Sean Hennessey at GooDBuddY Gallery

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Sean Hennessey, “Pool of Tears” detail, kilncast glass, paint, integrated video. 24″x12″

For the last few months, sculptor Sean Hennessey been working on a series of pieces for a solo show – Reimagining Alice: A MixedMultimedia Series Based On Alice In Wonderland.

Sean Hennessey creates sculptures in glass and concrete that are narratives based on mythologies, religions, personal experiences and whimsy. By using imagery of common and slightly nostalgic items Hennessey tells narratives of hopes and dreams, and of memories and transformations. 

Sean Hennessey,  “Killing Time and Times Revenge” (detail and full image), glass, concrete, found objects, paint, wood, integrated video components

A graduate of the unique Berea College, Sean worked in professional theater for 10 years as a welder, carpenter, rigger, scenic artist, prop artist, and designer all the while creating his own artwork. Sean has been with the Washington Glass School since 2004 when Tim Tate finally convinced him that glass was cool.

Sean Hennessey reviews the cast glass panel fresh out of the kiln. After the annealed panel cools, Sean works the panel with concrete and paints.

Hennessey’s sculptures are kiln formed slump cast glass panels that he trowels and paints with concrete and stains. His works have a feeling of relics, of archeology, and of the study of the past.

Sean Hennessey “The Tweedles” (detail) kilncast glass, paint, EL panel lighting.
24″ x 12″

Said Hennessey of the new works being installed his solo show “I wanted to start with the fun, absurdist, creative stories of Lewis Carroll’s tale, using my own imagery, visual language and loose interpretations, riddled with a personal take on metaphors and combine that with materials I have been using and with materials that are very new to me. The desire to include video and lighting in my work was the original impetus for this project”. 

Sean Hennessey “Finding The Right Key” (detail) kilnfired glass, concrete, paint, EL panel lighting.

 “I equate the concrete with the realities of earth, and life, and the shell that we use to protect ourselves from exposing our soul to the world” Hennessey said his use of unusual medias not normally associated with fine art.I‘ve been combining glass, paint, steel, wood, concrete, found objects, stencils,  LED’s, electroluminescent lighting (EL) and video. All the fun stuff.”

Sean Hennessey, “Pool of Tears” (with image detail), kilncast glass, paint, steel, wood, integrated video component

The series was funded, in part, from a grant Hennessey received from the District of Columbia’s Commission on the Arts and Humanitiesand will be hosted by the architecture firm Weibenson and Dorman in the 410 Goodbuddy Gallery.

Hennessey is one of the artists involved in the renovation of the entry doors of the Library of Congress’ Adams Buildingby the Architect of the Capitol, now under production. One of the East Coast’s leading mold makers, Hennessey has been taking castings of the landmark’s historic bronze doors as part of the process in translating the relief sculptures into cast glass for the building entry.

Sean Hennessey, “Drink Me” (detail)

Sean Hennessey: Reimagining Alice

A MixedMultimedia Series Based On Alice In Wonderland
September 28th – October 26, 2012

Opening Reception Friday, September 28th, from 5-8 PM

410 GooDBuddY Gallery

410 Florida Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

410 GooDBuddY is an exhibition space can that can be used by a single artist to exhibit their works. It is within the FRINJ neighborhood of Washington, DC, and is partially provided by Wiebenson & Dorman Architects whose studio is located in the same building.

National Liberty Museum Auction & Glass Weekend

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The National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, PA invites you to their Glass Weekend, Thursday, September 27– Sunday, September 30, 2012.

The itinerary for the weekend will include four days of fun visiting galleries, studios, private collections and national treasures. The museum will also honor five distinguished leaders in the glass art community at the Friday Night Awards Dinner: collectors Inna & Alex Friedman, collectors Shelby & Robert Ford and artist Therman Statom. 

The headline event of the weekend will be the Liberty Museum’s huge Glass Auction on Saturday evening, September 29. They have assembled a prestigious collection of work representing the most renowned artists in the glass art world, as well as many promising newcomers. 

Demetra Theofanous

Participants may choose to attend the entire weekend, which includes all meals, admission to all activities and transportation between activities; the Awards Dinner on Friday Night; or the Auction Gala on Saturday night.  

Erwin Timmers

Click HERE to jump to the Silent Auction artwork catalog. 
The Silent Auction items for the National Liberty Museum’s 2012 Glass Now! Auction Gala are now online for preview and advance bidding. If you find something you just MUST have, each work has a Buy It Now price, which will guarantee you win!

Teddie Hathaway

The Silent Preview/Online Bidding will close on September 27… if you wish to Proxy Bid after that date, please email Scott Patria at spatria@libertymuseum.org or call 215-925-2800 x 136.

Click HERE to jump to the Live Auction catalog.

For more information on how to register please call Stephanie Lin  at 215-925-2800 x 135

or email Stephanie@libertymuseum.org

Your participation helps the museum continue its work:  preserving freedom and democracy by fostering good character and understanding for all people through education.   The money raised helps the museum touch the lives of more than 30,000 young people each year. Join by Registering here.

Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum Opens Tim Tate & Marc Petrovic Exhibit

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“Envy” Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic; Cast and Blown Glass, Metal, Video

The artist team of Tim Tate & Marc Petrovic are an artistic powerhouse duo! Tonight their exhibit “Glass Secessionism” opens at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.

GLASS SECESSIONISM

When:

 

Friday, September 14, 2012 – Sunday, January 6, 2013 

Where:

 

Project Room

For more than two decades, artists Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic have created some of the most striking and innovative works in glass today. Known for his distinctive fusion of new media with traditional glass techniques, Tim Tate cleverly incorporates audio and video apparatuses with found objects and blown and cast glass elements. Marc Petrovic’s blown and sculpted pieces evoke a timelessness and quiet elegance that captures the imagination. The centerpiece of this exhibition is Tate and Petrovic’s latest collaborative venture, The Deadly Sins, which visually depicts the traditional vices in contemporary times.

The Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum located at the Mesa Arts Center in downtown Mesa, Arizona opens a number of glass based exhibits  – click HERE to jump to the Museum’s website. Mesa Arts Center, One East Main Street, Mesa, Arizona 85201

Trawick Prize Winners Announced

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“Just Not Enough” By Dave D’Orio; scooter, found objects, glass syringes, silvered glass water jugs
Bethesda Contemporary Art’s Trawick Prize is a visual art prize produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District that honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The annual juried competition awards $14,000 in prize money to selected artists and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition. The 2012 exhibition is at Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD, and it runs through Sept 29th.  The public opening reception will be held Friday, Sept 14 from 6-9 pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk.

Baltimore artist Lillian Bayley Hoover was awarded “Best in Show” on Wednesday, Sept 5 at a special reception that named the winners of the Trawick Prize. Hooverwon $10,000 for her oil painting based on a photograph of a scale model Pergamon Altar in the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, in modern day Turkey.

“Feeder 301” By Dave D’Orio Artwork photos by AnythingPhotographic

Mount Rainier artist Dave D’Orio won second place for his mixed media glass sculptures. David frequently uses found objects, blown glass and industrial materials to crate symbolic imagery. He uses duplication, repetition, and an emphasis on material to evoke the feeling of factory mass-produced objects and of hyper technology. Dave’s imagery is a mix of the metaphoric, absurd and ironic and possesses an enviable ability to attract and repel the viewer. Dave does not explain every element in his sculpture – he says he likes viewers to draw their own conclusions about the “possible purpose and unstated problem the artwork would address“.

When asked about what receiving the Trawick Prize means to him, Dave said  ” My work can be seen as “challenging” and its not what most people think of as beautiful – its really great to have my work seen in this prestigious setting; to also have it awarded is incredible”.

 

Dave D’Orio in his studio. Photo by AnythingPhotgraphic
David is the executive director of DC GlassWorks, a glass blowing facility in Hyattsville, MD. His work has been shown at Artomatic in Crystal City, the Marlboro Gallery of Prince George’s Community College and last year was part of the Arlington Arts Center Solos. At this past Artomatic, the James Renwick Alliance gave Dave’s installation sculpture its ‘Award of Recognition’.

The 2012 Trawick Finalists included:

Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD; David D’Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD; Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.; Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA; Skye Gilkerson, Baltimore, MD; Nate Larson, Baltimore, MD; Joshua Wade Smith, Baltimore, MD; Diane Szczepaniak, Potomac, MD

Congratulations to the 2012 Winners!

1st Place, $10,000 – Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD

2nd  Place, $2,000 – David D’Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD

3rd  Place, $1,000 – Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.

Young Artist Award, $1,000 – Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA

Carol Trawick with David D’Orio and Catherine Leggett. Photo courtesy Bethesda Urban Partnership
The 2012 Trawick Prize jury included Dawn Gavin, Associate Professor in Drawing and Foundations at the University of Maryland, College Park; B. Kelly Gordon, Associate Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; and N. Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums, Virginia.

Arlington Arts Center Call for Entries that Engage Craft/Design/Art

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CALL FOR ENTRIES

JURIED EXHIBITION 2013

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 19, 2012

NOTIFICATION DATE: November 5, 2012

EXHIBITION DATES: January 18 – March 24, 2013

AAC is very pleased to announce two exciting jurors, Melissa 
Messina, Senior Curator at the Savannah College of Art and 
Design, and Kathryn Wat, Chief Curator at the National Museum
of Women in the Arts, who will select the artwork for Interwoven

This exhibition seeks to emphasize and expand the creative dialog
around the every-blurring boundaries between craft, design, and fine
art. The jurors are especially interested in artists who explore DIY
practices, engage in the reclamation of craft-based materials,
re-examine design aesthetics, and otherwise reinvent
cross-disciplinary genres within the dialog of contemporary art.

Artists may submit examples of up to three projects, completed in
the last three years, for consideration. The jurors will pick as many
projects from a given artist as they like.

The show is open to cutting edge contemporary artists working in
any/all media, and who live or work in Virginia, Washington DC,
Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania. 

Sloppy Craft… but is it Art?

>Nicolas Bell, Curator of the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery talked about the rise of “Sloppy Craft Movement” during his talk on influences of the 40 under 40 exhibit (currently on exhibit thru Feb 3rd 2013).  This concept has been talked about in the Glass School for a while, as many of the artists here come from diverse backgrounds – often from outside the glass craft world… and it is a great subject that deserves more attention in the art blogdom world.

Sloppy Craft” – is this an oxymoron? I thought that many may not understand the concept of sloppy craft, and a cynically-minded person, could view much of the work – often designed to maximize the shock value – as a transparent bid for attention in the contemporary art world, which has long made a point of embracing my-kid-could-do-that aesthetics.

Mixed Media/Glass sculpture by the De La Torre Brothers 
Einar and Jamex De La Torre derive their gutsy imagery from such diverse influences as Jose Posada, television, the Vatican and the darling of modern comics, the huge eyed Anime characters.

In 2009, Glen Adamson, the Deputy Director of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum coined the phrase “Sloppy Craft” which he defined it as “the unkempt product of a post-disciplinary craft education.”

The origins of “Post Disciplinary Craft” begin in the early 2000’s when new ways of thinking about craft began to form and many saw a need for a more relevant understanding of current craft practice and objects. The earlier models of understanding craft, which relied on either the Arts and Crafts Movement or the Back to the Land counterculture movement that had influenced studio craft in the 1960s and 1970s, would have to be replaced.

The youngsters of craft no longer felt connected to the past – or rather, are not referencing the history of the mediums – that is not their focus.  They didn’t learn in apprenticeships with masters and a growing number had abandoned classrooms. They weren’t wed to techniques or materials. University art programs found that the students did not want to be categorized as “glass artists” or “clay artists” and, as the students just want the media skills as part of their repertoire, sought to merge curriculums under the term “Material Studies”. Young crafters also learned from other sources – such as their peers or the Internet. The digital age would be to craft what the sexual revolution was to feminism. This is an approach to craft that resonates with the times, linking craft to the wider concerns of today’s society (ie: think global,act local; feminism; gender politics; social justice and ecological concerns).  The don’t be precious DYI movementresponse of current craft students were a couple of other aspects of “sloppy craft.” One was the recycling of materials — found or “trash” art, one might call it. It’s everywhere these days, certainly if you looked at the works at DC’s semi-annual artfest Artomatic – and no one bats an eye at the exhibits. The other aspect of this kind of casual crafting is that it appears most often in assemblages and collage. Assemblages and collage have clear ancestors, dating back to Picasso through Rauschenberg and are seen and made by thousands of people who may not even think of themselves as artists. 

Textile art by Josh Faught.

Faught’s textiles appear to have accrued in a piecemeal fashion. To the surface he’s appended labels, nail polish and sequins, all materials culled from the realm of the amateur crafter.

Traditionally, a craftsperson would spend years polishing their craft, working at the highest level until one was so good that one could let it go – forgetting technique and working from the heart intuitively; the crafter/artist would have behind them all the knowledge needed to return to “fineness” if the artwork required it. 
To some extent Josh Faught fits that mold. He self-identified as a Fibers Major at the Art Institute of Chicago, while his fellow students in fibers always made clear they were “Fibers-and-…” “…and performance,” “…and installation,” “…and assemblage,” “…and collage.” But at some point Faught let go of the fine work of Fiber Craft and turned to rawer work.  

Einar and Jamex de la Torre

But making things, it turns out, is still quite difficult. Indeed, the one thing that seems to bind the majority of contemporary art together is the lack of skill required to create it. Glen Adamson also explored the popular notion of what defines “craft” and why some may think that craft always has to be finely made. He states,” On the one hand, skill commands respect. We value the integrity of the well-made object, the time and care it demands. Therefore, what we most want out of our craft is something like perfection. On the other hand, though, we value craft’s irregularity– it’s human, indeed humane, character. We want craft to stand in opposition to the slick and soulless products of systematized industrial production.” With this in mind many people would want to consider something very well made to be craft and not something considered to be sloppy craft.

What about the name of the movement – “sloppy craft”? “Sloppy” is really a sound bite kind of name, irresistible once spoken out loud. The reference was used extensively with textile and fabric art, but examples can be found in all the crafts. “Sloppy” indicates intentionality, which might not be the case with the art. “Sloppy Craft” is an unfortunate phrase — perhaps other names like “informal” “casual” or “raw” would be less jarring than “sloppy” to describe contemporary art that has some base in traditional crafts.

Artists need to examine these historical approaches and goals –whether it is humility, authenticity, expressiveness, shock value and impact – to see if they are useful in understanding and contextualizing sloppy and post-disciplinary craft.  At the very least, it will help demonstrate whether contemporary craft is an evolution (of its prior forms) or a revolution.

The term impressionist was first used by French art critic Louis Leroy in 1874 based on Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise. Leroy found the term fitting to describe the loose, “sloppy”, undefined and “unfinished” style that Monet and several other artists applied to their paintings. Numerous famous artists threw out fineness a long time ago and we are used to the aesthetic now.

Looking for Artist Space in the DC Area?! CAN -do!

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The Washington School of Photography
and

Capitol Arts Network – CAN Studios

Two DC Area nonprofits The Washington School of Photography and Capitol Arts Network (CAN Studios) have teamed up to show that in unity, there is strength.

Together they are creating an arts center and a photography center in a 25,000 square foot building, with gallery openings, classes and more. They plan on having the building open 70 hours a week, every day of the week, with classes…and with free parking!

 12276 Wilkins Avenue in Rockville, MD

The photography center will have six classrooms, three shooting studios, a gallery, public darkroom, conference rooms, and an office/studio rental program for photographers. The arts center in the same building will be offering artists’ studios and space for affiliate artists to work. Their goal is to have classes ranging from running an art business to networking and new processes  – with a gallery, meeting rooms, classrooms, and space for all sorts of arts groups to meet with synergy, activity, and interaction. 

Two informational meetings are scheduled at the Washington School of Photography for artists and photographers interested in resident artist or photographer opportunities either with the Washington School of Photography or Capitol Arts Network – CAN Studios.

September 5th from  7 pm -9 pm

September 8th from  11 am -1 pm

Information Meeting Location: Washington School of Photography

4850 Rugby Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-654-1998

Come to one of these meetings and they will be showing their floor plans and photographs of the building, with an information packet, application, and overview of both groups and collective vision. With studio space for approximately 30 artists, and 10 photographers, it is expect to fill quickly, so plan to attend one of these informational meetings.

RSVP:

*Email Judith HeartSong at judith@capitolartsnetwork.com by September 4, 2012 to attend.

If you have questions, please call Judith HeartSong at 301-661-7590.

Capitol Arts Network

www.capitolartsnetwork.com http://www.capitolartsnetwork.com/

PLEASE Pass this information along to your artist and photographer friends

2012 Taos Art Glass Invitational Features Erwin Timmers

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In its fourth year, the Taos Art Glass Invitational makes New Mexico a prime destination that attracts artists, collectors and visitors from all around the world.

Friday September 14, 2012 at 2:00 PM through Sunday October 7, 2012

This year’s event includes multiple exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations and experiences that are collectively titled “Taos Celebrates Contemporary Glass: Fifty Years of Art Innovation”. The lead exhibition is the Taos Art Glass Invitational, a juried exhibition featuring the best in contemporary studio glass today.

The series of exhibitions, self-guided tours and educational events celebrates the unique contribution of the American Studio Glass Movement to the field of contemporary art.

Erwin Timmers’ artwork will be featured at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, 119-A Kit Carson Road, Taos, New Mexico

Other special events include “Light up the Night,” September 28, from 7-10 p.m. when Taos Plaza will be lit with glassblowers at work. On Thursday, September 27, a live installation art project called “Recycling Light” will be created at Taos Institute for Glass Arts. A Collectors’ Tour will be held September 20-23. This celebration of glass is produced by TIGA (Taos Institute for Glass Arts).

Sean Hennessey Constructing Art

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Sean Hennessey often incorporates electronics into his cast glass works. Here he is testing new el-wire (electroluminescent) sheet for his panels.

Artist Sean Hennessey is in da house! (Or at least da Studio!) working on a new series of cast glass/mixed media panels. Fresh from his successful show at Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville and Artomatic, Sean continues to move forward in his artwork. Sean is kilncasting slabs of glass for his upcoming shows, including “Constructing Content” with fellow Washington Glass artists Erwin Timmers and Erin Antognoli that opens Dec 1 at the Kline Gallery in Frederick, MD’s Delaplaine Arts Center.

Opening the kiln, Sean removes the plaster from cast glass.
Sean’s glass is formed using dry-plaster casting technique captures the detail of his fingerprints.

Constructing Content

An exhibit featuring Washington Glass School sculptors Erwin Timmers, Sean Hennessey, and Erin Antognoli. The mixed media sculptors combine photography, steel and glass. More will be published online soon!

Sean appraises the composition of panel after annealing.

December 1–30, 2012

Kline Gallery

Delaplaine Arts Center

40 South Carroll Street

Frederick, Maryland 21701

Marc Petrovic Solo Show @ Heller Gallery

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New York’s Heller Gallery will be presenting a solo exhibition of Marc Petrovic  – in a show titled ‘Avian’. Marc often uses bird imagery as a metaphor for relationships, parenting, home, shelter, and geographical identification. In his most recent series, Avian, he takes a closer look at his subject as he pixelates, deconstructs and then reconstructs the figure.  

To create his sculpture, Marc first creates a murrini flat patterned sheet that is later worked in the hot shop, using the roll-up process. The flat fused panel is a result of painstaking detailed cutting and firing of flat colored sheets of Bullseye glass.
Marc Petrovic with Jonathan Chapman work in the hot shop to shape the glass into a dimensional piece.


Using Bullseyecolored glass, Marc cuts the sheet glass, arranges and fuses it into abstract patterned slabs (beautiful as an abstract flat plate). He then uses the “Aussie Roll-up” technique to transform them into incredibly detailed blown glass sculptures. If you are familiar with Marc’s work, his knowledge of anatomy of (seemingly all) living creatures comes into play, as his work easily travels between obsessive, meditative labor, visionary  abstraction and poignant representation. He has been working on this show for most of the past year, and it really shows in the beauty and detail of the work.

Marc Petrovic “Avian” Hot-sculpted and blown Bullseye murrini roll-up. H 9, W 15, D 10 in.
Marc and his work will be featured in an article in the upcoming Fall 2012 print edition of GLASS Quarterly  magazine. Click HERE to jump to a set of photos on Facebook of his process.

MARC PETROVIC – AVIAN

September 7- October 6, 2012

Reception for the artist: Thursday, September 6, 6-8pm

Demo: Saturday, September 8, 2012 11am at Brooklyn Glass to benefit Urban Glass Studio.

Heller Gallery

420 West 14th St.

New York NY 10014