70 Artists to Participate in Millennium Glass Exhibition

"Series IGS VI #3," made of colored glass blown into handmade wooden forms, cut, ground, hand-finished, sandblasted, acid-polished and finished, measuring 13 by 25 by 19 inches, by Marvin Lipofsky. Photo by M. Lee Fatheree

The Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery will launch a major studio glass exhibition this April, titled "Millennium Glass: An International Survey of Studio Glass." The exhibition will feature 70 of the world's top glass artists, including internationally renowned glass maker and designer, Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibition is being sponsored by Philip Morris Companies, Inc.

Tagliapietra will head an impressive list of artists who have been invited to design glasswork to reflect their views of the new millennium. Glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell is working with Brion Clinkingbeard, Kentucky Art and Craft director of exhibitions, and Adele Leight, a glass collector, in organizing this major exhibition. Powell, Kentucky's most prominent studio glass artist, will also design a piece for the exhibition. He plans to create a vessel that will contain 2,000 pieces of murrini cane chips.

"Blue Willow," made of glass, wax oil, acrylic paint, spray enamel, spray lacquer gold leaf and glitter, mounted on painted board, measuring 25 by 34.5 inches, by Judy Jensen. Photo by Charles Mayer

A full-color, 76-page exhibition catalogue will accompany the show. The catalogue will include many of the artists' views about the millennium and the role of contemporary glass -- past, present and future. Frederick Burkhill, one of the participating glass artists, writes, "The really significant aspect of the new millennium in its relationship to glass is the fact that humans first melting glass from its raw components dates back to approximately 5,000 years ago."

"Millennium Glass" is scheduled to open at the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery, 609 West Main Street in Louisville on April 28, and will continue through July 8. Tagliapietra will host a series of demonstrations in the glass studio at Centre College in Danville, Ky., where he has been named the Humana Visiting Professor of Art. In addition, American glass pioneer Marvin Lipofsky will present a lecture at the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery on Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. He will also demonstrate his glassblowing techniques at Centre College.

"Millennium Glass: An International Survey of Studio Glass" will be a signature exhibition for the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery. For more information about the exhibition, call (502) 589-0102.

MARCH 2000: TABLE OF CONTENTS