Chrysler Museum of Art will open Studio in 2011

Photo Credit: Flickr user Ohdearbarb

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Virginia has been added to the glassblower's circuit which now includes the Toledo Art Musuem, the Corning Museum of Glass, and The Museum of Glass in Tacoma.  I think glass art is officially revived here, let's hope something very good comes of all the resources being allocated to it.


                            Chrysler Museum of Art Press Release:

"NORFOLK, Va. – (October 22, 2010) – The Chrysler Museum of Art announced today it will open the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio in 2011 to complement the world-class glass collection in the Museum. The addition of the Glass Studio enhances the Museum’s stature as one of the top three museums in the United States with an art glass focus.

Construction has started on creating the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio in the 7,000-square-foot building that sits across the street from the Museum on the corner of Duke and Grace Streets in Norfolk. The project budget is $7.5 million, which includes an endowment for operating expenses, two new full-time jobs and several part-time jobs.

The reality of the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio was sparked from the interest and support base demonstrated during Art of Glass 2. The region’s blockbuster glass exhibition in 2009 featured the Chrysler Museum, Virginia Arts Festival and the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia as major partners, with 21 regional affiliates throughout Hampton Roads.

“We had high hopes for Art of Glass and Art of Glass 2 to position Hampton Roads as the East Coast glass center,” says Andrew Fine, Art of Glass 2 chairman and Chrysler Museum trustee. “The Art of Glass exhibitions exceeded all expectations in terms of visitors who came to see the world-class spectacle. Now, the vision to transform Hampton Roads into a major glass center is becoming a reality with this studio that will complement the Chrysler’s brilliant glass collection.”

“The Glass Studio will allow our visitors to experience glassmaking and be involved in every step of the process,” says Bill Hennessey, the Museum’s director. “We anticipate this will draw people to the region to learn about glass, meet visiting glass artists and tour our collection. We expect this to be a significant educational component for the region—one that will allow us to further strengthen our partnerships with groups such as Tidewater Community College and the Governor’s School for the Arts. With more than a third of our 35,000-object collection devoted to glass, this is clearly a strong suit for the Chrysler. This Glass Studio will bring these works of art to life.”

“The Glass Studio will help our visitors gain a better understanding and appreciation for the wonderful objects in our collection,” says Kelly Conway, curator of glass. “We devote a lot of time explaining the technical processes used to make these artworks. The studio will provide far more capable and lively answers for these technique-based questions from our visitors, and tours will connect the live studio experience with the contextual history explained in the glass galleries.”

“We are using the nation’s foremost designer and fabricator of glass studio equipment,” says Scott Howe, education director and project manager for the studio. “The state-of-the-art facility will be able to accommodate both aspiring and master glass artists with furnaces, annealing ovens and a flameworking table. We will also have an artist-in-residency program that will attract some of the leading artists in contemporary glass. From an educational perspective, this will greatly enhance our programs to engage people with art. During Art of Glass 2, mobile hot-shops gave guests a small glimpse of what glassblowing entails. This Glass Studio will be on a level that is unmatched.”

Construction will continue through 2011, and it is anticipated the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio will open to the public next fall. Visitors will be able to enjoy free glassmaking demonstrations, and the Museum will offer a series of classes and workshops for students and adults. These will include a range of educational programs from beginners to master classes for accomplished professional artists."

Chrysler Museum of Art. Press Release. "Chrysler Museum to open $7.5-million glass studio." October 22, 2010.  Accessed October 31, 2010. http://www.chrysler.org/glass-studio.asp

2009 NEA Visual Arts Grants

Access to Artistic Excellence Awards:

"Pilchuck Glass School (aka Pilchuck)
Seattle, WA
$10,000
To support a summer artist residency program. Up to ten artists will be provided with resources, facilities, and technical assistance to experiment with new work in glass.

Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Inc. (aka WheatonArts) (on behalf of Creative Glass Center of America)
Millville, NJ
$20,000
To support a residency program for emerging and mid-career glass artists at the Creative Glass Center of America. Artists will be provided with housing, a stipend, studio facilities, and technical assistance to work in glass."

National Endowment for the Arts FY 2009 Visual Arts Grants. Website Accessed June 19, 2009. http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/disciplines/Visualarts/09visual.php?CAT=Access%20to%20Artistic%20Excellence&DIS=Visual%20Arts&TABLE=1

"Glass Art Society, Inc.

Seattle, WA
$20,000
CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Visual Arts
To support the 39th annual conference. To be held in Corning, New York, the conference will include a series of exhibitions, lectures, panels, and workshop demonstrations.

Museum of Glass
Tacoma, WA
$64,000
CATEGORY: Learning in the Arts FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Learning in the Arts
To support Science of Art, a visual arts education program that encourage students to recognize the intersection between scientific exploration and the creative process. Students will identify and apply the processes of observation, rigorous experimentation and problem-solving, and visual literacy in the creation of glass art."

http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/states2/09_states2.php?STATE=WA

"Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, VA
$40,000
To support the exhibition Art of Glass II, with accompanying education programs, including glass blowing demonstrations, seminars, and workshops. The project is a region-wide celebration of contemporary art glass."

http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/09AAE.php?CAT=Access&DIS=Museum

"University of Idaho (on behalf of Prichard Art Gallery)
Moscow, ID
To support the exhibit SLAG, The Anti Art Glass, which will explore the use of glass in non-traditional forms. Guests artists will include Elizabeth Lyons, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Jaume Plensa, Renee Stout, and Walter Zimmerman.

Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville, TN
To support the exhibition Josh Simpson: A Visionary Journey in Glass. In addition to presenting a public gallery talk, Simpson will discuss his work with low-income students of Beaumont Elementary Magnet Honors Academy."

http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/09cham.php?disc=Challenge%20America

"Pittsburgh Glass Center, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA
$10,000
To support an artist residency program. Artists will be provided with resources, facilities, and technical assistance for exploration in glass making."

http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/09AAE2.php?CAT=Access&DIS=Visual%20Arts

Art of Glass 2

2009 Micheline Anderson:

"In a time of economic fragility, what else might one
better relate to then, well . . . glass?
That’s how William Hennessey, director of the Chrysler
Museum of Art, sees it. Hennessey claims that the
Chrysler’s attendance rates have been up this year from
last, and he thanks the economic downturn.
"In times of stress, people often look to art as a
source of comfort," Hennessey said. "These are relics of
the past, many of which were created in times of
scarceness, that have lived to tell the tale. People
want to see beauty that harkens to survival."
These numbers bode well for the upcoming Art of Glass 2,
the second-coming of the 1999 regional sensation, "The
Art of Glass," set to hit Hampton Roads in mid- April.
Unlike its predecessor, The Art of Glass 2 was an easy
sell to potential donors. "Ten years ago, this was a
high-risk investment," said Andy Fine, steering
committee co-chair of Art of Glass and Art of Glass 2.
"It all started from a dream, and arts are hard enough
to fund in reality."

Suzanne Mastracco, Norfolk resident and Fine’s co-chair
on both steering committees, knows that dream all too
well. In 1998, Mastracco dreamed of a Hampton Roads
covered in Dale Chihuly glass and became preoccupied
with bringing glass art to the area. She began broaching
board members, directors and chairs from local arts
facilities about her concept. Mastracco recalls with
irony the dubious stares she faced when she first
beseeched city council and arts commissions to approve
the project.

"Only when one council member recounted a firsthand
experience with Chihuly’s work did anyone pay attention
to the concept, let alone think it was feasible,"
Mastracco said.

Indeed, the cost of the glasswork exhibition was of a
magnitude foreign to any regional facility for the time.
In 1999, the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia spent
an average of $26,000 per exhibit. That same year, a
Chihuly exhibit would cost nearly six times as much.
Inevitably, the "big dream" caught on among local arts
organizations and when it came time for the Art of Glass
to open at various locations in the area in mid-April
1999, nearly $400,000 of the estimated $430,000 in cost
had been raised. As the Art of Glass commenced, the
festival attracted more than $1 million – including
in-kind and money donations – and 11 affiliate
organizations hosted exhibits and events at their own
expense to create a collaboration unlike Hampton Roads
had ever seen. What came as a completely unexpected
boon, however, were the tertiary gains.

During the months of the exhibition, the Chrysler
Museum’s attendance rose by 65 percent and the
Contemporary Art Center’s grew seven-fold. Including
events with the Virginia Arts Festival, Art of Glass
drew a total of 150,000 visitors. Additionally, the
region saw a 44 percent increase in its out-of-state
party expense and a general increase in visitors from
outside of the region, as well as from outside of the
state.

So what can Hampton Roads expect from Art of Glass 2 in
what many perceive to be a fiscally lean time? A
positive outcome seems imminent for several reasons.
First, Art of Glass 2 is, as Mastracco puts it, "bigger,
more exciting, and with more sponsors." With 21
affiliates, including the Suffolk Center for the Arts,
the festival will include events in nine cities,
widening its berth and potential regional appeal.
Buttressing the region’s vested interest, the CACV will
host "1999-2009: A Region Collects," which will showcase
pieces from the collections of locals whose fascination
with art glass was precipitated by the original Art of
Glass.

The Virginia Arts Festival will interweave local
artisans with nationally recognized performers by
holding "Hot Shops" glassblowing demonstrations before
and after various concerts throughout the festival. In
addition, the Virginia Arts Festival’s Chamber Music
Concerts and Organ Concert Series will hold performances
in local churches and synagogues to display the historic
spectrum of regional stained glass.

To parallel the grandiosity of the Chihuly exhibit in
1999, the Chrysler Museum will open "Lino Tagliapietra
in Retrospect" in April. Tagliapietra himself, who
Chihuly has called an "extraordinary master," will make
an appearance at a members-only event. The Chrysler’s
"Contemporary Glass Among the Classics" and the CACV’s
Dante Marioni, Hank Murta Adams, and "Ashes to Ashes:
Life and Death in Contemporary Glass" exhibits confront
timely economic, environmental and spiritual issues
through both glittering and stark displays of the glass
medium.

The increased collaboration and the fortitude of the
festival’s sponsorship offer a glimmer of hope in what
seems to be dim fiduciary times. On par with the
financial time line of Art of Glass, Art of Glass 2, as
Fine puts it, has "transcended the economy." Festival
leadership attributes the resilience to a bear market
and to both timing and fidelity.

"We were fortunate to be ahead of the curve," Hennessey
said, "and we have very loyal and faithful sponsors.
Everyone is honoring their pledges."
In a time where "trust" and "economy" seem
counterintuitive, the Art of Glass 2 may have just the
right combination of regional stake and investment to
charm local crowds again as it does international allure
and acclaim to entice out-of-towners. At its best, Art
of Glass 2 may be the finest stimulus package Hampton
Roads can get. At the very least, the glass will be
dazzling. "

Anderson, Micheline. "Art of Glass show returns after a decade." Inside Business. Issue Date: Week of March 9 2009, Posted On: 3/6/2009. accessed from a pdf file on the Art of Glass website and reproduced in totality here, May 4, 2009. http://www.artofglass2.com/

Chrysler Museum of Art: Contemporary Glass Among the Classics opens April 26, 2009

From the Chrysler Museum of Art website:

"Contemporary Glass Among the Classics opens at the Chrysler Museum of Art on April 26, 2009. The exhibition continues through July 19, 2009.

The Chrysler will feature awe-inspiring glass installations from four contemporary artists: Katherine Gray, Stephen Knapp, Karen LaMonte, and Beth Lipman. The exhibition will present new works from each artist, focusing on each artist’s approach to the versatile material of glass, as they continue to explore centuries-old techniques and themes in art.

“We’ve chosen artists for this exhibition who have something to say,” says Kelly Conway, Curator of Glass at the Chrysler Museum of Art. “They use glass as a means of commenting on their own beliefs and how they see the world. The themes that resonate in their work are very relevant because they elicit a reaction. People will find some part of this exhibition and it will touch them—we hope it will make them more curious about the world and give them a fresh approach to art in the Museum’s permanent collection.”"

Chrysler Museum of Art website. Accessed April 27, 2009. http://www.chrysler.org/press/contemporary_glass.asp