For immediate release
Shattering Glass: New Perspectives
Contemporary Artists Shatter Viewer’s Perceptions of Glass
in an Exhibition at the Katonah Museum of Art
November 11, 2007 through February 24, 2008
Shattering Glass: New Perspectives, opening on November 11, 2007 at the Katonah
Museum of Art, presents site-specific and installation-based contemporary art by 22
artists who have chosen glass as their medium. The exhibition is intended to shatter
visitor’s expectations of glass: what it is, what it looks like, how it functions, and its
perceived limitations of scale, texture and malleability. Viewers will encounter works
from a wide range of aesthetic sensibilities, which dazzle, surprise and amaze.
In presenting Shattering Glass the Katonah Museum is inviting visitors of all ages to
explore contemporary art from the perspective of a single medium. “Grasping what
inspires artists can be challenging at times,” says Ellen Keiter, co-curator of the
exhibition and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Katonah Museum.
“By focusing on a material with which we all have an immediate, everyday familiarity,
this exhibition facilitates a comfortable entrée into the world of contemporary art.
Simultaneously it transports viewers to marvelous fantasy realms of pure color, dazzling
reflection, inexplicable arrangements, seductive surfaces and amazing proportions that
envelop the senses and engage the mind.”
The diversity of expressions and techniques employed by the artists in Shattering Glass
poses a challenge to the traditional perceptions of glass as a craft medium. “Over the past
40 years glass has been catapulted from the decorative arts shelf to the front lines of art
making – sharing the spotlight with established disciplines such as painting, sculpture and
photography,” remarks Neil Watson, co-curator of Shattering Glass and Katonah
Museum Executive Director. “For this exhibition, our core curatorial charge was to
present artwork that would alter people’s perceptions about the material of glass and its
artistic potential. With that idea firmly in hand, we cast our net wide and were rewarded
with an abundance of startling, innovative work from which to choose.”
Many of the artists in Shattering Glass work exclusively in the medium while others
explore it for the first time. Each artist has approached the ancient material from a novel
vantage point, employing techniques of stained, cast, cut, sandblasted, etched, slumped
and blown glass as well as found, crystal, neon, mosaic and mirrored glass. Several of
the works are site-specific, created to respond to, and interact with, the Museum’s
architecture. They include Arlene Shechet’s Out of the Blue, an installation of cast
crystal rope on two opposing walls in the Museum’s atrium, and Bill FitzGibbons’s
Katonah Lights, an installation of colored light in the Museum’s two west windows.
Much of the work is inspired by the natural world, including William Morris’s Trophies,
a series of blown-glass skulls representing horned mammals such as elk and antelope, and
Mark Zirpel’s image of a giant magnolia leaf sandblasted on a beveled sheet of plate
glass. The human body inspired Karen LaMonte’s monumental cast glass dresses, as
well as Angelo Filomeno’s Cold, a life-sized human skeleton blown and constructed in
opaque black glass.The exhibition also features works by Sydney Cash, Eric Ehlenberger,
Ann Gardner, Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace, Richard Klein, Thérèse Lahaie, Beth
Lipman, Sharon Louden, Josiah McElheny, William Morris, Catharine Newell, Sharyn
O’Mara, Kait Rhoads, Judith Schaechter, and Steve Tobin.
Major funding for Shattering Glass was provided by Mary Lou and Spike Beitzel.
Additional funding was provided by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass; the
Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government; the New
York State Council on the Arts; the Exhibition Patrons of the Katonah Museum of Art;
and other private individuals. A 40-page full color catalogue featuring images of work
by each of the 22 artists with essays by Neil Watson, Ellen Keiter, and Tina Oldknow is
available. Contact the Museum at 914 232 9555 for pricing information.
In the Marilyn M. Simpson Sculpture Garden through April 27, 2008
Horizons: Sculpture Installation by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir
Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir has created the installation, Horizons, consisting
of 10 cast-iron figures standing amid the majestic grove of 100-year-old Norwegian
spruce trees that shade the Museum’s sculpture garden. Each life-sized figure is
embedded with horizontal lines of glass allowing daylight to shine through. The rough,
earth-colored iron relates to the texture and tone of the tree bark. As visitors walk around
the garden, figures appear and disappear behind the trees.
Horizons film at Jacob Burns Film Center
Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 pm
The documentary film, Horizons, captures Steinunn creating the sculptures in her studio
in Reykjavik and their installation at the Katonah Museum of Art. The film by Frank
Cantor will screen at The Jacob Burns Film Center on Wednesday, December 12.
Screening is followed by a Q & A with artist and filmmaker, and a reception.
KMA members $9, $13 non-members (general admission)
On the South Lawn
Now extended through February 2008
Acrobats by Keith Haring
Acrobats is a playful sculpture that brings color and vitality to the Museum’s South
lawn. This work exemplifies Keith Haring’s enduring vision of integrating art into
everyday life.
In the Children’s Learning Center November 11, 2007 through Feb 24, 2008
Kids Design Glass
This unique exhibition comes from the Kids Design Glass program at the Museum of
Glass in Tacoma, Washington, in which children’s drawings are transformed into
whimsical glass sculptures. The original drawings, finished glass objects, and
photographs documenting the entire process, are all on display.
This exhibition is supported in part by a generous grant from the JPMorgan Chase
Foundation.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Ninth Annual Literary Lunch
Monday, December 3, 11:15 am – 3:00 pm
The KMA is proud to welcome two esteemed political historians as speakers at the 9th
Annual Literary Lunch. Come join us and meet Michael Beschloss, recently named the
official Presidential Historian at NBC News, and author of Presidential Courage: Brave
Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989, and Jeffrey Toobin, a senior legal
analyst for CNN Worldwide, and author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the
Supreme Court. Thomas Edsall, who covered national politics for 25 years at the
Washington Post and currently teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate School of
Journalism, will moderate. A book-signing will follow the program, and copies of the
authors’ books will be available for purchase.
At Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion, Tarrytown, New York
$85 members, $95 non-members
$125 includes Authors’ Reception and Luncheon
$2,000 Sponsor Table includes a table for 10 with priority seating and tickets to the
Authors’ Reception.
Reservations required. Please call for more information.
Proceeds support the Museum’s Exhibition and Education programs.
PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
Day trip to Hudson Beach Glass
Sunday, December 16, 10 am - 12 noon
Join us at Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, NY for a private glassmaking demonstration.
See the studio’s top artists blow, torch, and cast beautiful objects. You can book time in
the afternoon to blow your own glass ornament.
Reservations and advanced payment required.
$15 members, $20 non members
A Cool Evening of Hot Glass on Film
Tuesday, January 15, 7:30 pm
How did the artists in Shattering Glass arrive at their amazing, finished products?
Unlock the mysteries of glass during this evening event in which short films of several of
the artists at work in hotshops will be shown.
Reservations required.
$5 members, $10 non-members
Glass Artist Panel
Sunday, Feb. 3, 5:00 pm
Glass has been central to a lively and often contentious debate on the evolving definitions
of art, craft, and design. Are these categories obsolete in the first decade of the 21st
century? Or is each generation responsible for shaping new definitions that reflect the
spirit of the times? Using the exhibition Shattering Glass as a backdrop, artist and
curator Richard Klein will lead a spirited discussion with Arlene Shechet, Angelo
Filomeno, Katya Heller from Heller Gallery, and Neil Watson, Director of the Katonah
Museum of Art and exhibition co-curator, on the changing perceptions of cultural
production that utilizes that most unique and beautiful of materials—glass.
Reservations required.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Glass: Material in the Service of Meaning
A special lecture and cocktail reception in Chelsea
Thursday, February 21, 6:00-8:00 pm at Heller Gallery, New York City
Tina Oldknow, Curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass, will present a
40-year survey of contemporary glass sculpture. Oldknow will discuss different aspects
of contemporary glass—ranging from objects to installation—including glass and nature,
glass and the human figure, glass as pure material, and glass and notions of time. This
lecture is hosted by Heller Gallery, the premiere contemporary glass art gallery in New
York City.
Reservations required.
$50 members, $65 non-members
Stained Glass Workshop
Monday, January 14 or 28, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Professional artist Doris Cultraro, who recently completed five stained glass windows for
temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners, leads this full-day workshop. Each participant
will learn the basics of stained glass production to create a stained glass panel. Beginners
will gain the confidence and skill to continue further with this exciting craft.
Reservations required. Space is limited.
$145 members, $175 non-members.
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Design Glass Contest for Children Ages 6 to 12
Submissions must be received by December 30.
Young visitors are invited to submit a drawing of something—anything!—that they
would like to see created in GLASS. Curators Neil Watson and Ellen Keiter will select a
winning design to be crafted into a glass artwork. Video of artist making the piece, along
with the finished object, will be presented at a special public event. Please pick up an
entry form in the Learning Center. All submissions must be received by December 30.
Ages 6 to 12 only.
School’s Out—Art’s In
Wednesday - Friday, December 26 - 28; Tuesday - Friday, February 19 - 22, 2:30 pm.
Drop into the Learning Center at 2:30 pm on school vacation days for special art
activities that shimmer, shine, glow, and reflect. Inspired by the exhibition Shattering
Glass, projects include making “stained glass,” mosaic art, glow-in-the-dark projects,
glass beading and more. See our website for a schedule of projects
(www.katonahmuseum.org).
Children ages 3-6 with an adult, 7-and-up drop off (adults must stay at the Museum
during activity; enjoy the 2:30 public tour)
$5 per child materials fee
Tuesdays for Tots
December 4, 11, 18, January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5
1:00-2:00 pm
This series of Tots workshops will introduce three to five-year-old children and their
adult caregivers to a world of art that shimmers, shines, glows, and reflects. Inspired by
the exhibition Shattering Glass, our hands-on art projects will experiment with reflection,
transparency, light and color.
Registration and advanced payment required.
Ages 3-5 with an adult. Please, we cannot accommodate siblings under age 3.
$96 members, $120 non-members for 8-week course
Art Adventures (Level 1)
Wednesdays, December 5, 12, 19, January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6
4:00-5:15 pm
Neon glass jellyfish, a black glass skeleton, and giant glass paintbrushes – these are just a
few of the amazing artworks in the exhibition Shattering Glass. Each week we will take
ideas from the work on display to create our own art objects that reflect and glow-in-thedark using found items and transparent materials.
Registration and advance payment required. Students grades K-2.
$96 members, $120 non-members for 8-week course
Art Adventures (Level 2)
Thursdays, December 6, 13, 20, January 10, 17, 23, 31, February 7
4:00-5:15 pm
Through unique hands-on art projects students will experiment with the many qualities of
glass explored by artists in the exhibition Shattering Glass. From glow-in-the-dark
installations to stained glass techniques and transparent materials, students will discover a
whole new world of art where light, transparency and reflection take center stage.
Registration and advance payment required. Students grades 3-6.
$96 members, $120 non-members for 8-week course
UPCOMING
Postcards From Within
November 11, 2007 – February 24, 2008
This innovative exhibition and sale exhibited in the KMA atrium features 5 x 7 postcardsized artwork by KMAA members. Each “card” is an original work of art and sells for
$60, with half of the proceeds donated to the Museum. On opening day of the Shattering
Glass exhibition, November 11, the postcards will be discounted to $50 each.
Young Artists 2008
March 9 through March 16, 2008
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the KMA’s popular Young Artists exhibition.
Each year art teachers from the Museum’s member schools select the best work of high
school seniors for display in the galleries. These talented and enthusiastic young artists
design their own invitations, participate in the show’s installation, and host the opening
reception on Sunday, March 9. Save the date! Watch for announcements of special
events celebrating this milestone year for Young Artists.
Here’s the Thing: Single Object Still Lifes
March 30 through June 29, 2008
The art in this exhibition focuses exclusively on one object, unlike a traditional still life
which is generally an arrangement of several objects. What each artist chooses to do with
this single object will bring to the fore the conceptual diversity of the artists.
Here’s the Thing will include approximately 60 works - paintings, sculptures, drawings,
and prints - created since the late 19th century. Most of the pieces date from 1950 and
include pieces by a strong roster of American artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Jim
Dine, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. The guest
curator is the well-known Photorealist painter and print-maker Robert Cottingham, whose
recent still lifes of cameras and typewriters reflect his own fascination with the single
everyday object.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The Katonah Museum of Art, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, is a non-collecting
institution dedicated to encouraging the enjoyment, appreciation and study of the visual
arts by visitors of all ages. The KMA offers a series of changing exhibitions, active
community outreach, and over 150 lectures, workshops, and concerts annually. The
KMA has built a national reputation for excellence based on the quality of its exhibitions
and innovative education programs that are enjoyed by over 40,000 individuals annually.
ATTACHED IMAGE (more images upon request)
Eric Ehlenberger
Jellyfish
Hand-blown glass with neon
Collection of the artist
The Jellyfish are each about 42 inches tall, but vary from 38 to 46 inches with widths
from 12 to 16 inches.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Directions
By Train: From Grand Central Terminal (Harlem Division of Metro North): The
Katonah Museum of Art is located 1/2 mile east of the Katonah railroad station. Taxi
service is available.
By Car: Take Exit 6 off Interstate 684. Go east on Route 35. Take the first right onto
Route 22 south. The Museum is located1/4 mile on the left.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12 to 5pm, Closed
Mondays
Admission: 10 am – 12 Noon: free; 12 – 5 pm: admission $5, $3 for seniors and students;
Members and children under 12 free
Free Docent-Led Guided Tours: Tuesday through Saturday, 2:30 pm
Tours are free with admission to the Museum
Katonah Museum of Art
Route 22 at Jay Street
Katonah, NY 10536
914 232 9555
www.katonahmuseum.org