Publisher: Kenn Holsten
A free monthly e-newsletter from
Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge MA
Issue #7 – August/September 2003

• Quote of the Month
• Summer in the Berkshires
• SOFA-Chicago, 2003
• Artist of the Month: William Morris
• Staff Pick of the Month
• Calendar

“Glass is the buoyant medium. Phoenix-like, it literally emerges from fire and ash (and sand and a few other ingredients), and air plays a central role in giving it form. Hollowness abounds and is celebrated. The process of making glass can be extremely theatrical, the colors available are dazzling to the eye, and the final object is highly resistant to decay yet simultaneously rather fragile, like an aging diva.”
William Warmus, FIRE AND FORM: The Art of Contemporary Glass

Summer 2003 has been an unusually busy one for us. In June we celebrated our 25th Anniversary. Also in June, two major summer glass exhibitions opened at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield: “Masters of Contemporary Glass” (a group show curated by our director, Jim Schantz) and “Myth, Object and the Animal” (installations by William Morris). In addition, it seems that the Berkshires are becoming more and more popular each year as a travel destination for many of our collectors. With the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Jacob’s Pillow summer dance theater, Shakespeare and Co. and several other summer theater and music festivals, our area seems to be the perfect place to take in cultural events in a beautiful rural environment. Thus the number or visitors we get each day in the gallery has grown from several dozen to several hundred.

Many of you have visited us in the gallery this summer and we encourage those who have not had an opportunity to do so to experience the Berkshires in the fall when things slow down here a bit and nature puts on its stunning autumn spectacle.

October 16-19 is the 10th Anniversary exhibition of SOFA-Chicago at Navy Pier. For the past seven years Holsten Galleries has presented major one-person exhibitions of the works of Dale Chihuly. This year, in addition to our Chihuly show, we are presenting for the first time ever at SOFA a one-person show of the installations and sculpture of Lino Tagliapietra. Lino Tagliapietra’s show will include three major wall installations and will introduce several new series of the maestro’s sculptural works. Lino Tagliapietra is an honorary guest at SOFA this year and will present a public lecture on Friday, October 17 at 5 PM.

It is a great honor for us to be showing
two of the world’s leading glass artists at this major
exposition and we have collaborated closely for several
months with both Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra to create spectacular
exhibitions of both artists. Many of the pieces are
or soon will be available for viewing on our website.
We hope to see many of you in Chicago in October!

View featured installations on our SOFA-Chicago
2003 page.

William Morris was born in Carmel, California in 1957. In the late 1970’s, after he had completed college, he began his involvement with glassblowing as an apprentice to Dale Chihuly in Seattle. Before long he became Chihuly’s gaffer (#1 glassblower) and not long after that began his own innovative career in glass. Today, of course, he is widely considered to be one of the leading glass artists in the world and has pieces in major private and public collections around the globe.

What distinguishes Morris’s work from that of other glass artists is its thematic concern with mythological, shamanic and symbolic themes. Many of the ideas and themes in his work are inspired by ancient or primitive cultures. His work often concerns itself with the relationship of man to nature and man to the animal kingdom. Some of the animals which recur in his work are the crow or raven, the bull, the deer and the antelope. One also finds the occasional frog, giraffe, salmon, horse or swan. It is no coincidence that many of these same animals appear in world mythology. Some of the animals, in fact, are impossible to identify precisely and seem to be more archetypal in nature.

Another rather unique aspect of Morris’ glass art is that it does not always look much like glass! The powdered glass and minerals applied to the blown or furnace worked glass surfaces often remind one more of ceramic glazes or metal patinas than the seductive, transparent look we normally associate with blown glass. Sometimes one has the feeling that a Morris animal sculpture or urn has been freshly dug from an archeological site!

William Morris is both a master glassblower and a provocative and visionary artist who challenges us and touches our primal souls. His works can be found in major museums throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

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“Rattle” by William Morris

To view this piece, click here.

Following are our reasons for picking this piece:

JIM SCHANTZ, GALLERY CO-DIRECTOR:
“This new piece by William Morris captures the spiritual aura of Northwest Indian culture. In this work, based on a ceremonial rattle, we see Morris’s incredible range of technical mastery set within a tranquil range of color. It is certainly one of the finest examples of Morris’s sculpture that we have had in the gallery”

MARY CHILDS, GALLERY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
“The William Morris ‘Rattle’ is shamic and powerfully alive with mythological and spiritual reference. Exquisite painting and sculptural detail rival the original Native American rattles which inspired this beautiful series of William Morris.”

KENN HOLSTEN, GALLERY OWNER-DIRECTOR:
“The ‘Rattle’ piece by William Morris is an excellent example of his preoccupation with primitive culture and ritual. The upside down bird at the bottom with the smaller bird ‘bundle’ is delicate and subtle, in contrast with the bold and awe-inspiring face at the top of the rattle. I recently surprised myself when I moved this piece and discovered that it actually does rattle!”

To view this piece, click here.

NEW WEBSITE FEATURE: Check out the “New Works” feature on our website. We have just begun putting all recent additions to our inventory on this page, so that you can more easily see what’s new without reviewing the whole site. Within a few weeks there will be lots to see.

FALL HOURS: 11:00-5:00 7 DAYS A WEEK.

Through August 31: Summer Glass Invitational Exhibition with over 25 artists.

September-October: SOFA-CHICAGO: Holsten Galleries will present two one-person exhibitions of the installations and sculptures of Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra

November-December: Group show at gallery of New England Glass Artists: Stephen Weinberg, Sidney Hutter, Martin Rosol and Tom Patti.

January 8-13, 2004: ART PALM BEACH: One-person show of Lino Tagliapietra.

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At Holsten Galleries, we pride ourselves in the personalized service we offer collectors around the world. No matter what your level of expertise, we can provide you with whatever information you need to make informed choices.

The best way to work with us is to give us a call, please see the Contact Us page using the link above.

You can also email us at the Contact page using the link above.

We look forward to working with you.