Josh Simpson in The Phoenix

2009 Ellen Bernhard:

"This month, Phoenixville's Barnstone Gallery has had the chance to host an art exhibit that is out of this world. Space shuttles and astronauts were not on location, but miniature representations of our massive galaxy have made an appearance, brought to the gallery by Western Massachusetts artist Josh Simpson, whose handcrafted glass "planets" have made a safe landing in Phoenixville.

Like most space discoveries, Josh's ultimate profession as a glass artist was not something planned. As a psychology major at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Josh took art classes, but did not specialize in art. When an opportunity occurred to take classes in a field he was interested in, Josh transferred for a semester to Goddard College in Vermont to study glassblowing, only to discover their glass studio had been dismantled. With the help of another student, Josh used the materials on the premises to make "the most rudimentary glass furnace imaginable," he recalled, "but it worked!"

Since then, Josh's glassblowing equipment has advanced to a more professional level, as he has made is profession from selling his handmade glass pieces. One of his most popular and favorite things to create are what he calls "planets," small glass structures that recreate what the globe, or other planets, may look like from a distance. "Imagine you are an astronaut flying around one of these little glass globes," Josh said, "and you can see enormous oceans and continents and mountain ranges. Imagine that it's populated with some sort of intelligent life."

Like the hypothetical astronaut flying around one of Josh's "planets," Josh himself has had the opportunity to fly around the globe, bringing his artwork to places far and wide. This past year, Josh and his artwork have made appearances in New Zealand at the Chronicle Gallery in Wanganui, where he gave a lecture and taught glassblowing at the Sarjeant Arts Museum. "Ten years ago, I went to New Zealand for the first time and I taught there…and had a fantastic time." Josh said, "It was particularly nice to go back to Wanganui because a lot of the students I had ten years ago came back to study again." More recently, Josh visited Prague where he completed a 2-person exhibit at the historic Prague Castle.

Although many of Josh's pieces come from his personal inspiration, some of it has received cosmic assistance from beyond our atmosphere. Josh's wife, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman has returned from two separate space launches with images that Josh has used for inspiration in his own work. Using "incredibly beautiful images of black holes and neutron stars," Josh has recreated these images into small glass objects that can be experienced by anyone, not just astronauts.

As a continuation on his work with "planets," Josh's Infinity Project has also gained popularity. "I take little planets and hide them around the world," he said, "They're not signed; it just has an infinity symbol on the bottom. They're little glass spheres. If left undisturbed a planet can be in the ground for hundreds or even thousands of years." Over 1,700 participants have hid these globes all over the world since 2000.

Josh's Infinity Project may stand the test of time across deserts and oceans around the world, but his Megaplanet project has conquered more than just the globe. In 2005, Josh was commissioned by the Corning Museum of Glass in New York to help with a project. Upon realizing they had 999 paperweights in their collection, the Museum approached Josh to make the 1,000th paperweight to make it "something really, really special. There was a catch to it—that paperweight had to be the biggest one ever made." The largest one previously made weighed 26 pounds, also made by Josh. Within the next 18 months, through a series of trial and error, Josh and his team constructed this paperweight. "I made 14 of them before I got one that was successful." Josh said, "And that planet is in the permanent collection of the museum." Clocking in at a massive 100 pounds, it is believed to be the world's largest paperweight.

The level of success was also met with a lot of hassle and danger. "(The glass) is a liquid and it doesn't care about you, the artist, at all. It just wants to drip on the floor. If I made a mistake, it was possible that someone could get really injured. That much weight of that much liquid molten glass is really a force to reckon with." Josh recalled, "It was really a challenge for me.""

Bernhard, E. "Artist Spotlight Josh Simpson." The Phoenix. Phoenixville News, Pennsylvania. October 31, 2009. Accessed November 2, 2009. http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/articles/2009/10/31/life/srv0000006718089.txt

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