CELEBRATION OF GLASS 2003

From April to July 2003, a magnificent array of glass art from around the world will be displayed throughout Louisville, Kentucky. Celebration of Glass will be one of the most extensive glass events ever held in the United States. Visitors will be able to view a wide range of contemporary art glass and watch some of the most prominent artists create their work.

One part of this collaboration is the presentation of Dale Chihuly’s Baskets at Glassworks, featuring abstract sculptures in vivid color grouped together as single works. In addition, the Marta Hewett Gallery at Glassworks will host Dale Chihuly: New Works, from the artist’s signature series. Throughout the three-month event, recognized artists from around the world will give demonstrations and workshops at Glassworks studios.

The Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery will feature The Glass Vessel: An International Invitational, an exhibition featuring a wide variety of glass vessels produced by over 50 artists from around the world, including Lino Tagliapietra, Stephen Rolfe Powell and Dante Marioni. The Gallery will also present a body of work by glass artist Rick Beck, who is known for his large-scale cast glass sculptures depicting industrial, everyday objects such as screws, bolts and clamps, and objects that usually are viewed as inconsequential parts of larger items. These exhibitions mark the grand opening of the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery’s new location at 715 West Main Street.

The Louisville Visual Art Association will host A New Millennium, A New Light: An International Survey of Architectural Glass Art, the most complete international architectural glass exhibition in twenty-five years. Internationally renowned art glass designer, Kenneth vonRoenn, will curate the exhibit, which will feature models and photographs of large-scale architectural installations, as well as concept pieces and original stained glass works.

The Speed Art Museum will present The Light Within: Glass Sculpture from Louisville Collections, featuring a range of magnificent glass sculptures created by renowned artists. Monumental works will include brooding, introspective pieces by Sweden’s Bertil Vallien and the Czech husband and wife team of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. Smaller scale works will also be included, such as a glass and barbed wire purse by Silvia Levenson, an artist interested in gender-related issues. Throughout the exhibition, pieces will be unified by the pure visceral and intellectual appeal of contemporary glass.

To coincide with the opening of the Chihuly Exhibition on April 21, William Warmus, a writer, curator, appraiser and consultant to artists Dale Chihuly and Dan Dailey will lecture on Chihuly’s works at Glassworks. Other exciting additions include tours, video presentations and a panel discussion June 5 at the Speed Art Museum on “Contemporary Glass: Today and Tomorrow,” led by Tina Oldknow, Curator of Contemporary Glass, Corning Museum of Glass. For more information please log onto www.celebrationofglass.com. Out-of-town visitors can call the Greater Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-888-LOUISVILLE (568-4784) or log on to www.gotolouisville.com to book your Celebration of Glass Package. All participating organizations are members of the Arts and Cultural Attractions Council, a business network of Greater Louisville Inc.

Vessels Exhibition Summary Vessels Exhibition Photo Catalogue Rick Beck Exhibition Lino Tagliapietra Raffle