New Mexico Museum of Art offers ‘Flux: Reflections on Contemporary Glass’
Like the material itself, the discourse surrounding glass is also always in a state of flux. The exhibition “Flux: Reflections on Contemporary Glass, ”which considers the sculptural possibilities of glass - from vessel to minimalist sculpture, blown glass to cast glass, ancient artifact to popular culture icon - opens at the New Mexico Museum of Art June 7, 2008, 10 a.m. to noon.
Many of the acknowledged international masters of glass are included in this survey exhibition, among them: William Morris, Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Dante Marioni, Toshio Lezumi, Lino Tagliapietra, Dale Chihuly, Bertil Vallien, Jessica Loughlin, Michael Glancy, and Toots Zinsky as are some of New Mexico's own artists working in glass, including Mary Shaffer, Larry Bell, Charlie Miner, Timothy Horn, Tony Jojola, Stacey Neff, and Judy Tuwaletstiwa.
In all, nearly 50 artists will be represented in this contemporary glass survey that will explore the themes of cultural artifacts and appropriation, the metamorphosis of the vessel, and sculptural studies.
“Flux” looks at contemporary glass as if through the lens of the medium's own history. The exhibition begins by exploring artists who reference the cultural artifact (past or present) in glass. Some re-create ancient Mesopotamian glass vessels, while others emulate African textiles or Chinese jades or European jewelry design. Glass can disguise itself in so many ways that it can appear as stone, wood, metal, or fiber. Next the show moves to a consideration of the metamorphosis of the vessel, which is historically the most common form for glass to take.
From simplicity to complexity, the show looks at the myriad techniques and ideas that artists use to manipulate the vessel's surface and form. Finally, at the end of the continuum, “Flux” presents the many sculptural possibilities of glass from the tradition of Czech cast glass to large-scale installations. This aspect of the show seeks to demonstrate the many avenues that the future glass art may take.
A catalogue will accompany the exhibition with four essays by curator Laura Addison. An exhibition gala, The Crystal Ball, is June 6, 2008, 6-9 p.m. The Crystal Ball is organized by Friends of Contemporary Art as a fundraiser to support contemporary exhibitions, acquisitions, and public programs at the New Mexico Museum of Art. The public opening for “Flux” is June 7, 2008.
The New Mexico Museum of Art on Santa Fe's Plaza at107 W. Palace Avenue celebrates the diversity of the visual arts and the legacy of New Mexico as a cultural crossroads. It was founded in 1917 as the Art Gallery of the Museum of New Mexico. For more than 90 years, the museum has collected and exhibited work by leading artists from New Mexico and elsewhere. The New Mexico Museum of Art brings the art of New Mexico to the world and the art of the world to New Mexico. It is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
For more information contact Laura Addison, Curator of Contemporary Art, 505-476-5118 or laura.addison@state.nm.us; or Steve Cantrell, PR Manager, 505-476-1144 or steve.cantrell@state.nm.us.
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