1col Ramshaw

Wendy Ramshaw, “Chain of Glass Tears for Weeping Woman” (necklace) from the “Picasso’s Ladies” series, 1989–1998, lamp-worked glass and blackened steel, 161/8   by 3½ by ¼ inches, collection of the Museum of Arts & Design, New York City; gift of Barbara Tober, 2005.

2col Lehtinen

Tarja Lehtinen, “Cameo Brooches,” 2006, recycled and sandblasted glass, silver, stainless steel, 3 by 1½  inches; collection of the artist.

cuts sent e-m 10-29 patrick, typesetting copy

FOR 11/9

‘GLASSWEAR’ SHOWCASES JEWELRY AT MUSEUM OF ARTS & DESIGN w/2 cuts

avv/gs set 10/22 #716723

TOLEDO, OHIO — “GlassWear: Glass in Contemporary Jewelry,” an exhibition organized by the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City of more than 130 works of international jewelry celebrating the union of glass and jewelry, is on view at the Glass Pavilion of the Toledo Museum of Art.

The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Arts & Design’s new home at 2 Columbus Circle in New York in 2009. Organized by the Museum of Arts & Design and the Schmuckmuseum (Jewelry Museum) Pforzheim in Germany, the exhibition will travel next year to the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (March 14–May 25). “GlassWear” also will travel to other international museums beginning in 2009, including the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester (N.Y.) and the Mobile Museum of Art in Alabama.

These innovative works were created by some of the world’s leading jewelry artists. The works chosen for “GlassWear” convey the richness of glass as a medium for jewelry and confirm the vitality of the global art jewelry community.

Holly Hotchner, director of the Museum of Arts & Design, says, “Glass has been one of the most prominent mediums in the contemporary art scene for the past two decades. This exhibition explores the unique use of glass by artists from around the world. As a museum dedicated to highlighting the dynamic intersection of materials and process as well as new forms and techniques, we are proud to take a leadership role in bringing this array of glass jewelry to the public.”

In some pieces, novelty results from the type of glass that is used — borosilicates, for example, permit thin yet strong compositional elements, while dichroic and iridescent glass produce intense color effects. In other works, the artists achieved innovative results by applying traditional glass-working processes — fusing, slumping, spinning, casting, blowing, and flame-working — in unexpected ways.

Ursula Ilse-Neuman, curator of jewelry for the Museum of Arts & Design, says “GlassWear” features established and emerging artists “who explore the potential of glass in jewelry through their provocative concepts and their mastery of techniques and materials.

From the United States, Linda MacNeil makes glass a central element in her jewelry, setting carved pate-de-verre components in gold, silver and industrial metals as if these nonprecious bits of glass were gemstones. Robert Ebendorf, a pioneer of the studio jewelry movement and one of the founders of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG), works with shattered window glass and broken shards of Absolut vodka bottles.

From Italy, Giampaolo Babetto, noted for his craftsmanship and gently sinuous surfaces, uses glass and mirrors to explore alterations in perspective, color and planes.

Informed by the history of Czech glassmaking, Svatopluk Kasaly creates dramatic but minimalist works in cut glass and metal, while fellow artist Martina Minarikova suggests parallels between biological and astronomical imagery in her multimedia “Cell Nucleus” brooch.

For information, 212-956-3535 or www.madmuseum.org.