GASNews October/ November 2011 Volume 22 ... - Glass Art Society

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New Glass Studio Opens at the Chrysler Museum of Art By Debra Ruzinsky The Chrysler Museum of Art, in Norfolk, Virginia, will open a new glass studio on November 2, 2011. “This Glass Studio will allow our visitors to experience glassmaking and be involved in every step of the process,” says Bill Hennessey, the Museum’s director. “We anticipate this will draw people to the region to learn about glass, meet visiting glass artists and tour our collection. We expect this to be a significant educational component for the region – one that will allow us to further strengthen our partnerships with groups such as Tidewater Community College, Virginia Wesleyan and the Governor’s School for the Arts. With more than a third of our 30,000-object collection devoted to glass, this is clearly a strong suit for the Chrysler. This glass studio will bring these works of art to life.” The Museum’s glass collection includes more than 10,000 pieces that span 3,000 years and is considered one of the largest and most comprehensive collections in the world. The foundations of the collection Dragonfly Library Lamp by Tiffany Studios (Leaded glass and bronze. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. Chrysler Museum of Art) 12 Chrysler Museum of Art’s new glass studio (photo courtesy of the Chrysler Museum) were established by the early 1950s with a significant bequest of New England Glass Company glasses from the estate of Norfolk resident Florence Smith. In 1971, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. donated more than 8,000 works of glass to the Museum, establishing the collection as a destination for glass scholars and enthusiasts. Major gifts of English cameo, 20th-century Italian, and contemporary glass continue to diversify the collection. Significant early pieces in the collection include the 1st-century A.D. Ennion bowl, fine Baroque engraved glasses, and a selection of 16th-century Venetian glasses. Two-thirds of the Chrysler’s glass collection is American, with early- and mid- 19th-century pressed glass and American art glass made by companies such as the Mt. Washington Glass Company. The Tiffany collection is world-famous and nearly comprehensive in the area of blown glass; it also contains mosaics, windows and lamps. French glass is another major area of strength, with works from nearly all major makers, including Baccarat, Gallé, Daum, Walter, Marinot, Argy-Rousseau and Lalique. The English cameo glass collection includes John Northwood’s Milton Vase and several masterpieces carved by Thomas and George Woodall. Most of the Chrysler’s collection of contemporary studio glass has been acquired since 1990. The range includes works by artists such as Howard Ben Tré, Harvey K. Littleton, William Morris, Karen LaMonte, Toots Zynsky, Lino Tagliapietra, and Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. “The Glass Studio will help our visitors gain a better understanding and appreciation for the wonderful objects in our collection,” says Kelly Conway, curator of glass. “We devote a lot of time to explaining the technical processes used to make these artworks. The Studio will provide far more capable and lively answers for these technique-based questions from our visitors, and tours will connect the live studio experience with the contextual history explained in the glass galleries.” The new facility is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region, and it will be able to accommodate many artists who employ a variety of techniques. The equipment includes the following: • A furnace capable of melting 560 pounds of glass; • Three glory holes • Nine annealing ovens • A flameworking table with space for eight artists to work on projects such as beadmaking or sculpture using glass rods and tubes, with three dedicated annealing kilns for this process.
Lemon/Ruby/Blue Vertical Group by Harvey K. Littleton (Blown and cased glass, cut, polished, and assembled. Gift of the Mowbray Arch Society. Chrysler Museum of Art) • A coldshop complete with glass-grinding lathe, belt sander, drill press, flat wheel, diamond saw and sandblaster. • Workshop spaces for glass fusing and metal fabrication. Programs will include: • Free public demonstrations designed to complement visitors’ experience of the Chrysler’s renowned glass collection. • Fee-based workshops for individuals and small groups of teenagers and adults, as well as master classes with accomplished professional artists. • Special demonstrations for school and adult tours that cover a variety of specific topics, including the science of glassmaking and historical processes and techniques. • Partnerships with regional institutions to offer introductory and advanced courses, as well as pre-professional internships. • A Visiting Artist Series featuring established artists giving live demonstrations and a public lecture. • An artist-in-residence program that invites artists to undertake projects supported by their study of the Museum’s collections and its research library. • Glass studio rental available to professional artists. Charlotte Potter, studio manager, describes the new studio in this way: “This is a unique facility that values the discovery and education of historical glassmaking balanced with unbridled experimentation, performance art and explorations in new media. I hope to make the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio a destination for exploratory work that emphasizes the theatric qualities of hot glass. The Studio will couple traditional glassmaking techniques with new explorations and performances to provide a hybrid of historical and contemporary glass practices. Through our Visiting Artist Series, artist-in-residence program, public classes, and collaborations with community partners, our new Glass Studio will provide advanced scholastic investigations into glass and new media.” Opening festivities will span two weeks. The first is a sneak-peek week for Chrysler Museum members. Between October 26 and October 30, they’ll focus on the historical glassmaking processes used throughout works in the collection. The public opening week, November 2 - 5, will feature special demonstrations designed by Potter and Robin Rogers, the new studio technician. The museum highlights its regional partnerships by welcoming educators and students from Virginia Commonwealth University and Tidewater Community College. The week’s festivities will culminate with a performance by the Burnt Asphalt Family on Saturday, November 5. The Chrysler Museum of Art is located at 245 West Olney Road in Norfolk. Admission to the Museum’s collection in 62 galleries and the new Glass Studio is free. For exhibitions, programming, classes and special events, visit chrysler.org or call 757.664.6200. Thanks to Cindy Mackey, Kelly Conway, and Charlotte Potter at the Chrysler Museum of Art for providing information for this article. Image Gallery To see more from the Chrysler Museum of Art, click here. SOFA CHICAGO November 4- 6, 2011 Navy Pier 13
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GASNews October/ November 2011 Volume 22 ... - Glass Art Society

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