"PHILADELPHIA — For nearly a decade, Arlene Silvers of Cherry Hill has been fusing her love of art glass with her passion for freedom. She does it by chairing the annual Glass Now weekend at Philadelphia's National Liberty Museum, which is devoted to the concept of freedom and to educating the public on treating people with dignity and respect.
Silvers, a retired economics professor and businesswoman, and her husband, Norman, a South Jersey cardiologist, began collecting contemporary art glass in the 1970s. Through the art world, the pair met National Liberty Museum founder Irvin Borowsky, who pressed Arlene Silvers into service for its second annual glass fest in 2001.
She has kept at it since. For the 10th edition this weekend, Silvers is pulling out all the stops.
"I love this place. It's great to use art to help people become better citizens," she said.
This year's Glass Now weekend began Thursday evening with a dinner and after-hours museum tour. Today's events are devoted to South Jersey, beginning with a continental breakfast at Gloucester County glass artist Paul Stankard's Mantua studio, followed by a demonstration by Stankard. Participants also are visiting the shore homes of several glass collectors.
"We're really going to see South Jersey and fill people in on its (glass) history," Silvers said.
Saturday's main attraction is a glass auction at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown -- with several South Jersey artists among the 300 who donated works -- followed Sunday by a tour of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and other closing events.
The goal is to net at least $300,000, primarily from the auction, to support the museum's educational 
Gwen Borowsky, the museum's chief executive officer and its founder's daughter, said glass is the perfect medium to fund education about liberty.
"We use glass as a metaphor. Glass is both strong and fragile. Once shattered, it is very hard to put together. It's likeGlass is a teaching tool evident throughout the museum, where more than 100 glass sculptures are incorporated into exhibits and dioramas.
"Our guides talk with students about how they foster good character and should treat one another like a fragile piece of glass," Borowsky said.
For Saturday's elegant auction -- tickets still are available and include a five-course dinner -- the art glass up for bid ranges from small, intricate pieces of jewelry to a life-size figure of a woman. Silvers sought and received pieces from as close as her hometown of Cherry Hill to as far away as China, Japan and Australia.
"The glass world is very generous. We always have lots of glass," Silvers pointed out.
Auction item values begin at $150. Besides Stankard, who donated a blossomy orb titled "Flowers of Peace," South Jersey is represented by a lustrous necklace by artist Lois Linker of Cherry Hill and works by Jillian Mollettiere of Swedesboro and by Hank Murta Adams, creative director of the Glass Studio at Millville's Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center.
With participants such as Stankard and Adams, who enjoy teaching their craft, the weekend comes full circle back to education.
Some of the money raised for education this weekend is earmarked to expand the museum's Saturday programs that offer teacher training and continuing education credits in class discipline, character education and other topics focusing on the values that Americans hold dear."Rothschild, B. "South Jersey artist contribute to Glass Now weekend." October 2, 2009. Courier Post Online. Accessed October 12, 2009. http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091002/NEWS01/910020333/1006
No comments:
Post a Comment