The glorious glimmer of artisan glass

‘All That Glitters' showcases the California roots of art glass|

The Petaluma Arts Center has a history of putting on interesting and educational exhibits that draw people from all over the Bay Area, and their upcoming exhibition, “All That Glitters,” is no exception.

The exhibit, which opens on Saturday, Aug. 15 with a reception, will showcase numerous examples of the contemporary studio glass movement, which developed in California. All of the art displayed is produced by local artists, a testament to the movement’s rich history in the state.

Studio glass is also known as art glass, and is thought to have begun in 1962 when a professor and his students at the University of Wisconsin designed and built a brick furnace in which they melted glass and blew a glass bubble. One of these students, Marvin Lipofsky, became a critical figure in the glass movement in Northern California. He developed glass education programs at the University of California, Berkeley and at the California College of the Arts in Oakland.

“All that Glitters” exhibit curator Kathleen Hanna was inspired by the significance that California played in establishing the studio glass movement across the country, and strove to include the artists and their integral pieces, including Marvin Lipofsky and a number of his students.

“It’s been a little over 50 years since the contemporary glass movement began in America, and it actually really began in California,” said Hanna. “I wanted to record this historic idea, and pay tribute to it, including the characters in the story and their descendants, if you like. All of the artists (included in the exhibit) live and work in the greater Bay Area.”

It is a rare occurrence that this many pieces of glass art are assembled in one place, and Hanna encourages the public to view the exhibit while they can. The exhibit also includes a timeline that details California’s involvement and impact in the movement.

“It’s probably the only opportunity that people in the North Bay are going to have to see this work collected in one place,” she said. “We have included in the exhibition a very elaborate timeline that was made by one of the artists and records the history of the movement. Its a very important statement about what’s happened and what’s going on. We’d like people to understand not only how important Northern California has been to the movement, but also a little bit about the pieces and the work and the variety.”

Each of the artists included have a unique style; this particular movement focused on individual artists and their visions, instead of a universal style utilized by all the artists. Their individuality is part of what makes the exhibition a must-see for art-glass lovers.

“Its really important to think about the variety of the work in the show, because the exhibit would not be nearly as unique without the included variety,” said Hanna.

“All That Glitters” is a collaborative exhibition with IceHouse Gallery and will be on display through Sept. 27. There will be two exhibits - one at each location. The exhibits will feature both large and small works of glass and metal sculptures, blown glass sculptures, vessel forms, and cast glass, as well as a collection of contemporary jewelry.

The collection of jewelry is curated by Elizabeth Shypertt and includes the work of Petaluma artist Lucia Antonelli.

For those interested in the topic of contemporary jewelry, Shypertt and Antonelli will be hosting a discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 27. The gallery of jewelry will open before the discussion at 6 p.m., and all of the pieces displayed are for sale.

For more information on “All That Glitters,” visit petalumaartscenter.org or call 762-5600.

(Contact Michaela Western at argus@arguscouri er.com)

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