Jennifer Umphress is on a roll

a sushi roll...

J.E.N.N.I.F.E.R. U.M.P.H.R.E.S.S.

2009 ABJ Seattle Glass Online:

"There’s a million amazing things about octopi, their intelligence, their camouflage capabilities, their inky jet propulsion, their suction cupped tentacles. One amazing thing about the octopus you may not have realized is their grace. This characteristic is captured beautifully by lampworker Jennifer Umphress in her glass made in Kingston, WA. Like Thai dancers, their tentacles curl in enviable elegance.

Jennifer began blowing glass in Hawaii, working in a shop on Maui, taking art classes on Oahu, and apprenticing for Cesare Toffolo in Italy. She’s one of the many successful artists in the area who did not attend art school for a B.F.A. , and though she believes that art school could have streamlined important information about the for her, she’s none the worse. She’s popular among designers in New York and Los Angeles. They purchase her production line, the freestanding octopus, at Plantation Lighting and Accessories (http://store.plantationdesign.com/). Her sea-life themed work is sold in fine art galleries, including recently at Micaela Gallery in San Francisco. She was the winner of the 2009 Niche Award in the category of Professional Lampworked Glass. But the recognition she is finds most gratifying is her inclusion in the survey of 33 of the “most significant borosilicate flameworkers,” juried by Robert Mickelsen, Paul Stankard, and Clinton Roman, since they (along with Toffolo, Janis Miltenberger, Hans Godo Frabel, and Richard LaLonde) are some of her great inspirations.

In 2006 Jennifer relocated to the Northwest. The gray skies don’t bother her much; she’s spends most of her time behind the torch. Moving to Kingston, WA from Maui in order be closer to the glass community has had the added benefit of pushing her to give her glass a “contemporary feel while keeping my roots in nature.” She wanted to live outside of Seattle (“There’s no better city for glass addicts,” as she puts it) but remain nearby, and the city of Kingston, on the Kitsap Peninsula, provided that. While she no longer can throw on a mask and flippers and escape to the ocean reefs as she used to do whenever she felt stressed out, the woods, trails, and shoreline her are what she enjoys about the area. It may be a wild stretch to say that her intricate fish, octopi and kelp are often framed by more glass that represents the limited scope of view through a scuba mask; so what will the ways of the geoduck-digging, sand-dollar flinging locals do for her art? Maybe the effect will be difficult to determine—the ways artist’s process their surroundings is why we remain so interested in them—she’s now at work on “African Dreams,” something different from past work, inspired by a close family member who recently passed away.

If she could have an unlimited budget to show her work (I was thinking of Lucio Bubacco’s 2008 SOFA solo exhibit through Litvak Gallery, when I asked the question), she says she’d still have it in a gallery setting but would push the limits on size and use some experimental elements.

Jennifer is one of the local glass artists whose business savvy and dedication to the perfection of her art (learned from Cesare Toffolo, she says) can only lead to more success. She has the following she needs now to move on to these experimental elements and transport her fans to whatever new watery (or dry!) world she wants."

http://www.jenniferumphress.com

ABJ Seattle Glass Online. "Jennifer Umphress" November 2, 2009.

New Crafts Study Center in Los Angeles

2009 Suzanne Muchnic:

"In the field of American crafts, Carol Sauvion has just about done it all.

A former studio potter and teacher with a college degree in art history, Sauvion opened her L.A. crafts shop, Freehand, in 1980. The 3rd Street emporium expanded into two adjacent storefronts as it became a popular outlet for functional works of clay, glass, wood, fiber and metal and a destination for believers in the power and beauty of the handmade. With a loyal clientele, it specializes in relatively timeless ceramics and jewelry rather than following trends.

Determined to share her passion with a broader audience, she produced the Peabody Award-winning PBS series 'Craft in America' in 2007, under the umbrella of a nonprofit organization by the same name. Then came an exhibition, 'Craft in America: Expanding Tradtions,' which toured the country for two years, and the companion book, 'Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects.'

And now, on the eve of the PBS program's second season -- airing nationally tonight -- Sauvion has launched the Craft in America Study Center. Freehand's merchandise -- which continues to sell despite the recession -- has been compressed into two of the storefronts, making space for the center's research library, mini exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations and other public programs.

"You can look at the work right up close," she says, opening drawers of an elegantly crafted desk in the inaugural show of wood furniture designed by the late Sam Maloof and produced by his longtime associates Mike Johnson, Larry White and David Wade. "This is a humble space, but it's a place for people to come and see things."

Having settled into middle age, Sauvion exudes a motherly warmth and a youthful enthusiasm for a world of crafts that continues to reveal itself. The time and energy once put into her own ceramics are now spent on discovering and promoting the work of other artists.

On a wall near the furniture, she points out wall-mounted, glass-front boxes that display small pieces in thematic groupings such as "landscape," "community" and "memory." In the back section of the center, shelves are filled with books, magazines, instructional videos, teachers' guides and information about crafts classes nationwide. Computer workstations are available for visitors who want to explore the website www.craftinamerica.org and view other digital resources, including outtakes from the TV series.

The two-part program airing tonight begins with "Origins," focusing on artists who have developed their work from traditional techniques and passed on their knowledge to others. Sauvion and her team visit Philip Simmons, a South Carolina blacksmith who died in June; Vernon Owens, a master ceramist at North Carolina's Jugtown Pottery; Teri Greeves, a Kiowa beadworker; Jim Bassler, a Southern California weaver; and Paul Stankard, a New Jersey glassmaker. For all the featured artists, crafts is not a career, Sauvion says. It's a calling and a way of life.

The second episode, "Process," takes viewers to schools and studios to investigate how artists find inspiration, learn craft techniques and hone their skills. Featured sites include the 92nd Street Y in New York, the Kansas City Art Institute and the North Bennet School in Boston.

"All this has the same genesis," Sauvion says, referring to a cross-country driving trip she took 13 years ago. "I realized that crafts are everywhere. It's something we have in common and it's so approachable, but most people don't have a way of accessing it. There are so few places to see it."

"How," she asks, "can you increase awareness? Well, put it on TV. That has been fantastic. And we have the website, the exhibition and the book. But when the exhibition is gone, the opportunity to see the actual objects is gone. So, we thought, what if we could have a permanent place, even if it's small?"

The study center is open noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and by appointment. The Maloof exhibition will close Saturday. A show of ceramics by teachers and students at the Kansas City Art Institute will run from Oct. 24 to Nov. 21, followed by David Gurney ceramics and Tom Killion prints, Nov. 28 to Dec. 31. Many other plans are in the works, including conversations with artists and curators, and art-making experiences for school groups.

"I'm very happy with how it's turned out," Sauvion says, "but we don't know yet what we have here."

Muchnic, S. "Carol Sauvion's Freehand gallery clears a space for craft study center." Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2009. Accessed October 25, 2009. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-sauvion7-2009oct07,0,3159741.story

Arlene Silver sees glass as metaphor for freedom

2009 Barbara Rothschild:

"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 programs.

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 like democracy," Borowsky said.

Glass 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