Nov 1, 2016

Virginia Glass Guild 29th Annual Juried Exhibition

About the Program

This year marks the 30th Anniversary for the Peninsula Glass Guild and its 29th annual member show. The Guild was established in 1986 to promote quality art glass in the community and to provide a forum for glass artists to gather together for educational and support purposes. Stained glass was the dominant medium in the early years. This show shows how far the group has come, now featuring glass art in all its varied forms. Besides increasing the types and styles of art, the membership has also grown over the years, as have its activities.

In 2015 the name changed from Peninsula Glass Guild, to Virginia Glass Guild to encompass the entire commonwealth. The new Virginia Glass Guild welcomes artists living throughout the Commonwealth and working in diverse glass art techniques. This name change means the guild welcomes new members living throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, working in all areas of glass art at every level of interest; professional artists, hobbyists, teachers, and students.

Meet the Jurors

Douglas Heller b2.jpg Douglas Heller has been the co-owner and director of the Heller Gallery since 1973. He has organized hundreds of group and solo exhibitions, including the landmark show Glass America 1978 at Lever House in New York City. Heller is a founding board member of the Creative Glass Center of America and is on the Advisory Board of UrbanGlass. He is a former vice president of the Associates of the American Craft Museum and a Fellow of The Corning Museum of Glass.

Katya Heller was born and raised in Czechoslovakia, moving to the US in 1987. Her first profession was as an interpreter for personalities as diverse as Czech President Vaclav Havel, Walter Cronkite, Frank Zappa, and the Dali Lama. By 1990 she had begun a career as an arts professional, working with Dale Chihuly as the primary organizer of several of his international projects. in 1998 she moved on to spend a year working in the planning and development of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. In 1999, she relocated to New York City and began work as associate director of Heller Gallery. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of UrbanGlass.

“As gallery owners we are often asked the question, what do you look for when you evaluate work? The honest answer is that we are seeking work that stimulates our eyes and mind. Work that challenges, informs and moves us, in which social issues and concepts new and old are taken on from a fresh perspective. We were impressed by the entries on display at the 29th Virginia Glass Guild exhibition. They explore themes and trends we have noted in exhibitions around the world, encompassing contemporary issues as broad as the environment and as intimate as personal identity. The exhibition is a microcosm of the ongoing evolution occurring as glass continues to be embraced as a material of creative expression by an ever-widening circle of artists and makers. The Virginia Glass Guild is to be lauded for encouraging and nurturing talent.” – Jurors, Douglas and Katya Heller

Ryan Tanner - Virginia Glass Guild Exhibition 2015 Best in Show Winner

Ryan Tanner.jpg Ryan Tanner was born in Fairfax, Virginia. He began working with glass in 2007 during his study at Virginia Commonwealth University. There he found an affinity for the material almost instantly and began expanding his studies nationwide at studios such as Pilchuck Glass School, and Corning Museum of Glass. His work has been published in the New Glass Review 31, Corning Museum of Glass, and Emerge 2012, Bullseye Glass Company.

“Within every maker’s workshop evidence of the efforts performed on each finished piece can be found coating tools and gathered at the bases of machines. Although these remains are considered waste I find each trace of labor to hold a great amount of importance. The accumulation of every mark on a tool and pile of dust becomes a physical representation of the entirety of actions a craftsperson has imparted onto their work. My current body of work aims to memorialize the heart that is poured into these workspaces through the documentation and collection of the remnants produced. By focusing on what remains, the objects I create serve as monuments solely dedicated to the artists' intensive process instead of the finished artworks they produce.” - Ryan Tanner

Congratulations to all of the participants in this year’s Virginia Glass Guild 29^th Annual Juried Exhibition!

Awards

Best in Show – The Weight of Overindulgence by Suzanne Peterson

Second Place – Small Parts Collection by Edward Francis

Third Place – (body of work) by Heather Hartle

Hampton Arts Commission Award – Snow Globalization: Wish You Were Here by Gayle Forman

Award of Excellence

Deeper Than Skin by Jenn Detlefsen

Mark of the Maker, Hannah Kirkpatrick

Honorable Mention

Vintage Lace Collar by Barbara Atkinson

Platter-Patterns in Green by Beth Barclay