Press Room

Glasstress to Include Installations and Sculptures by such Acclaimed Contemporary Artists and Designers as Tony Cragg, Jaime Hayon, Kiki Smith, and Patricia Urquiola

New York, NY (December 6, 2011)

Glasstress: New Art from the Venice Biennale, the cutting-edge exhibition series organized by glass impresario Adriano Berengo for the past two Venice Biennales—each time making waves in the lagoon city—is to have its American debut at the Museum of Arts and Design on February 6, 2012.

Berengo calls the series “a new visionary manifesto for glass and art.” His commissioning of leading contemporary artists and designers to create works despite a lack of knowledge about the medium or its history has proved a game changer in the field. Lacking preconceptions, these creators working with artisans on Murano have produced pieces that are as exciting as they are fresh. The Museum of Arts and Design will present a selection of some 20 pieces culled from the exhibition’s two editions, most from the 2011 edition. The exhibition will run through June 3, 2012.

“Next year, 2012, is the 50th anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement,” says Holly Hotchner, MAD’s Nanette L. Laitman Director. “This institution has been a champion of directional art glass since that movement’s beginnings, so what better way for us to celebrate than by introducing to American audiences the latest creative innovations in this marvelous fluid medium?”

Discussing the curation of the exhibition, David McFadden, MAD’s William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator, notes: “The wide-ranging vision and diversity of approaches galvanized us to bring this important project to the U.S. MAD’s exhibition will include Jan Fabre’s witty installation of amethyst-hued, blown-glass pigeons along with their glass droppings; acid-washed, black glass eggs by Kiki Smith; and Javier Perez’s ornate, scarlet-colored, Murano glass chandelier, which after it was completed, he smashed—the ruin replete with is shards becoming the extraordinary artwork.”“Having this exhibition come to New York, has long been my dream,” says Berengo. “I am excited for Americans to see the enormous artistic potential of this medium, which while ancient has never seemed more contemporary. ”

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design explores the blur zone between art, design, and craft today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to digital. The Museum’s exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by gifted and innovative artists. MAD’s permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day. At the center of the Museum’s mission is education. The Museum’s dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families, and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances, and symposia related to the Museum’s collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft, and design are held in a renovated 144-seat auditorium.