Making large-scale work in hot glass is a rare treat, and it’s even better when you get to work with a good friend! Here’s a look back at my 2018 residency with Katherine Gray at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. We had a notion to make some of the classic clown horns in glass, but extra big like Claes Oldenberg & Coosje van Bruggen’s Pop Art sculptures. Little did we know that these XL horns would become “Tell Us How You REALLY Feel”, a central work in our collaborative show “The Clown In Me Loves You”, on view at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (WA) thru September 2019. Enjoy!
Nancy With Finished Horns (Blown Glass with Silver Leaf, Sound Recording)
Y/B/R Triptych, Blown, Slumped and Etched Glass, 19x 60″
I have a new exhibition opening at the Heller Gallery in NYC. The show includes new glass panels, unique blown-glass sculptures and works from my Droplet series. I conceived of the show as a visual conversation with some of my favorite modern artists. During lockdown, this dialogue developed new dimensions as I finished the work in solitude. It’s exciting to see it move into the world at this moment!
Thanks to the Mint Museum docents for including my piece “Spin, Weave, Gather” in this feature. I’m thrilled to be in such great company in their permanent collection! And it’s always interesting to hear what docents have to share about works they have spent a lot of time looking at. Enjoy!
As I mention in the interview, I recently partnered with Sandra Ainsley Gallery to host a virtual studio tour. It was a new experience and we had fun putting it together! Here’s a few photos from the studio — it never stays this clean for long. 🙂 Watch the tour here.
Showing off some Mini Clouds and small kinetic works.
This new piece found a home during the tour! “Orange Channel”, Blown, Slumped and Cut Glass, Private Collection
“Verde Droplet” (R) and “Madrid Cloud (L) in front of my studio display shelves.
I’ll be back at the wonderful Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA December 19-21 to create some new pieces. Hope you can stop by to watch me at work! If you’re not in the area, you can watch via Livestream on the MOG web site. Just use the link above during Musuem Hours!
Visiting Artist Nancy Callan in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop
It’s that magical time of the year! I’m getting ready for SOFA Chicago 2019 where I’ll be showing my newest work with Duane Reed Gallery. I’ve created some new panel installations including “Kimono”, pictured here, gold leaf over black glass. And I’ll be showing some new sculptural work including some Droplets. Stop by and visit me in the Duane Reed Gallery booth Nov 1 – 3, 2019! https://www.sofaexpo.com/sofa-chicago-2019
For awhile now, I’ve wanted to create a video that was like a studio visit. It’s hard to explain what I do — my work is very layered and each piece goes through multiple steps on the way to completion. Film is such a great medium for telling that story in a visual way. Documentary filmmaker Derek Klein did some amazing editing and sound work that brought the concept into final form. He really captured both the quiet moments in the studio and the fast pace and fun of working in the hot shop. Enjoy!
I’m happy to announce the installation of Spin, Weave, Gather — a new panel installation commissioned by the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. A year in the making, this piece was made possible by the generous support of the Mint Museum Founder’s Circle and two residencies at STARworks. Watch a video about the making of this work here.
North Carolina has a rich history of textile industry and design. I chose this theme as it relates to my ongoing interest in visual patterns and the relationship between glass cane-work and textiles. Glass is pulled and twisted into canes, then cut and layered to make patterns in the Venetian style. This mirrors the transformation of raw cotton fiber into threads, yarns and finally fabrics. The ingenuity and complexity of weaving techniques gives way to the effects of time and wear, bringing distress and decay. This fragility is inherent in glass, a material that is both remarkably durable and easily destroyed.
Spin, Weave, Gather includes panels that reference the process of creating textiles (cotton bols, skeins of yarn, and whirling bobbins) as well as the finished products (ticking stripes, plaids, and frayed fragments). Special thanks to Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro of the Founder’s Circle for their support and to the hardworking team at STARworks.
