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Arizona Daily Wildcat April 10, 1997
Clearly artistic: glass art comes to Tucson
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Robert H. Becker Arizona Daily Wildcat "search" by Toan Klein |
This weekend and into the next few weeks, Tucson becomes the center of a huge gathering of glass art and artists. Picked as the site of the 27th annual Glass Art Society conference (April 10th - 13th), the Old Pueblo is becoming a center for the display a nd production of transparent art. Nearly every major gallery in the city is displaying glass work from all corners of the globe as well as the works of local artists.
Our own UA Museum of Art is featuring "Penetrating Image: Glass and Photography" in the upstairs gallery. With eleven pieces by as many artists, this intriguing display features works that combine various glass techniques (blown, cast, "slumped" or melted in a kiln) with photographic elements and often words. Toan Klein's "Search" features a complex hand-blown vessel with internal layers of "gatographs," forming a complex tableaux that changes with every angle of view. Several pieces exploit the optical q ualities of glass to distort and refract light, forcing the viewer to squint and maneuver to get the correct angle of view, if there is such a thing. Others use simple panes of glass as color and background for more complex photographic images. Either way , these are innovative works that may refine your notion of what glass art is supposed to be.
All over town both museums and galleries are also featuring glass-oriented shows, from the Bero Gallery's "Photo and Glass" exhibition to the Tucson Museum of Art's "Calido! A Survey of Warm Glass." The Dinnerware Gallery, Etherton gallery, and most of th e downtown galleries are offering related shows. On campus, The Joseph Gross gallery and Union Gallery feature glass works, and the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab is offering tours of its facilities to G.A.S. members.
Not surprisingly, Philabaum Contemporary Art Glass, a nationally-known gallery, studio and workshop for glass artists, is at the center of the conference. Owner Tom Philabaum is often mentioned as one of the participants in an American glass art "movement " that began the '70s. The use of glass as an artistic medium is a far older tradition. From the crystal foundries of Innsbruck, Austria to the furnaces of Vienna and Rome, glass as a decorative material is as old as the furnace itself.
What the G.A.S. conference brings to Tucson is the latest in innovative techniques and uses of glass in art, from installations to combinations with photography and paint. Three days crowded with numerous exhibitions, demonstrations, discussions and socia l events all centered around glass art await both members of the G.A.S. and the public. Call (206) 382-1305 for more information or visit Philabaum Contemporary Art Glass (711 S. 6th Avenue, 884-7404) for a calendar of events.
