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Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, NY, NY
In April, New York’s Museum of Arts and Design will open “Dead or Alive“, an exhibition showcasing the work of more than 30 international artists who use organic and once-living materials-such as insects, feathers, shells, bones, silkworm cocoons, plant materials, and fur.
“In the hands of these artists mute materials are brought back to life as works of art,” states Chief Curator David McFadden. “With profound and provocative associations, organic materials are transformed and resuscitated. This exhibition evokes our deepest emotions about mortality, but at the same time celebrates the new life given to lifeless materials by these talented individuals.”
Dead or Alive, on view until October 24, 2010, features new site-specific installations and recent work by contemporary artists from around the world, including Jennifer Angus, Nick Cave, Tessa Farmer, Damien Hirst, Alastair Mackie, Kate MccGwire, and a collaborative installation by Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic.
Dead or Alive follows upon themes of a slightly macabre nature. Once-living parts of flora and fauna are recombined and rearranged into works of art that address the transience of life, and all that is elegant and alarming about the natural world.
• Artist Nick Cave uses leaves, hair, twigs, and other found objects to create bold costume-sculptures called Soundsuits. When worn, the Soundsuits are brought to life and create a loud swell of noise as the performer moves-a meditation on the power of ritual and ceremony.
• Jennifer Angus also subverts familiar forms with her site-specific architectural installations. Built to mimic interiors furnished with traditional wallpaper and textiles, the works are actually ornamented with thousands of dried insects pinned directly to the wall. These installations blur the distinction between decoration and expression, and between domestic comforts and disturbance.
• Cuban artist Fabian Peña employs insects to explore the endless cycle of life and death, and to comment on the foulest conditions of human existence. For The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul (2007), Peña has rendered an image of the human skull using only clipped cockroach wings. Mounted on a light box, the wings cast an eerie amber glow into the gallery.
• Washington Glass School’s Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic‘s collaborative work “The Apothecarium Moderne” is an installation referencing a 19th century apothecary…….but represents cures for the ills of modern man.
The nine cures represented are (Left to Right From Top) : Loss Of Faith, Financial Insecurity, Identity Theft, Over-population, Erectile Dysfunction, Infertility, Family Dysfunction, Intelligent Design and Ennui.
Marc Petrovic on the collaborative process: “I really enjoyed being able to add and subtract elements and ideas with another artist. It seemed to take some of the mental pressure off not having to come up with the entire concept and execution all on my own. I often have input from my wife, Kari Russell-Pool, when I work on my own pieces, but I almost always execute my own pieces entirely by myself from start to finish. This was a lot of work, but a great experience.”
“After a majority of the components were made I went to Tim’s studio in DC and we laid out all of our fabricated parts along with all our found objects. After we went over each bottle one at a time putting all of the parts for each bottle together to get a better visual of our concepts manifested, we then edited the pieces further and added or subtracted components to get them to work visually as well as to strengthen the concepts.”
“We then split up the components again and, each in our own shops, worked on assembling the more complex components. Tim did the final engraving of text on the bottles. The division of labor worked out to be pretty equitable.”
Detail: Ennui Materials: Blown, engraved and lampworked glass; firecrackers; matches. Dimensions: 6″ x 6″ x 18″ The top finial contains an exclamation point. Inside is filled with unlit matches, save for one atop a dome filled with firecrackers. The text is in German….the chorus of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony’s “Ode To Joy”.
Infertility Materials: Blown and engraved glass; bird eggs. Dimensions: 6″ x 6″ x 18″
Environmental Art in NYC
>Excess and Environment:
sustainability in a world of consumption
“What We Leave Behind” by Erwin Timmers
Materials: cast recycled window glass, steel. Dimensions: 70″ x 50″ x 16″
The beautiful dark green glass with gold highlights was recovered from the construction site of a Virginia office building where the building was undergoing a cosmetic updating of the facade. The spandrel glass discarded from the old building was used as the basis of the cast glass panels.
About the exhibition: “Excess and Environment”
The presence of excess exists in our day-to-day lives, but often hides behind masks of disposal systems, social acceptance, and misinformation. This exhibition explores the idea of the impact of our excess on our natural environment both visually and theoretically. The art involved will relate to mass consumption and waste’s effects on the environment. Art using these excess materials as a medium will also represent this concept of sustainability in the midst of excess.
Excess and Environment
Opening Reception:
Friday, April 16th 2010
7:00 pm to 11:00 pm
AE Studios LIC, 39-06 Crescent Street, Long Island City, Queens, NY 11101
(One stop on the subway away from Midtown Manhattan)
Artists showing work include Chris Jordan, Eve Mosher, Walter “Tinho” Nomura, Justin Gignac, Akirash, Mikal Hameed, Erwin Timmers, Miles Wickham, Beau Stanton, Destroy and Rebuild, Christina Chobot, Trash Track and more.
“What We Leave Behind” Erwin Timmers
Detail: images of panels depicting the 1980’s and 2000’s
According to the artist, the series, What We Leave Behind was conceived from the viewpoint of an archaeologist, who might, centuries from now, uncover artifacts from our era. Just like the archaeologist, you are looking down to uncover the items. Elements are recognizable from the various decades … objects once in popular use but now resting in landfills.
The title of the work is based on the book about our culture of excess and the impact our trash will continue to make long after we are gone: “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman.
The profits from the art sold at this exhibit will be split between the artists and Art for Global Justice, so that we may sustain the local artist community and keep Art for Global Justice’s youth workshops and art exchange program going.
CASE STUDY: Glass Sculpture as Public Art
Prince George’s County Circuit Courthouse
Prince Georges’s County Upper Marlboro Circuit Courthouse artwork
If you have been following the ongoing story of the Washington Glass Studio’s design and progress of the installation of Prince George County’s Upper Marlboro courthouse glass public art sculpture – the installation is almost complete. As described in the June 2009 blog posting –
The historic 1939 Circuit Court building was devastated by fire in 2004, completely destroying the ornate Duvall Wing. The old bell tower that was atop the portico entry had been reduced to the structural frame and the historic bell within had crashed down to the ground during the fire.
The cupola’s 124-year-old bell fell through the second floor during the fire and was buried in the rubble. (photo: Mark E. Brady — Prince George’s County Fire/emergency Medical)
For a number of years, during the renovation of the courthouse, the bell tower structure continued to deteriorate on what had become a construction site for both the courthouse expansion and the renovation of the damaged courthouse.
The structural remains of the original 1939 bell tower cupola.
In 2008, Prince George’s County asked two of the artists that had made artwork for the interior of the Marbury Wing court expansion to collaborate and come up with some concepts for the front entry courtyard of the refurbished court building as it neared completion. Early on, the decision was made to restore the original bell tower cupola as the center point of the public artwork sculpture, and that informed the many design concepts explored. Infill panels made of cast glass with courthouse/legal imagery, sandcarved glass infill panels, backlighting with computer controlled LED panel lighting effects, neon lighting – were some of the many different ideas that were explored and the design options were narrowed down, documented and presented to the courthouse committee, headed by Circuit Court Judge Sheila Tillerson-Adams.
Different concepts of integration of lighting and cast recycled glass were explored.
Titled “Rebirth and Renewal “, the concept was modified with input from the judges and the committee, and in late 2009, the original steel structure and copper dome top was restored and set into a new paved area outside the courthouse, near the main courthouse entry. Glass began being cast into bas-relief panels with imagery based on the courts, the legal system, Prince George’s County, and the original court building.
Cast bas-relief panels made from recycled glass were made with court and community based imagery. Michael Janis begins coldworking the panels. Nicole Puzan installs the cast textured panels into the steel framework.
Steel frames were made for the glass panel infill support. Neon artist Marty King made a neon representation of the original bell of the bell tower, which, by tradition, was struck at 9.30 am each day court was in session. An engineer certified the original bell tower cupola’s structural integrity for the modifications and reuse. Custom benches for seating around the artwork were started. The chamfered corner panel infills were designed to incorporate detailed county seals representing the counties served by the Circuit Court. These panels were clear, with deep, intricate sandcarved panels. In December of 2009, all the elements were coming together, and installation of the cast glass began.
Erwin Timmers tests the neon. Erwin Timmers and Alonzo Davis bolt the infill panels to the steel structure.
During the installation, the Washington, DC area was hit by two snowstorms that dumped the largest amount of snow ever recorded in the area’s history, and installation had to work around the snow removal efforts.
The Circuit Court for Prince George’s County shares the Seventh Judicial Circuit with the Circuit Courts for Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. Seals of each of the counties are presented in the artwork.
The names of the Circuit Court refurbishment committee are acknowledged in sandcarved panels mounted in the glass and steel sculpture. The cast recycled glass alternates with clear glass to allow alternating views looking into the neon bell sculpture and allowing diffused lighting from the neon to illuminate the cast glass symbols.The final elements were recently installed, and the neon switched on.
The artwork “Rebirth and Renewal” at night.
McLean Project for the Arts Call for Entries
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Fantastic Journeys
Works inspired by the spirit of adventure, exploration or utopian visions are sought.
Fantastic Journeys will be jurored by Beatrice Gralton, the Evelyn S. Nef Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The exhibition will run from June 17 through July 31. Deadline for submission is April 12, 2010 at 5pm.
All Mid-Atlantic artists (DC,VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE,WV) are invited to submit up to four digital images (jpegs) of 2 or3-dimensional, installation or video works completed within the last two years and not previously exhibited at MPA. Works that move beyond traditional forms and media are encouraged. Works must fit through a 81″ x 65″ doorway.
AWARDS Cash prizes totaling $1,500 will be awarded by the juror. Decisions are final.
Click HERE to get the MPA submission pdf.
Robert Kincheloe wins Emerging Artist Award
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Robert Kincheloe (our new studio coordinator/resident artist/flamework artist extraordinaire) was just awarded Glasscraft’s Emerging Artist Award for his “outstanding skill” and for his “technical and artistic innovation”.
The glass journal The Flow , features a profile article about Robert and his amazing flamework art. Previous winners of the emerging artist award includes Steve Sizelove, Christian Luginger and one of our favorite flameworking artists; Carmen Lozar.
Click HERE to jump to Roberts website.
Registration For Classes – ONLINE!
>The Washington Glass School has finally moved forward with the secure online class registration option pf PayPal! (Yay! Huzzah! About Time!)
Pop-Up Project Art Exhibition
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The first exhibition, I Dream Awake runs from March 26 to May 28, 2010 at625-627 E St, NW, Washington, DC (the former Numark Gallery space in Penn Quarter).
I Dream Awake is a curated selection of works that presents original artist expressions which explore the link between awakened realities and unconscious dreams. The exhibition includes artwork in various media by New York artists, Mikel Glass, Kenichi Hoshine and Margaret Bowland; Los Angeles artists Vonn Sumner and Susan Burnstine; and local artists Rosemary Feit Covey, Laurel Hausler, Lizzie Newton and our glass guru, Tim Tate.
Amy Morton says of her first pop-up show: “The premise for the opening exhibition, came to me in the form of a dream a few months ago. I have long valued how my mind works while I am asleep, particularly in the realm of creativity and problem-solving. Coded answers to core questions regarding the individual or collective human condition can be accessed, digested and discovered in the gray area between the conscious and the unconscious…I Dream Awake is a selection of talented artists from DC, NYC and LA that highlights the power of this area of the human mind and how it affects and moves us”.
The formal opening reception with the artists in attendance will be held on Friday, March 26th from 6 – 9pm.
Erwin Timmers Environmental Artwork Sculpture
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Erwin Timmer’s original concept sketch for the cast recycled glass panel sculpture.
The actual installation of the glass sculpture. The vision and reality are a close match!
This weekend, Erwin Timmers installed a major commissioned art work for the new environmentally conscious building at
1129 20th St, NW, Washington, DC
Working together with Anna Major of Fox Architects and building owner John Gattuso, the wall sculpture is a site–specific piece that has a dialog with Margaret Boozer’s ceramic artwork installation also in the building lobby.
The owner wanted artwork with a vertical orientation to echo the architectural aspects of the space, mounted atop the subtle-textured white limestone wall. Although the building and its lobby are very minimalist in design, a strong artwork was desired to work in contrast. In the owners words, the wall is beautiful, but sooner or later people are going to ask him, “…when are you going put up the art?”
The wall sculpture created by casting with recycled window glass is central to the concept of this piece. Erwin was selected for the commission in part because of his use of sustainable design in his artwork, and his use of recycled glass has the artwork keep in the nature of the building’s LEED gold certified design. Window glass or float glass is one of the least recycled building materials and many recycling advocacy organizations and programs consider it the pariah of their work. Less than 3% percent of discarded float glass is recycled, and this project provided the opportunity to divert at least some from the waste stream.
Erwin Timmers installing the recycled glass artwork on the limestone wall.
There is also a great play between the lobby artworks, where Margaret Boozer’s work is stone on glass, and Erwin’s incorporates glass on stone. Erwin commented that his glass sculpture also references modern technology and communication – the final design is actually based on the word “ART” in barcode language.
Erwin Timmers sculpture left, Margaret Boozer’s sculpture beyond.
Click HERE to see more of Erwin Timmers’ environmental based artwork.
Call for Craft Artists
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CALL FOR CRAFT ARTISTS TO SUBMIT FOR WASHINGTON CRAFT SHOW, NOVEMBER 19 – 21, 2010
Crafts America Shows announces a call to artists for the 23rd Annual Washington Craft Show, a juried show open to all American craft artists to be held November 19, 20, and 21, 2010, at the Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C.
Artists must apply online by April 1, 2010 at www.craftsamericashows.com.
The cost is $40 to enter up to five images representative of the artists’ work. The artists selected by jury will be notified by June 1, 2010. Cash awards are given for Best in Show, Collectors’ Award, and categories. This prestigious show of contemporary craft in America will feature 190 artists jury selected by professionals in the field of fine craft. Jurors’ selections are based on the level of technical skill, quality of workmanship, and originality of design. Accepted work represents a broad spectrum of media, technique, and creative design. The following categories of contemporary fine craft art are eligible: furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wood, basketry, ceramics, wearable fiber, and decorative fiber. All craft work must be well conceived and expertly executed. Each piece must be made by hand or with the use of appropriate tools. Whether one-of-a-kind or limited production, work should reflect the creativity and individuality of the artist.
In addition to the works by artists for sale, the Washington Craft Show will present demonstrations by artists, a fashion show and discussions with prominent speakers regarding the state of the craft industry today.
Director, Washington Craft Show: Betsy Kubie, 203-254-0484
General Information and Applications: www.craftsamericashows.com.
Boot Camp for Artists – Free Artist Development Seminar
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Noted art critic, art dealer and tireless promoter of the arts – F Lennox (Lenny) Campello hosts a free seminar on how an artist can move to the next level that is sponsored by the Gateway Arts Center this coming April 10, from 1 – 5 pm. Called Boot Camp for Artists – it addresses topics on maximizing the attention your work gets from the press, galleries, and museum curators. The program is free, but space is limited.
For more info on the seminar, contact John Paradiso at the Gateway CDC (John@Gateway-cdc.org – 301-864-3860 x3).
The talk is followed by a closing reception for the exhibition of “Artists of the Gateway Arts District” – the inaugural art show for the beautiful new gallery that is part of the Gateway Arts Center.
The reception will be from 5:00 – 8:00pm, Saturday, April 10, 2010.
3901 Rhode Island Ave.
Brentwood, MD 20722