity to advance glass-related research while actively participating in the vibrant creative community of RIT's Glass program within the university's College of Art and Design. The RIT Glass Studio Residency comes with a dedicated personal studio space and round-the-clock access to all glass facilities, including a hot shop, flame shop, mold-making studio, various kilns, and a coldworking studio. Essential studio materials, such as hot glass, plaster, silica, wax, etc., are provided.

The Corning Museum of Glass's 2024 residents (top to bottom from top left): Ali Hoag, Fatma Çiftçi, Peadar Lamb, Debbie Dawson, Catie Newell, Ross Delano, Percy Echols II, Runa Kosogawa, Jason McDonald, Brie Ruais, Birgit Maixner, Joe Stadolnik.

Thursday February 1, 2024 | by Jana Elsayed

The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass announces 2024 residencies

FILED UNDER: Announcements

Not long after announcing the completion of phase one of their expansion and renovation, The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass announced its 2024 roster of residencies. The artists and scholars chosen for 2024 will fill 12 residencies that include the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Residency; the Instructor Collaborative Residency; the Burke Residency; the David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists; and the David Whitehouse Research Residency for Scholars.

The artist in his studio.

Wednesday January 31, 2024 | by Jahlil Rush

OPENING: "Novella," Therman Statom's latest museum exhibition, will debut at the Sioux City Art Center on February 1st

Omaha-based artist Therman Statom's latest museum exhibition, entitled "Novella," will kick off at the Sioux City Art Center with a 5 PM opening reception tomorrow, February 1st, for a show that will run through July 2024. Statom himself will make a presentation at 6 PM. Among the highlights of the exhibition,a combination of newly reformatted early works to complement the new works being unveiled.

Tuesday January 30, 2024 | by Andrew Page

Judith Schaechter reflects on receiving the 2024 Smithsonian Visionary Award

On its website, the Smithsonian Women's Committee prominently lists its motto as: "Harnessing the Power of Women to Make a Difference." This group of Smithsonian supporters has certainly made a difference for artists working in glass at all levels. The SWC organizes the annual high-profile Smithsonian Craft Show (as well as an autumn show of wearable crafts), and also makes direct grants to Smithsonian-affiliated institutions. Each year, the SWC also presents its Smithsonian Visionary Awards, which over the years has gone to some of the most prominent artists working in craft materials such as Dale Chihuly, David Ellsworth, Joyce J. Scott, Albert Paley, Toots Zynsky, Faith Ringgold, and Patti Warashina, among others. in 2024, the award was given to two artists who work primarily in glass -- Judith Schaechter and Dan Dailey.

Sunday January 28, 2024 | by Sponsored Content

Dan Clayman to look back and into the future as part of the Paul Hollister Lecture series at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City

On January 31st, artist and designer Dan Clayman will deliver the latest offering in the Bard Graduate Center's long-running Irene and Paul Hollister Lecture Series, when the Rhode Island-based artist delivers a Wednesday evening talk entitled "Fragile Materiality." In his talk, Clayman will journey into the history of Studio Glass, mapping out the connections that link it to the contemporary moment, when applications of glass are expanding in the wider contemporary art and architecture realms.

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.