UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — "A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer," a new exhibition on view Jan. 31 to April 30 at the Palmer Museum of Art, highlights newly acquired works from the remarkable studio glass collection of Bette (Class of 1958) and Arnold Hoffman (1957). Recent gifts from Audrey and Norbert Gaelen (1947) and Julia K. Muller and Earl K. Shreckengast (1972) will also be featured, as well as a selection of pieces from private collections, including promised gifts from Barbara Palmer, and Bill (1960) and Honey Jaffe.
Interest in contemporary glass among collectors, galleries, and museums has grown exponentially in recent years, more than a half-century after the founding of the studio glass movement in the early 1960s. Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, the Palmer Museum of Art is poised to become one of the preeminent destinations for studio glass on the East Coast.
Represented in the exhibition will be an international roster of glass artists working today, including Therman Statom, Lino Tagliapietra, Martin Janecky, Tobias Møhl, Etsuko Nishi, Oben Abright, Daniel Clayman, Hiroshi Yamano, John Kiley, Dante Marioni, Nick Mount, Richard Marquis, Youko Sano, and many others.
Exhibition-related events:
-- Joyce Robinson, curator, will lead a Gallery Talk titled "A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer" at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, in the exhibition gallery located on the museum’s second floor.
-- Susan McCartney, docent, will lead a Docent Choice Tour titled "Contemporary Studio Glass" at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, beginning in the Christoffers Lobby located on the museum’s first floor.
-- Therman Statom, sculptor, glass artist, and painter, will present a lecture titled "A Conversation with Therman Statom" at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, in the Palmer Lipcon Auditorium located on the museum’s first floor.
Known as a pioneer in the field of contemporary studio glass, Statom transforms plates into complex architectural constructions that incorporate blown glass and found objects. More recently, he has used his work as a catalyst for social change through collaborative workshops with students and community members. His work appears in the exhibition "A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer" and is part of the Palmer Museum of Art’s permanent collection. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity and the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art.
-- Jo Megas, graduate student, art history, will lead a Gallery Talk titled "A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer" at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, April 7, in the exhibition gallery located on the museum’s second floor.
-- James F. Byrnes, glass artist, will provide a flameworking demonstration from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, on the Palmer Museum Plaza located in front of the museum.
The glassmaking technique known as flameworking or lampworking has been used for centuries to create delicate vessels, beads, and ornaments. Byrnes will make visible the process of melting glass tubes and rods with a gas torch, then twist, pull, and shape the soft glass into colorful, elegant shapes.
-- Carlo Pantano, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering; David Babb, assistant professor of meteorology; and Dawn Van Bramer, IT trainer; will lead a Perspectives Unbound Gallery Talk titled "A Scientific Perspective on Contemporary Studio Glass" at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, April 21, in the exhibition gallery located on the museum’s second floor.
All programs are held at the Palmer Museum of Art and are sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art unless otherwise noted.
Also on view at the Palmer Museum of Art this spring are "Eva Watson-Schütze: Pictorialist Portraits," Jan. 10 through April 30; and "Morris Blackburn: Prints and Paintings in Process," Jan. 17 through April 30.
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays. The museum will have modified hours of noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, through Sunday, March 12. The museum will be closed Sunday, April 16, and Monday, May 1, through Monday, Sept. 4.
The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.