Operated by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society

November 19 to December 17, 2009

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Calgary Glass Now:
A Survey of Contemporary Glass Art

Introduction

The Triangle Gallery of Visual Arts is presenting the exhibition of contemporary glass art in Calgary, the first glass show since 1995. This event is also the inaugural exhibition for the Calgary Glass Initiative, a non-profit art society whose mandate is to create a greater awareness and appreciation of glass art locally, nationally and internationally. The exhibition project has been curated by Norman Faulkner, a leading figure in the international glass art community and founder of the Glass Program at Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) in Calgary. The exhibition showcases the talents of over 25 glass artists, including internationally renowned artists: Tyler Rock, Head of the Glass Department at ACAD and recent recipient of Alberta Craft Council’s Award of Excellence; Julia Reimer, recent recipient of the RBC Glass Award; Marty Kaufman, Assistant Dean of ACAD; and rising stars Bee Kingdom art collective, who have recently presented their glass designs in Berlin, Athens and Korea.

Curator’s Statement

I am pleased to represent the exhibition’s jurors in this project, and to be able to participate in this inaugural exhibition of the Calgary Glass Initiative. My role has been relatively minor, while a fledgling organization has risen to the myriad challenges of pulling together and organizing resources, human and material, to make it happen. Many years of experience taught me to expect that the CGI would run into more work and difficulty than optimists might foresee, but one thing I knew wouldn’t be a problem would be the caliber of work that would be forthcoming. I believe that the exhibition here bears out my confidence.

Many years ago I put together a glass show at the Triangle Gallery called Glasswork: A Survey of Calgary Glass. I hadn’t really thought about that show much since, but one of the young participants asked about the difference that I might see between the two exhibitions. I don’t think I gave a very coherent reply, but I did mention that I had done the earlier show because I thought that the Calgary glass scene was at the time remarkable for the excellence and depth of the work being produced, and that it deserved some attention - which is quite similar to the mission of the CGI. Had I given it a bit more thought, I would have said that the biggest difference is not in the quality of work or the diversity of concept, but rather the much larger number of artists whose work merits attention today. It is also true that the earlier exhibition was made up of young up-and-coming glass artists of the day. While this show celebrates emerging artists as well, we see repeat appearances of Calgarians who have played a critical role in making Calgary a focal point for glass-making and have gained critical recognition for their work nationally and internationally.

Norman Faulkner
Curator

List of Images (left to right, top to bottom):

1. Kai Scholefield, Untitled (from series: Artifacts of the Interior), 2008, silvered glass, steel.
2. Tim Belliveau, Save Nature¸ 2008. Glass, rayzist, Reusche paint.
3. Robert Geyer, AlbertaColorGradient, 2009. Hand colored and pulled glass rod.
4. Ryan Marsh Fairweather, Electrofauns, 2009. Blown glass with sandblasted and liquid luster finish
5. Marty Kaufman, Eroded Form, 2008, Blown glass.         
6. Heidi Holt, Fragility, 2008. Hot sculpted glass, uprooted tree, cable.
7. David Blankenstyn, Cane Blanket Vessel. 2008. Glass Cane.
8. Martha Henry, Metamorphosis, 2009. Flameworked black glass, wood, silver leaf.
9. Jen Somerville, Snow Study 1, 2009. Glass.
10. Erinn Logee, Memory Series 1. 2008. Cast glass.