GlassWear: Glass in Contemporary Jewelry

GlassWear:
Glass in Contemporary Jewelry

The captivating qualities of glass that have fascinated artists for centuries are taken to new dimensions by contemporary jewelry artists in GlassWear. Organized by the Museum of Arts & Design and the renowned Pforzheim Jewelry Museum (Schmuckmuseum) in Germany, this exhibition combines two of the most vibrant and inventive areas in the decorative arts today – glass and jewelry.

This seminal presentation showcases highly innovative works by 60 internationally renowned jewelry artists, representing countries as diverse as the United States, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Australia and South Africa, among others. Many of the works will be shown for the very first time as special commissions for this exhibition.

The visually exciting works exploit the expressive potential of glass to engage our senses and intrigue the viewers by challenging our ideas of adornment and the values of materials. Some artists approach the inherent properties of glass, such as transparency, fluidity, sharpness, fragility and reflection; while others look at the cultural and historical context of glass through the use of found glass or concepts including encapsulation, magnification, imitation and beauty.

GlassWear will mark an important milestone in the development of contemporary jewelry and glass making. It is accompanied by a color-illustrated, bi-lingual catalogue.

GlassWear has been produced in partnership with the Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany. It has been made possible in part with a grant from the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass.

Organized and Circulated by
Museum of Arts & Design, New York, NY
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Germany

Curator
Ursula Ilse-Neuman
Museum of Arts & Design

Schedule of venues

November 7, 2007– January 31, 2008
Glass Pavilion, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio

March 14, 2008 – May 25, 2008
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Germany

April 18-June 28, 2009
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

13 July – 20 September 2009
Museum of Arts & Design, New York, NY

October 2, 2009 – January 3, 2010
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL