Jutta Cuny-Franz Awards 2009

The Jutta Cuny-Franz Foundation "supports international glass art, in particular sculptured work by artists showing unusual promise." This year "191 artists from 33 countries participated." The winner of the memorial award was C. Matthew Szosz.
From his bio at Urban Glass:

"Born in Rhode Island, Matthew Szosz has received a BFA, a BID (Industrial Design), and a MFA (Glass) from Rhode Island School of Design. He has worked professionally in art and art related fields in Rhode Island, New Mexico and California for the last ten years. Recently he has received the Pilchuck Scholarship, a Stein Fund Grant and the Award of Excellence in Graduate Studies from RISD. He was an Artist in Residence at Pilchuck in 2007, and a Wheaton Fellow in 2008."

Unknown. "Wheaton Fellows "The Space Between" 9/26/08 show began. Accessed May 5, 2009 from the Urban Glass website: http://www.urbanglass.org/node/338

Here is a YouTube video on Matthew Szosz, sorry about the bad soundtrack.



Sqquidd. YouTube video "Inflatables (King)". March 30, 2007. Accessed May 5, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USM56zlnzhY

JUTTA CUNY-FRANZ MEMORIAL AWARD 2009 (10,000 euro prize)
C. Matthew Szösz, USA

Untitled (Inflatable) No. 17, 2006

14" x 22" x 14"
Fused and inflated window glass

Photo Credit: http://www.urbanglass.org/auction/itemdetail.php?artist=329&year=2008

Inflatable no. 33, 2008
fused and
inflated sheet glass
77 x 48 x 26 cm

Photo Credit: http://designvagabond.blogspot.com/2008/11/glasswork-by-matthew-szsz.html

TALENT AWARDS 2009 (1,500 euro prize each)
Woo Ruby, China
Kristiina Uslar, Estonia

Frozen in 2007 Melted in 1997
kilncast and enameled glass with wood
h17 x 95 x 3.5cm - installed

Ruby Woo: "In this piece, images of a historical amusement park, demolished in 1997, were printed on the Double Lollies, a classic food during our childhood that serves as a metaphor to taste back the melted past."

Baked in 2007 Consumed in 1998
cast and enameled glass with pastry
h50 x 60 x 3cm

Ruby Woo: "In this piece, image of the old international airport of Hong Kong, demolished in 1998, were printed on the glass with real pastries, a traditional Hong Kong style pastry is symbolic of our memories being consumed."

Woo, R. Website Accessed May 5, 2009. http://www.rubywooglass.com

Kristiina Uslar...from the collection Flexibility 2007

Photo Credit: http://www.kristiinauslar.com/pilt/AVATUD%202008%2017X15%20cm%201.JPG

HONORARY MENTIONS 2009
Helen Acosta Iglesias, Germany
Teresa Almeida, Portugal
Anna Lena Grau, Germany
Maki Imoto, Japan
Romana Schmalisch, Germany
Ieva Strazdina, Latvia

The winners can be viewed in a pdf file located on the Jutta Cuny-Franz website: http://www.museum-kunst-palast.de/UNIQ124154352222883/SES53033736/lang1/doc1054A.html

From the Jutta Cuny-Franz website:
"In order to keep the memory of the sculptress Jutta Cuny-Franz alive, who was killed in an accident in 1983, the artist’s mother has founded the JUTTA CUNY-FRANZ MEMORIAL AWARD.

"Grand Affrontation - Penetration", Jutta Cuny, 1980.

Jutta Cuny-Franz was one of the most distinguished protagonists of European glass sculpture from the mid-seventies to her early tragic death in 1983. Sand-blasted from the massive material, her sculptures opened up avenues of glassmaking that even today have not been fully explored. In the effective contrast between a complex, matted interior form and a clear cubist, polished exterior shell she found ways to work with glass, which only transparent materials allow in this form. More than in bronze, she found her material in glass.

The JUTTA CUNY-FRANZ MEMORIAL AWARD is lent to glass artists up to 40 years of age. Works considered have to be from the fine arts (object, sculpture) and been made within the last two years.

The artist's mother Dr. Ruth-Maria Franz established the Jutta Cuny-Franz Foundation in 1984. By request of its founder, the previous seat in Vienna was transferred to the Glasmuseum Hentrich des museum kunst palast Düsseldorf im Ehrenhof in 1994. Thus the foundation's continued existence was secured and the Düsseldorf museum given the responsibility to fulfill its future tasks."

http://www.museum-kunst-palast.de/UNIQ124154352222883/SES53033736/lang1/doc1053A.html

Photo credit: http://www.museum-kunst-palast.de/UNIQ124154352222883/SES53033736/lang1/doc1053A.html