GAS News S/O 06 copy - Glass Art Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

INTERNATIONAL WINDOW Vrij Glas: Artists Create a Laboratory By Scott Benefield STUDENT PROFILE 4 Vrij Glas: a small hand painted sign rests limply against a utility pole, comical in its humility when seen in contrast to the other sterner, military-issue signs that surround me, warning against trespassers, lighted matches, smoking and open fires. It is January in the Netherlands, bitterly cold, and I find myself walking briskly across an empty parade ground in search of the entrance to a glass studio when I spot this humble signage. “Free Glass” would be the literal translation of Vrij Glas, which contains within it a much more nuanced message. Vrij Glas was the original name for that branch of the global Studio Glass movement that flourished in the Netherlands and found institutional support in the pioneering glass program at the Gerrit Reitveld Academy. By ‘vrij’ it meant free of the long tradition of Dutch factory glass; it meant free for glass to be used as a medium for artists in the same sense as paint or bronze or any other visual medium. ‘Vrij’ is a powerful word in a society that celebrates tolerance and reasonable acceptance, a word that offers up a challenge to limitations as much as it promises a respite from regulation. Fittingly, it raises more questions than it resolves. The stated goal of Vrij Glass is “to encourage experimentation and innovation in glass, and to endow artists with key infrastructure and vital expertise.” To this end, the foundation offers residency and research opportunities with rather elastic parameters. The governing board of the organization entertains proposals from artists from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in using glass in new ways as a means towards artistic ends. Proposals are considered on an individual basis, with an emphasis placed on original research and the exploration of new forms, techniques and ideas. The facilities available allow prospective residents to work with hot glass, neon, flameworking and various cold working processes (such as beveling, engraving, grinding and polishing). There is ample studio space within the large, airy workshop building, as well as an area devoted to exhibition and display in the front of the building. Vrij Glas also maintains an apartment in nearby Zaanstad for use by residents, and, in a typical gesture of Dutch hospitality, will offer you the use of a bicycle for your travels around town. The earliest roots of Vrij Glas lie in previous projects that were designed to link artists to the rather extensive facilities required to create works in glass. Durk Valkema and Anna Carlgren, two of the three founding directors of the Vrij Glas Foundation, are both exhibiting artists with a background in glass. Valkema is also renown as a designer and fabricator of innovative, efficient equipment for glass working. Carlgren, in addition to her own sculptural work in glass, has designed production wares for Royal Leerdam. Both have been involved in various projects of a collaborative nature, including the 1986 Amsterdam Chamber Symposium, in which artists working in glass from both Western and Eastern Europe were invited to come to Amsterdam, live and work together for a period of time, and exhibit the results in a gallery show. In 1997, both Carlgren and Valkema worked to organize and run the International Drinking Glass Event, which created a temporary studio in the center of Leerdam to which an open invitation to glassblowers from all over the world was issued. The three principals of Vrij Glass are all veterans of the 2002 Glass Art Society conference that was held in Amsterdam. Durk Valkema was the conference co-chair, serving on the Board of Directors of both GAS and its Dutch partner, Stichtig Glas 2002 (a foundation formed for the sole purpose of hosting the conference). Anna- Lise van der Vorm served as executive assistant to the Dutch conference planner, and Anna Carlgren helped organize and promote a special exhibition of local artists using glass. Their association, and the experience of working together for two years to encourage the cooperative effort that led to the successful event, led indirectly to the formation of Vrij Glas. Another contributing event was the demise of the glass department at the Gerrit Reitveld Academy. The glass program, founded by Sybren Valkema in 1965, was widely known throughout Europe and around the world as an innovative and successful incubator for young artists investigating a line of study involving glass as an artistic medium. In 2003, the program was abandoned. Although the glass studio at the school remains as a facility available to students, there is no comprehensive program of instruction and as such is unlikely to be the focus of sustained study. The city’s most significant laboratory for free experimentation into glass had been closed. Vrij Glas was chartered as a cultural foundation and, as such, is eligible for special funding from the Dutch and city governments (it has the equivalent of non-for-profit status in the United States). It has received significant support from the city of Zanstad, which views the new organization as a magnet for cultural development that could help change the city’s profile from an outlying industrial zone to a center of creative activity. Initiated as a monthly salon in 2003, in 2005 Vrij Glas found a home in a decommissioned military complex on the very edge of Amsterdam, in the nearby town of Zaanstad. Located a short one euro ferry ride across an industrial canal from the city, the complex at Hembrug resembles nothing more than a rather grim college campus that was abandoned sometime in the late 60s. There are open spaces, marvelous to encounter after the persistent, historical claustrophobia of the city of Amsterdam, bordered by sizeable industrial facilities that are now abandoned. With the cooperation of the local government of Zaanstad, the site became a home for a variety of cultural and artistic projects. There’s a delicious irony in witnessing the transformation of an arms depot by creative civic vision and the effort of artists into a haven for visionary artistic endeavor. When I visited Vrij Glas this past winter, the studio was host to a meeting of design professionals who have formed a think tank to address interdisciplinary issues. The meeting was catered by a company, which provided the usual array of light hors d’ouevres, but also included a rather unusual display of transparent food on light tables. Invited artists blew glass in the studio while the architects and educators and politicians mingled, munching on exotic snacks and drinking wine from hand-blown glass. The feeling was one of unusual alignments: black-clad design professionals mixing with sweaty glassblowers, a humming artistic beehive in the midst of a former munitions factory, the warm glow of a glass furnace contrasting with the freezing weather outside. Vrij Glas is a new endeavor dedicated to creative exploration. These unusual juxtapositions all seemed to be an apt expression of the its potential as a site where discoveries and novel work will happen. For more information on Vrij Glass, please visit the website at www.vrijglas.nl. New Student Representative Andrew K. Erdos Still image from Heart Transistor #3, Andrew K. Erdos While many sculptors build with the intention or resisting time, I embrace it, and use it as my primary artistic medium. The phrase I use to describe most of my art is “time-based performance sculpture”. They are works of art where the piece has a scheduled life span and the viewer can see the growth, progression, and decomposition of my object. Rarely do I produce sculptures that exist for over seventy-two hours. This means most of my sculpture is viewed in the form of digital prints, video, or artifacts left from the performance. Glass is beautiful, and manifests the changes of time better than any other material I have discovered. In my mind hot glass is a living thing. It produces light, radiates heat, and moves. As it cools and slows down it emulates ageing, and an eventual death. The life cycle is completed when the glass is re-melted. I also try to stimulate senses that are often neglected in art. Many of my sculptures produce sounds, and psychologically sickening smells. You can see some of my work on www.myspace.com/ AndrewErdos or www.AndrewErdos.com. I am very interested in your feedback, and very excited about my upcoming term. Andrew K. Erdos began taking glass blowing classes at Bucks County Community College when he was 15. He has been a student at Alfred University since 2003 and will be graduating in 2007. In 2002, Andrew took an intensive class with Stephen Rolfe Powell. In 2004, he attended a two week collaborative class taught by Gabrielle Kushner and Josh Simpson and a four week intensive class with Sean Albert. He has been operating a small lamp-working studio in Newtown, Pennsylvania since 2004. He has work in the private collections of Mr. and Mrs. Michelle Guggenheim, Junior Marvin, Al Anderson and Aston “Family Man” Barrett of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
seminars, conferences, events Ankara Arts and Crafts Fair Nov. 4 -12, at the Ankara Atatürk Culture Center, Ankara, Turkey. Along with hundreds of native artists from different parts of Turkey and foreign artists from more than 50 countries, there will be concerts, cultural dance performances as well as fashion shows. Contact: Forum Fairs & Promotions Co, Inc., Mesrutiyet cad. No: 29/15, Kisilay, Ankara, 06420, Turkey, Tel: +90 (312) 419 19 32, Fax: +90 (312) 419 19 37, senay@forumfuar.com, www.artsankara.com Annual Corning Museum of Glass Seminar to Explore Glass Interiors and Furnishings Oct. 4 - 7 at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. From windows and wall decorations to lighting and furniture, glass has been used in domestic settings from Roman times to the present. The 45th Annual Seminar on Glass at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY, will explore glass furnishings and interiors across time. The Seminar will feature presentations by guest experts, as well as by the curators from The Corning Museum of Glass. Topics will range from “Glass in the Buildings of Ancient Rome” to “Tiffany's Interiors at Laurelton Hall.” Special sessions on the final day will be devoted to the use of glass in contemporary architecture and public spaces. Speakers will include antique dealer and Lalique expert, Nicholas Dawes; the Metropolitan Museum of Art's curator of American decorative arts, Alice C. Frelinghuysen; and the curator of glass from the Toledo Museum of Art, Jutta-Annette Page. The cost to attend the Seminar is $250 for non-members and $225 for Museum Members. The cost to attend individual lectures is $25 per lecture for non-members and $20 per lecture for Museum Members. The Corning Museum of Glass, One Museum Wy, Corning, NY, 14830-2253, Tel: 607-937-5371, Fax: 607-974-8470, Louise Maio at 607-974- 4084, MaioLM@cmog.org or www.cmog.org Art Glass Auction and Benefit Dinner Oct. 7 at the Valley River Inn, Eugene, OR. Seventh annual auction activities include a featured artist demo, live and silent auctions, and dinner. Contact: Eugene Glass School, 575 Wilson St, Eugene, OR, 97402, Tel: 541-342-2959, info@eugeneglassschool.org, www.eugeneglassschool.org Artist Gala Party and Silent Auction Sept. 15, at the Alexis Hotel, Seattle, WA. Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5761. West Edge Sculpture Invitational, 5040 51st Ave SW, Seattle, WA, 98136, Tel: 206-334-5040, info@westedgesculpture.com, www.westedgesculpture.com Bead & Art Glass Fest 2006 Nov. 10 -12, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. Over 65 classes will be offered in fusing, hot glass, stained glass, PMC and polymer clay, and beading. This year's instructors features Hollywood Jewelry maker to the stars and host of DIY's “Jewelry Making Offinger Management Company, 1100-H Brandywine Blvd, Zanesville, OH, 43701, Tel: 740-452-4541 ext 3122, Fax: 740-452-2552, www.Offinger.com Benefit Auction 2006 for Bild-Werk Frauenau Acedemy Oct. 29 at Tom’s Hall in Frauenau, Germany. In this benefit auction well-known artists engage for the future of Bild-Werk Frauenau Academy as a creative melting point and an inspirational meeting place. A Silent Auction for studio glass and modern art will be presented on www.bild-werk-frauenau.de from Oct. 1, 2006 and in Tom’s Hall at the auction weekend. Contact: Bild-Werk Frauenau, Postfach 105, Frauenau, D-94258, Germany, Tel: +49-9926-180895, Fax: +49-9926-180897, info@bild-werk-frauenau.de, www.Bild-Werk-Frauenau.de 8th European Society of Glass Science and Technology Meeting Sept. 10 -14, in Sunderland, UK. The ESG2006 will be held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Society of Glass Technology and the International Commission on Glass. Contact: Society of Glass Technology, Unit 9 Twelve O'Clock Court, Sheffield, S4 7WW, England, Tel: +44 (0)114 263 4455, Fax: +44 (0)114 263 4411, sara@glass.demon.co.uk, www.esg2006.co.uk Glass Conference: A Functional Material for the Future Nov. 17 & 18, in Nancy, France. This conference will bring together researchers, educators, manufacturers, and architects. Contact: Pole Verrier, 6, rue Bastien-Lepage, Nancy, F-54000, France, pole@idverre.net, www.idverre.net/en/index.php Glass Processing Days June 15-18, 2007 in Tampere, Finland. Contact: TAMGLASS Ltd. Oy /GPD Glass Processing Days, Vehmaistenkatu 5, Tampere, 33730, Finland, Tel: +358 3 382 3280, gpd@glassfiles.com, www.glassprocessingdays.com Glass Studio Tour Oct. 14 -15, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. The studios of nationally recognized glass artists in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area open their doors to the public. The third annual tour showcases artists working in hot and warm glass forms (hand blown, fused and lamp worked ). Nineteen studio locations with over 30 participating artists. All studios have work on display with most offering live demonstrations through out the weekend. For specific operating hours and driving directions visit: FK Art Glass, 2210 Bryant Ave N, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, Tel: 612-521-9773, fkartglass@juno.com, www.fkartglass.com Glasstec 2006 Oct. 24-28, Düsseldorf, Germany. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Postfach 10 10 06, Düsseldorf, 40001, Germany, Tel: +49 (0)211/ 4560-01, Fax: +49 (0)211/4560-668, info@messe-duesseldorf.de, www.messe-duesseldorf.de GlassTech India 2006 Dec. 13-15 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. Contact: Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte, Ltd., 1 Maritime Square #09- 43, Singapore, 099253, Singapore, Tel: +65 6278 8666, Fax: +65 6278 4077, sales@cems.com.sg, Hot Glass Horizons 2006 Portland, Nov. 1- 4 at the Doubletree Inn, Portland, OR. Many classes will be offered plus tours of Uroboros and Bullseye. Contact: Hot Glass Horizons, 15500 NE Kincaid Rd, Newberg, OR, 97132, Tel: 503-538-5281, Fax: 503-538-6527, fusionhq@aol.com, www.hotglasshorizons.com Inspired Arts Fair Nov. 8-12 at Christchurch, Commercial St, Spitalfields, London, E1. Inspired Art is a small not-for-profit, London based contemporary arts organisation that curates and manages projects. Since its establishment in 2003, work has included 3 annual Inspired Art Fairs (IAF), The Aprilia Art Challenge and Prelude, a series of monthly showcasing events for emerging UK artists. Alongside the fair, we are also running a series of talks for exhibiting and visiting artists. Contact: Inspired Art Fair, Top Floor, London, N6 4QP, Tel: +44 (0) 208 374 7318, Fax: +44 (0) 208 374 4566, info@inspireartfair.com, www.inspireartfair.com Meltdown 06 Features Dante Marioni and Stephen Rolfe Powell Sept. 16, in Pittsburgh, PA. Meltdown 06 is Pittsburgh’s hottest party and only live glass auction to benefit Pittsburgh Glass Center. The featured glass artist for the event is Stephen Rolfe Powell. Dante Marioni will serve as honorary chair. Activities include: live and silent glass auctions, hot glass demonstrations by Stephen Rolfe Powell, glass sale and more. Tickets: $200. For more information or to sponsor Meltdown 06, contact Lissa Rosenthal at 412-365-2145 ext. 207 or lissa@pittsburghglasscenter.org, or contact: Pittsburgh Glass Center, 5472 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, Tel: 412-365-2145 ext 203, Fax: 412-365-2140, karen@pittsburghglasscenter.org, www.pittsburghglasscenter.org Pilchuck Glass School Annual Auction Friday, Oct. 13, 5 pm. This year’s black-tie gala and auction is more international than ever, with hundreds of works of art from around the world. At The Westin Seattle, 1900 Fifth Avenue. Tickets are $250; call 206-621-8422, ext. 50 or email reservations@pilchuck.com. Red Hot ! The Museum of Glass goes Speakeasy! Recapture the wild romance of the Roaring Twenties at RED HOT. Join us on Sept. 30 for our annual gala event, featuring live and silent art auctions, cocktails and cuisine, a Hot Shop floor show and all that jazz. Don't forget your dancing shoes! For more information or to purchase tickets: Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art, 1801 E Dock St, Tacoma, WA, 98402-3217, Tel: 253-284-4708, Fax: 253-396-1769, Vera Hunter at vhunter@museumofglass.org, www.museumofglass.org The Mint Museums Celebrate their 70th Anniversary Oct. 22 at the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC. Contact: Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28207, Tel: 704-337-2000, Fax: 704-337-2101, cmo@mintmuseum.org, www.mintmuseum.org Warm Glass Conference 2006 Sept. 15-17 at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. Speakers include MIlon Townsend and Richard La Londe. Pre- and post-conference classes will be held with a range of top instructors, including Richard La Londe, Johnathon Schmuck, Delores Taylor, Patty Gray, and Martha Kauppi. Scholarships and internships are available. Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, PO Box 567, Gatlinburg, TN, 37738, Tel: 865-436-5860, Fax: 865-430-4101, info@arrowmont.org, www.warmglass.org Young Affiliates of the Mint (YAMs) Black & White Gala Nov. 2, at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC. Contact: Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28207, Tel: 704-337-2000, Fax: 704-337-2101, www.youngaffiliates.org or www.mintmuseum.org Contemporary Arts of New Mexico The Duane Reed Gallery invites you to join in the exploration of “Contemporary Arts of New Mexico.” Visiting Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Corrales Oct. 18 - 22, 2006. This custom designed educational tour features artist's studio visits, some with demonstrations, museum exhibitions, lectures by noted arts experts, gallery receptions and exhibits, private collections, and a sculptural garden tour. Tour Stops Include Tesuuque Glassworks – Works of glass artists Charles Miner and 10 additional artists with a demonstration of hot blowing and casting techniques, and the Canyon Road “Gallery Hop” – visiting Jane Soauer Thirteen Moons Gallery, William Siegel Gallery, Tai Gallery and Mariposa Gallery in Albuquerque – all exhibiting the best contemporary artists working in the United States. There will also be visits to Private Artists Studios of Flo Perkins, Charles Miner, and Emily Brock. Visits to private collections: TBA. Tour includes 3 nights deluxe hotel accommodations, all applicable taxes, fees and gratuities, full breakfast daily with many lunches, dinners and receptions on tour, and all museum entrance fees. The tour is hosted by R. Duane Reed Gallery. Contemporary Art Tours/Professional Travel, Inc., 25201 Chagrin Blvd Ste 390, Beachwood, OH, 44122, Tel: 800-945-4461 x109/216-593-7040 x109, alw@protrav.com 5 Dublin Blaschka Congress Sept. 28-30 in Dublin, Ireland at the National Museum of Ireland. September 2006 will see the firstever international meeting focussed on the work of glass artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. Conference proceedings will include major contributions from some of the worlds leading glass scholars: David Whitehouse (Corning Institute of Glass, USA), Susan Rossi-Wilcox (Harvard University, USA), renowned Blaschka scholar Henri Reiling, and Chris Meechan (National Museum and Galleries of Wales). Contact: National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, Merrion St, Dublin, 2, Ireland, Tel: +353 (0) 1 6486 396, laschka2006@ucd.ie, www.ucd.ie/blaschka
Page 1 and 2: september october 2006 volume 17 is
Page 3: Art and Originality by Gianni Toso,
Page 7 and 8: UrbanGlass Visiting Artist Fellowsh
Page 9 and 10: PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh Glass Cente
Page 11 and 12: County Durham, The Bowes Museum, Te

GAS News S/O 06 copy - Glass Art Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?