Monday March 6, 2023 | by Andrew Page

CONVERSATION: Catching up with artist and former Pilchuck artistic director Ben Wright

The Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet recently checked in with artist Benjamin Wright, who served as the Pilchuck Glass School's artistic director from 2019 through 2022, to check in about his tenure at the Northwest Coast outpost of glass art, and to find out about his future plans. Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet: It sounds like the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit before the Summer 2020 Pilchuck sessions began, really defined your tenure at Pilchuck in some ways, would you agree? Ben Wright: Well, yes, but not entirely. I came on in the Spring of 2019, arriving right before the Summer program, which was entirely designed and organized by my predecessor as artistic director, Tina Aufiero. In addition to helping to run that session, I was working to put together the program for Summer 2020, which unfortunately ended up pretty much getting canceled entirely due to the lockdowns. At first it looked feasible that there would be a full summer program in 2021, but in the end, we had to pivot to an intensive residency program for that summer. I am very proud of the programs we put together for 2022, which we ran during the summer of the various Omicron variants rising and falling. It was an intense experience in terms of our staff and students all dealing with people in isolation. It was challenging but also hugely rewarding, having worked on three different programs over three years, and finally getting to see all the magic happen for everybody who works there. Having that put off year after year and finally seeing it run, it was phenomenal to see it actually happening at last in the Summer of 2022 and I can’t wait to see my last season of programs unfold this coming summer.

Thursday February 23, 2023 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Spring 2023 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#170)

The Spring 2023 (#170) edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly is on its way to subscriber mailboxes and newsstands. On the cover is a striking portrait of John Littleton and Kate Vogel as photographed by Lucy Plato Clark, who captured them refracted through a piece of optical crystal they are holding up together. It was chosen as it perfectly illustrates the cover article by contributing editor Emma Park on the phenomenon of two artists who have merged their individual approaches into a single shared practice.

Wednesday February 15, 2023 | by Sadia Tasnim

The Corning Studio announces 2023 residencies including collaborative, BIPOC, and research opportunities

The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass has announced its roster of artists in residence for 2023. Comprising the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Residency, the Instructor Collaborative Residency, and nine more residencies, the museum has awarded 16 artists from around the world the opportunity to work out of the Corning studio for one month. Residency slots are spread throughout the year, ensuring that The Studio will always have at least one artist in residence at any given time.

Sunday January 1, 2023 | by Andrew Page

The Year in Review, 2022 edition, with a Happy New Year to all our subscribers and supporters!

As 2022 gives way to 2023, we present the Year in Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly.

Saturday December 31, 2022 | by John Drury

IN MEMORIAM: Tony Jojola (1958 - 2022)

Instrumental to the early teams of Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra, Native artist Tony Jojola (b. 1958) died unexpectedly as the result of a bacterial infection, which originated in his intestine and migrated to his bloodstream. He passed away on December 28, 2022, surrounded by his mother; son, Domingo; daughter, Mia; and loving partner, Rafelita.

Wednesday December 7, 2022 | by Marziya Hasan

Glass mosaics in a new subterranean New York City train terminal bring art and light underground

Though the exact opening date has not yet been released, the long-awaited Madison Terminal will open soon to Long Island Railroad passengers looking to go directly from Grand Central Terminal to points East Essentially, a new two-level, 700,000 square-foot station has been excavated from the earth below the existing historic Grand Central train terminal, the subterranean expanse will be brightened by multiples glass mosaics by Yayoi Kusamaand Kiki Smith. Though glass artwork, including mosaics, have long graced the walls and tunnels of New York City's subways, it is rare for the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Arts & Design program to commission multiple works by a single artist, as was done in the case of Kiki Smith's five large-scale mosaics of naturalistic scenes, some featuring bodies of water in the New York City region.

Friday December 2, 2022 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Winter 2022 edition of Glass (#169)

The Winter 2022 edition (#169) of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly is in subscriber mailboxes and newsstands. On the cover is a striking image of an unusual handle from an attempted replica of an antique glass vessel. The mistakes were the result of the language barrier between British glass artist Erin DIckson and the Italian maestro she was working with in Murano.

Montreal's Verre Art Glass was the very first iteration of the Elena Lee Galerie, and it opened in 1976.

Tuesday November 22, 2022 | by Sadia Tasnim

Pioneering art dealer Elena Lee looks back on four decades of the Canadian Studio Glass scene

When we think about the first galleries devoted exclusively to glass art, names such as Heller, Traver, and Habatat, spring to mind, as the pioneering dealers who helped the field develop a commercial base. Few know of a parallel story that was unfolding simultaneously just north of the border, where a bold gallery owner hoisted a Canadian flag for glass art in 1976. When European-born Elena Lee opened the doors of her first gallery, Verre Art Glass, in Montreal, Canada, she had been inspired by her travels and what she found during a visit to Erwin Eisch's studio in Frauenau. Her husband, Stuart, was originally from Quebec, and she had a young son, and so they all relocated to Montreal, where she launched a career that would stretch for more than 40 years.

Tuesday November 15, 2022 | by Sponsored Content

Registration for the 2023 GAS Conference in Detroit is now open

The Glass Art Society has announced the location and dates for the upcoming 2023 annual conference, which will take place in Detroit from June 7th through 10th. Following their post-pandemic return to in-person programming with 2022’s Tacoma conference, the Detroit event is planned to be in-person and tickets are already available for purchase at a special early-bird discounted rate, which will expire on January 10th. Along with attendee registration, applications for exhibition slots and scholarships are also open.

Friday November 11, 2022 | by Marziya Hasan

A labor of love that opened in the midst of the pandemic, the Neon Museum of Philadelphia is closing down for good

After opening its doors to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2021, the Neon Museum of Philadelphia will be closing for good this December 11th. Founder Len Davidson opened the museum less than two years ago after spending decades exploring neon art. The museum consisted of a collection of pieces highlighting neon art and commercial signs and advertisements of past businesses in Philadelphia.