The Museum of Glass will welcome American glass master Richard Marquis along with a group of his Australian colleagues, artists Nick Mount, Clare Belfrage and Tim Edwards, for a two-week Hot Shop Visiting Artist residency November 7 – 11 and 14 – 18, 2007. For this group of artists, this residency is not just about the art; it is also about reuniting old friends.
One of the pioneers of the American Studio Glass movement, Marquis was introduced to glass while studying ceramics at the University of California. In 1969, he traveled to Murano, Italy, on a Fulbright-Hayes grant to work and study in the Venini Glass Factory. There he became the first contemporary American artist to use the murrine technique and he later introduced it to the United States. His murrine teapot has become a signature form for Marquis—combining fine art and masterful technique with craft and kitsch, erasing the line between high and low art.
In 1974, Marquis was contracted to travel to Australia to help create an interest in glassblowing. He put together some basic materials and embarked on a three-month tour to ten cities. He hired Australian ceramic student Nick Mount who quickly became an assistant glassblower. Together, they introduced the techniques and ideas of Studio Glass to art students across Southern Australia and Tasmania.
According to Mount, "Dick Marquis arrived down under in 1974 with a pioneering spirit, enormous interest in what he could see and find, and a huge capacity to be generous with his skills and information. What he took home is just a drop in the ocean of his extensive collections, while what he left behind after that and subsequent visits helped lay the foundation for the development of the Australian glass movement of today."
Over the past three decades, Australian Glass has gained worldwide recognition, including the distinctive works of Clare Belfrage and Tim Edwards. Nick Mount is now one of Australia's most renowned glassblowers and designers.
During their Museum of Glass residency, the artists will work on a variety of pieces that demonstrate each artist's unique techniques and inspirations. "I'm not sure what I'll be doing during the residency," commented Marquis. "In fact, that's the point. I've got a couple of half-baked ideas, but the main thing is to work and hang out with my friends from Australia and the MOG."
Included in the residency is a public Conversation with the Artists presentation and slide show on Sunday, November 11, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Museum Theater. Two pieces by Marquis are included in the Contrasts: A Glass Primer exhibition currently on display in the Museum's West Gallery. -- www.museumofglass.org
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