Studio Glass: The Art of Marvin Lipofsky, Richard Marquis, John Lewis, and Elin Christopherson

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Studio Glass: The Art of Marvin Lipofsky, Richard Marquis, John Lewis, and Elin Christopherson
New exhibition features artwork spanning five decades of studio glass
 

SAN FRANCISCO –- Glass, although rooted in ancient Mesopotamia and historically used in a variety of decorative arts, is a relative newcomer to the world of fine art. The beginning of the studio glass movement is attributed to an event in 1962 - when University of Wisconsin ceramics professor Harvey Littleton led a glass workshop at the Toledo Museum of Art and demonstrated that molten glass was a feasible material for creating sculptural forms.

Marvin Lipofsky, a star student in Harvey Littleton’s first glass course, developed pivotal glass programs at the University of California, Berkeley, and the California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC, now California College of the Arts) in Oakland during the 1960s. Lipofsky’s ongoing exploration of the medium’s sculptural potential has been conducted in factories and hot shops around the world and at the artist’s Berkeley studio, where his mold-blown organic forms are sandblasted, carved, and polished. Richard (Dick) Marquis, one of Lipofsky’s first students at U. C. Berkeley, has produced an astonishing range of masterfully blown vessels that reflect the artist’s deep knowledge of historical references and traditional Venetian glass techniques. John Lewis, also an early student of Lipofsky, combines substantial glass castings with elements such as copper foil and gold leaf to produce a vivid interplay of texture and color on their surfaces. Elin Christopherson began incorporating steel and wood in her glass art while completing various assignments for Lipofsky at CCAC in 1984. Much of Christopherson’s work is composed of salvaged material, sometimes from landfill, and is concerned with the interdependence of humanity and the natural world.

This exhibition highlights four unique and evolving approaches during the five-decade history of studio glassmaking—four distinct visions for glass and its many possibilities as an art form.

View the exhibition online.

Studio Glass: The art of Marvin Lipofsky, Richard Marquis, John Lewis, and Elin Christopherson is located beyond security screening in Terminal 2, Departures Level, San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition is on view to Terminal 2 ticketed passengers from October 25, 2014 to May 10, 2015. There is no charge to view the exhibition.

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