"New Glass Sculpture Gallery Presents Exhibition of Late 20th Century Works"
1999-07-21 until 0000-00-00
Corning Museum of Glass
Corning, NY, USA United States of America

This dynamic new space affords Museum visitors an opportunity to see contemporary glass sculpture the way it was meant to be seen-in the round, said Melissa G. Post, the Museum's research assistant for 20th-century glass and curator of the exhibition. In addition to presenting some objects that we have not been able to exhibit before now, we will display some familiar works in new and exciting ways. One of the most impressive of these works is Meteor, Flower, Dove, which was designed for the Museum by the Czech artists Stanislav Libenske and Jaroslava Brychtove.

The exhibition, which will be on view through the year 2001, features about 75 works by 65 artists. While many artists continue to blow glass, others are casting, kiln-forming, flameworking, and combining glass into mixed-media assemblages, Ms. Post explained. From diminutive, detailed flameworked sculptures to monumental cast works, the breadth of their output reflects their technical mastery and esthetic innovation. These artists have transformed our traditional perceptions of glass as a utilitarian or decorative object and redefined its role within the larger realm of contemporary sculpture. The works on display range from the undulating, organic Seaforms of Dale Chihuly to the mysterious Cocoons, a sculptural installation by Steve Tobin. Included are: * Flameworked objects by Lucio Bubacco, Ginny Ruffner, and Paul Stankard. * Pete de verre by Douglas Anderson, Kimiake Higuchi, and Diana Hobson. * Sculptural vessels by Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin. * Fused glass works by Klaus Moje and Mary Ann Toots Zynsky. * Plate glass constructions by Sidney R. Hutter. * Mixed-media compositions by Stephen Paul Day, Donald Lipski, Sean Mercer, Sibylle Peretti, and Christopher Wilmarth. The new Sculpture Gallery is part of the $62 million expansion of The Corning Museum of Glass. This renovation, which began in 1996, has been conducted in phases to provide public access throughout the process. Another major part of the Museum's expansion, the Glass Innovation Center, also opened on June 19, 1999. The Glass Innovation Center presents twenty-six exhibits, organized in three galleries: Windows, Optics, and Vessels. These galleries present glass as a building material, glass as a material for conducting light, and glass as a material for containers. Visitors will learn how great innovations in glassmaking have led to the most unexpected, far-reaching results: from making the electric light commercially feasible, to opening up a new era in telecommunications, to revolutionizing the design of the buildings where we live and work. The completion of the Innovation Center and the Sculpture Gallery were accompanied by the opening of a dramatic glass entryway. It presents glass on edge, offering visitors an immediate encounter with, and a total immersion in, the material. The Corning Museum of Glass houses the world's premier glass collection. Its more than 30,000 objects represent 3,500 years of achievements in glassmaking. The Museum offers a comprehensive approach to the study of glass, including exhibitions of the art, history, and science of glass; the world's library of record on those subjects; scientific research on glass; funding to support studies by glass scholars around the world; instruction in glassmaking techniques; and the publication of books, videotapes, and other materials. The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In July and August, it is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of New York

Other Important Exhibitions in New York