OPENING: A tribute to David Bowie in glass and other materials in Philadelphia

Every year since the cultural icon's death in 2016, Philadelphia has set aside a week to honor David Bowie, the persona-shifting rock star with a series of key connections to the City of Brotherly Love. Bowie's first concert album, titled David Live," was recorded at the area's live-music mecca known as the Tower Theater in 1974, and much of his seminal Young Americans album was recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Studios. Timed to Bowie's January 8th birthday, the "Philly Loves Bowie" annual event ranges from musical concerts to art events, and this year, the National Liberty Museum has organized an entire exhibition in honor of the icon.

An aerial view of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the buildings nestled in the trees and overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

Thursday December 19, 2019 | by Andrew Page

Haystack wins $4 million Windgate gift to endow its campus preservation

An architectural landmark perched on a granite cliff on Deer Island, Maine, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has played an outsize role in the history of glass art, hosting classes and workshops by Harvey Littleton in the early stages of Studio Glass. Dale Chihuly both studied and taught here, and clearly was inspired by the dramatic and rugged surroundings to start Pilchuck in the forests of Washington state. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, the Haystack campus was designed in 1960 by noted architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. Using local materials such as cedar shingles, and with an extensive wooden walkway fostering a sense of connection, the design won the Twenty Five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1994, a rare honor shared by less than 50 buildings. Recognizing both the importance and the challenge of preserving the landmark campus in a wind-swept coastal environment, Haystack was recently gifted a $4-million grant by the Windgate Foundation. The largest gift in the school's history, the money will be "permanently restricted, generating operating support of the ongoing preservation" of the unique Haystack campus, according to the official announcement of the gift.

Dan Dailey, Dubious (from the "Individuals" series), 2011. Blown, sandblasted, and acid-polished glass; metal. collection: the artist. photo: bill truslow. © Dan Dailey

Wednesday December 18, 2019 | by Andrew Page

EXHIBITION: Figurative works by Dan Dailey the focus of upcoming exhibition at the Chrysler Museum of Art

For an exhibition aptly titled "Character Sketch," the Chrysler Museum of Art has assembled 33 of Dan Dailey's figurative sculptures that span the prolific pioneering artist's four-decade career. Blown and hot-worked figures will share the exhibition with cane murals as well as wall reliefs made from Vitrolite, a structural glass used in the first half of the 20th-century, most notably for Art Deco facades. A dedicated draftsman, Dailey's attraction to liquid glass stems, in part, from its parallels to the flow of ink from a pen. Several of Dailey's original drawings will be on view to demonstrate the close connection between finished objects and the sketches that guided their creation.

Tuesday December 10, 2019 | by Andrew Page

Deborah Czeresko and "Blown Away" make critics' Top Ten lists for 2019

'Tis the season for annual Top Ten lists, when magazines and newspapers release their critics' picks for the most important works of the year. While the previous 12 months' output of everything from books to movies to albums is distilled down to a year-end roundup of the best of the best, the much-discussed glassblowing reality show Blown Away has recently found its way onto two prominent lists.

Robert Wilson, A Boy From Texas, 2019. Glass. Dimensions variable. courtesy: cristina crajales gallery and the corning museum of glass.

Friday December 6, 2019 | by Andrew Page

The Corning Museum's design initiatives help bring glass new prominence at Design Miami

On December 5th, The Art Newspaper published an online article reflecting on the prominence of glass at the 2019 Miami art fairs with the headline "Design Miami is a Real Glass Act." In it writer Caroline Roux states that Design Miami "visitors will find the material being used as a medium of expression by an increasing number of artists." While Berengo and his Murano atelier are also cited in the article, it is Robert Wilson's recent project fabricated at The Corning Museum of Glass' amphitheater hotshop that gets top billing as well as the article's opening photo. The image features his installation of transparent glass deer that turned heads at the design fair when it opened on December 3rd. (It runs through the 8th.)

A restored neon sign in Havana. courtesy: museum of neon art

Wednesday December 4, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

A Cuba trip co-organized by a museum in L.A. offers a front-row seat to the relighting of Havana's neon landscape

Before the Cuban Revolution in 1958, when Fidel Castro confiscated nearly all private property, Havana was a legendary playground for gangsters, American society types, and anybody who wanted to hang around to soak up the neon-lit ambiance of the city. Havana in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s was a tropical Las Vegas rival, known as much for its famous nightclubs, hotels, and restaurants festooned with radiant lit signs as its atmosphere of lawlessness.

Friday November 22, 2019 | by Andrew Page

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The Winter 2019 edition of Glass (#157)

The Winter 2019 edition of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly (#157) is hitting newsstands and subscriber mailboxes this week. On the cover is a new work by Danny Lane from his brand-new "Carved and Cast" series.

Jessica Loughlin, Receptor Of Light V, 2018. Glass. H 18, W 21, D 7 in. Loughlin's piece won the FUSE Glass Prize in 2018.

Friday November 22, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

CALL FOR ENTRIES: JamFactory seeks Australian and New Zealand applicants for third annual FUSE Glass Prize

JamFactory has announced the dates for its third biennial FUSE Glass Prize, awarded to glass artists in Australia and New Zealand. According to the website, the prize is awarded to artists who "push themselves and their work to new limits" and display "contemporary artistic expression, the outstanding public collections in the region, and the globally connected art glass ecosystem." The prize began in 2016 as a collaboration between JamFactory and glass collectors Jim and Helen Carreker. The winner will be awarded a $20,000 non-acquisitive cash prize. Additionally, the David Henshall Prize Emerging Artist prize will be awarded to a newer artist, who will receive a $2,500 cash prize and a professional residency at JamFactory.

Tansey Contemporary Gallery, which moved from Santa Fe to Denver in 2017, is permanently closing its doors on November 23. source: facebook

Wednesday November 20, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

Tansey Contemporary in Denver to close gallery doors before the end of November

After three years in Denver, Tansey Contemporary is closing its doors. Owners Mike and Jennifer Tansey acquired the gallery in 2013 when they purchased the Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe. Because the couple lived in Evergreen, Colorado, at the time, they transitioned to a second Denver location in 2016. A year later, the Santa Fe location was closed when they realized they couldn’t divide their time or attention. Just before Thanksgiving, they are planning to shut the doors of their Denver location as well, citing the challenge of managing major contemporary art fairs while also running a gallery.

Tuesday November 12, 2019 | by Jillian Cheney

Cal Breed's solo exhibition at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts explores his interest in wind and water

Deeply in touch with nature and the elements, Alabama glass artist Cal Breed depicts wind and water in ways both friendly and powerful. Breed has been working in glass since the mid 1990s, when he apprenticed with renowned glass artists such as Cam Langley, Paul Cunningham, Dante Marioni and Lino Tagliapietra. He sought out those experts intentionally, determined to be trained before he started creating on his own. His work has been recognized by the likes of Martha Stewart and Oprah (His Roxy Pitcher was on the "O List" several years ago -- and continues to exhibit a simple grace).

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 35 years.