Glass & Thread Exhibit at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center

The WAH Center (Williamsburg Art & Historical Center) is very pleased to present Glass & Thread an exhibition of 32 contemporary artists working in glass and fiber, organized by curator Renee B. Radenberg. The mediums of glass and textile have long occupied fringe and hybrid territories of fine art and craft, describing the textures of both aesthetic experience and daily routine. These arts are uniquely living forms that permeate our lives, from the sacred (churches, temples, museums) to the secular (domestic utility, decoration, garment). The artists in this exhibition exploit the material and culturally allusive qualities of glass and textile to create expressions of the human experience in a variety of styles— ranging from a small abstract interpretation of a sunrise to an immersive installation, from a quiet geometric meditation to a quilted narrative of a winterʼs day. In a gloss on the exhibitionʼs theme, one work is entitled Glass Quilt.

Traditional stained-glass and quilting do share a logic of construction, respondent as they are to shape and color, one might even argue shaped color, as color is an indivisible property of glass and fiber (in contrast, for example, to the application of paint on a surface). These material qualities transcend time and place and continue to intrigue artists who experiment with their contemporary application. The exhibition encompasses a wide range of arts formed by various methods in glass (stained, mosaic, fused, blown) and thread (woven, appliqué, quilted, sculpted). The blending of glass with fabrics gives the work motion, color, and a vibrant presence. In space, the eye weaves the glass and fabric works together, transforming them into a total experience of color and texture. We hope you will join us in celebrating this rare combination!

GLASS artists: Glenn Abel, Risa Batterman-Dera, Linda Billet, Beryl Brenner, Patrick Clark, Laura Conliffe, Sandra Forrest, Beth Giacummo, Leonid Grinberg, Laurie Korowitz-Coutu, Ellen Mandelbaum, Basha Maryanska, Renee B. Radenberg, Gloria Schuster, and Diana Shaller.
THREAD artists: Madeleine Appell, Doreen Beck, Uli Brahmst, Kristen Fisher, Joyce Goodman, Jeanne Heifetz, Aimee Hertog, Ruby Horansky, Michele Kucker, Ruth Marchese, Maryann McEvoy, Janice Patrignani, Ellen Piccolo, Nancy Saleme, Robin Strauss, Marcia Widenor, and Dennis Yuen.