morgan contemporary glass gallery glassweekend ’11

glassweekend '11
june 10-12, wheatonarts, millville, nj
in the gallery, june 24-sept 10

sculpture
jen blazina / matthew cummings / edols+elliott
alex fekete / jiyong lee / lee miltier
masayo odahashi / matthew perez
mielle riggie / erica rosenfeld / cassandra straubing

jewelry
dolores barrett / jane d’arensbourg / karen gilbert
marianne kohler / michaela moeller / pavel novak
elise ordorica / joyce roessler/ erica rosenfeld


Once more, morgan contemporary glass gallery heads to glassweekend ’11 at WheatonArts in Millville, NJ from June 10-12, 2011. The gallery introduces new artists as well as new bodies of work by gallery favorites. See the alluring pate de verre dress sculptures by Mielle Riggie, who has been selected as a Rising Star for a new program instituted by glassweekend ’11.

glassweekend ’11, presented by The Creative Glass Center of America at WheatonArts and Cultural Center and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, is an international symposium and exhibition of contemporary glass. Since 1985, glassweekend, a biennial event, has brought together the world’s leading glass artists, collectors, galleries, and museum curators for a three-day weekend of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on glassmaking, artists and demonstrations.

glassweekend ’11 in the gallery opens for the summer months with a reception in the gallery in Pittsburgh on June 24 from 5:30-9:00PM.

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jen blazina creates cast glass ephemeral objects that echo her recollections and a time gone by. Her work incorporates appropriated photographs, which retain evidence of fleeting moments and vintage charm. The screen-printed photos on Blazina’s glass surfaces, such as fans and frames, provide lasting reminders of delicate mementos inherited from past generations. Blazina received her MFA in print making from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1996, after having studied art history and photography during her undergraduate pursuits. Her glass objects have been gathered in large installations for solo exhibitions throughout the world including at The Bridge International during Art Basal in Miami, FL, The Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery in Rosendale, NY, as well as the Scuola di Graphica in Venice, Italy. Blazina has been awarded numerous residencies including a Women’s Studio Workshop Fellowship =
from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Creative Glass Center of America’s Residency at WheatonArts. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

matthew cummings has created a new dynamic body of work which departs from his familiar figurative pieces. Blown, solid sculpted glass, and organically abstract, Cummings’ sculptures capture the artist’s metaphysical ideas regarding art, life and the scientifically inexplicable. Almost as though from outer space, his glass surfaces incorporate a variety of coldworking techniques, which invite the viewer to meticulously explore the entire piece. Originally from Alabama, Cummings’ first art training was in painting. He began blowing glass after taking it as an elective at Centre College, where he graduated with a BFA in glass and painting in 2005. Cummings recently completed his MFA from Illinois State University and has enjoyed numerous student awards and prizes for his undergraduate and graduate work. Cummings and his wife moved to Louisville, KY, where he continues to purse technical =
excellence and innovative designs.

ben edols + kathy elliott work together to create blown glass objects that play with light and color. Both native Australians, Edols & Elliott were initially attracted to glass for different reasons but they have married their styles to create cohesive objects that highlight their individual expertise. Their new work layers carved glass objects placed within vessels creating a sense of mysterious connections. Edols received his BA from Sydney College of the Arts and MA from Canberra School of Art in 1992. Elliott graduated with her BA from Canberra School of Art in 1991. Together, their work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout the world. They have taught extensively in Australia, the United States, and Japan. Their work is held in numerous public and private collections.

alex fekete combines glass and steel for his elegant minimalist sculptures. In preparation for creating his work, he determines the essential elements needed to visually express an idea. Fekete uses glass to explore themes of time, memory, beauty and decay. On occasion his works incorporate pebbles and river stones as focal points, often placing them precariously, creating a sense of tension. He works with both hot and cold glass techniques—blowing glass in its molten form and then delicately sandblasting its cold surface. Born in Czechoslovakia, Fekete came to the US in 1992 on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying at the University of Illinois. While there, his experiences with glass blowing expanded his interest in the field and he completed his MFA in 1994. His work has been exhibited at SOFA in Chicago and New York, and in New Glass Review. Fekete has spent over a decade teaching at the =
university level.

jiyong lee creates simple forms such as ovoid spheres and cubes, yet his cut and assembled hot sculpted and coldworked optical glass pieces have an alluring complexity. He has developed unique surface finishing techniques and laminating procedures that result in puzzling light and color altering sculptures. The son of a doctor, Lee has long been fascinated with life sciences. His use of transparent glass symbolizes scientific clarity, while his use of translucent and opaque glass represents the mysteries of life. A Korean native, Lee graduated with a BFA in Ceramics from Hong-ik University, and in 2001 he earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He received the Emerging and the Saxe Award from Pilchuck Glass School in 2004. Lee has been selected for several international competitions and exhibitions including the New Glass Review 24. He lectures and demonstrates at =
many institutions including Pilchuck Glass School, the Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Crafts, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Lee is currently an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he heads the Glass Program.

lee miltier approaches themes of love, death, and friendship through his art. Miltier’s blown attenuated glass bottles are metaphors for civilization and human energy. The volumes of his largest Energy series vessels illustrate the labor expended by the team of people necessary for creating each piece. A native of Hawaii, Miltier began glassblowing at Punahou School in 1986 and furthered his studies at the University of Hawaii. While his early focus was on goblet making, he has undertaken several endeavors in lighting design. In 1991, he co-founded two lighting companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, producing lighting and objects. After many years, Miltier began creating what he considered art, seeking to find both a new artistic voice and audience for his highly personal style.

masayo odahashi conveys subtle emotions in her contemplative cast figures. A native of Japan, Odahashi expresses her experiences and memories through her work, but she strives to choose subjects that will resonate with the viewer. The light that leaks through the cracks of the matte painted surfaces of her sculptures represents the inner spirit of each piece. Odahashi who has received critical acclaim for her artistic sincerity and skill, has exhibited with the gallery since 1999. Her sculptures are featured in collections throughout the world, including the Glassmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark and the Hotel Murano in Seattle.

matthew perez explores transparency and reflection through his cast glass sculptures. Attempting to understand the illusive properties of nature, Perez’ work, which sometimes incorporates other media such as photography and video, is designed to pose questions about subjective responses to environmental occurrences. Perez graduated with a BFA in glass from Illinois State University in 2007 and received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010. A Fulbright Scholarship recipient for the 2011-2012 academic year, he is currently researching glass processes at the Australian National University in Canberra.

mielle riggie creates pate de verre glass sculptures that explore the beauty of nature and ephemerality. Riggie is attracted to working in glass because it can be strong while still imparting a sense of fragility and light. Perhaps most recognizable, her glass dresses capture the folds, contours and effortless flow of fabric as through draped over a human form. Riggie graduated from Alfred University with a BFA in 1997 and completed her MFA in fibers from the University of Washington in 2007. The recipient of many accolades, she was nominated for the Pilchuck Glass School’s Saxe Award in 2007, completed a residency at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass in 2008, and was awarded a fellowship from the Creative Glass Center of America at WheatonArts. Riggie has been nominated by morgan contemporary glass gallery as a glassweekend ‘11 Rising Star.

erica rosenfeld combines various glass and beading techniques to create her labor intensive sculpture as well as jewelry. She began beading when she was five and became a glass artist in her early twenties. Rosenfeld’s artistic method stems from the ritualistic nature of her childhood art, and thus, she is fascinated by people’s habitual behaviors. Her functional jewelry serves as a model for her sculpture, which are mosaics of small components combined to make larger pieces. A 1997 graduate of Kenyon College, Rosenfeld utilizes warm and hot glass techniques pioneered by Klaus Moje. She was Moje’s teaching assistant at Northlands School of Glass in Scotland in 2006 and has taught at UrbanGlass, The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, and Pilchuck Glass School. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, New Glass Review, Glass Magazine, In Style, =
and Glashaus.

cassandra straubing explores issues of domestic and industrial labor through her glass and mixed media sculptures. She employs a wide range of glass-forming techniques including blowing, hot forming, casting and other non-traditional processes to create her artwork. Currently the head of the Glass Department at San Jose State University in California, Straubing is refining her current body of work to include clothing, needles, and other symbols of human labor. In 2002 she received a BFA in studio art from California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo and, in 2007, she completed her MFA in glass from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout the country and completed residencies at Bullseye and Water Street Glassworks.

morgan contemporary glass gallery features sculpture, jewelry, and small objects by established and emerging artists working in glass. Hours are Tues. - Fri. 11 - 5 and Sat. 12 - 5, or by appt. www.morganglassgallery.com. Call 412.441.5200 for more information.

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