Tim Tate, “Bitcoin.. Wealth in the 21st Century”

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Director and Chief Curator Jennifer McCabe. Sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Divergent Materiality: Contemporary Glass Art
May 25 – October 13, 2019

“Divergent Materiality: Contemporary Glass Art” is a contemporary take on one of the first exhibitions featured at SMoCA, “Studio Glass: From the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection.” As the lead donor of the Museum, Cafesjian’s legacy is important and his love of glass is undeniable. This exhibition highlights contemporary glass artists-both masters and emerging-whose innovative approaches using glass have advanced the medium’s discourse within contemporary art. While this is not a survey, the artworks selected represent the vast techniques and ideas used to explore this transformative material from the mid-20th century to today.

The exhibition features works from the collections of Stuart and Judy Heller, Sherman and Linda Saperstein, Fred and Sharon Schomer, Dan and Gail Tenn, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Artists include well-known figures, such as Howard Ben Tré, Dale Chihuly, Lino Tagliapietra, and Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtová. It also includes emerging artists whose works engage a broader dialogue in contemporary art, such as Matt Eskuche, Joseph Ivacic, Charlotte Potter, Ethan Stern, and Tim Tate.

Tim Tate; detail of “Bitcoin”

“Using glass as medium is no doubt evidence to an artist’s mastery of their technique,” Lauren R. O’Connell, curator said. “But when looking at contemporary glass one must also consider the contextual influences effecting the artist’s ideas and process. The artists in this exhibition use the materiality of glass to enhance their perspectives on the contemporary moment, whether through translatable narratives or abstract luminous bodies of glass.”

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Lauren R. O’Connell. Generous support provided by The Arizona Glass Alliance, Felice Appell, and Penelope and Richard Post. Exhibition design by Jay Atherton, Clay Studio.