Born from Fire contains two works by Fritz
Dreisbach (illustrated on the previous
page), both wonderful examples of his
output. A major catalyst in the studio
glass movement, Dreisbach experimented
with the inherent chemical properties of
glass to increase the ?uidity of his work,
and its varied colors, optics and shapes.
Throughout his more than ?fty-year career,
he has studied the history of glass, drawing
particular inspiration from early American
work, as well as the latticinio glass produced
in Venice during the Italian Renaissance.
His Vase (1979), made of clear, blown
and hot-worked glass is a nice example of
the former, while his Vase (1977), made
of pink, blown glass with white latticinio
(threads) illustrates the latter.
Dominick Labino, a vice-president and
director of research for Johns-Manville
Fiber Glass in Toledo, played an integral
role at the workshop when he provided
the clear glass marbles, known as #475,
for attendee experimentation. Made of
a glass invented by Labino, the marbles
possessed a low melting point, making
them ideal for glassblowing. Labino retired
from the industry, devoting the balance of
his life to creating cased-glass sculptures in
his backyard studio. His Vase (1971) and
Vase (1974) in the exhibition capture his
technique.
Dale Chihuly is probably the most
recognized artist in the movement. Born
in 1941 in Tacoma, WA, Chihuly was
introduced to glass at the University of
Washington. After graduating in 1965, he
learned the fundamentals of glassblowing
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
under the tutelage of Harvey Littleton.
Chihuly continued his studies at the Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD), where
Norm Schulman—one of the attendees
of the 1962 Toledo workshop, had just
established a glass program. There, Chihuly
joined the faculty and taught glass blowing
intermittently for more than a decade.
Awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 1968,
Chihuly took a sabbatical from RISD and
traveled to Italy, where he worked at the
celebrated Venini glass factory on the island
of Murano, the historic glass production
center near Venice. There, he observed
the team-based approach to blowing
glass, which is integral to his production
process today. After his fellowship, Chihuly
returned to his native Paci?c Northwest
and founded the Pilchuck Glass School in
1971, where he taught Mary Anne “Toots”
Zynsky and Dante Marioni, and worked
with Lino Tagliapietra, all of whom are
represented in the exhibition.
In addition to work by these glass pioneers,
Born from Fire features a number of pieces
made by many of their students—the
second generation of glass artists. Principal
among these are Stephen Dee Edwards,
now head of the glass program at Alfred
University, whose work explores both
human and animal forms, such as his
Orange Physalia (illustrated on cover).
Meanwhile, Brent Kee Young, currently
head of the glass program at the Cleveland
Institute of Art, credits his Asian ancestry
and his interest in the fossilized past—
such as his Bottoming Out (1989)—as
inspirations for his works. Other artists
represented in the exhibition include: Rick
Beck, Ken Carder, Tommie Rush, Mark
Peiser, Kenny Pieper and Steven Weinberg,
among others.
This is the best time to see “surprisingly
cool” glass in our “famously hot” city!
Born from Fire is on view through Sunday,
September 16. The exhibition and related
programs are generously funded by a grant
from the Art Alliance for Contemporary
Glass with additional support by Rick and
Brenda Wheeler.
Mark Peiser
American, born 1938
Michigan Shores, IS 759, 1986
compound cast glass, cut and hand polished
Loan of S. Scott Scholz
TL 2012.3.5
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