Making Ideas: Harry Allen

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Mandy Kritzeck

This past summer, we invited designers featured in Making Ideas: Experiments in Design at GlassLab to come to the Museum for public design performances. Industrial designer Harry Allen’s work includes a line of products cast from real life, including a piggy bank and roller skate. He explored casting glass in antique waffle irons at the Museum last year, and came to his GlassLab sessions with fresh ideas to try.

Allen has worked with GlassLab previously at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and Design Miami in 2008. At the Glass Art Society Conference in Toledo, Ohio, in June, Allen and a full team of glassblowers explored new ideas including three-part vases, stacking rocket ship containers, exploding bowls, a fern coil vase, and narrow standing circular vases. Allen also continued his design of blown glass bowls with the molded imprint of the designer’s hands.

Hot glass is blown onto a mold of the designer’s hands to create a bowl at GlassLab at the Glass Pavilion in Toledo, June 2012.

In August, Allen returned to the Museum for his fifth GlassLab design session, a collaboration with Chris Hacker, chief design officer for Johnson & Johnson.

Chris Hacker and Harry Allen at GlassLab in Corning, NY, August 21-22, 2012.

“I’m excited to be here,” said Hacker, “Harry and I have worked together for most of our careers, although we’ve never collaborated quite in this way.” The designers explored making color bands and texture bands that were joined together to form cylindrical vases.

Prototypes and design drawings by Harry Allen and Chris Hacker for their GlassLab design session.

Allen and Hacker also created a series of vessels using blocks molded with the texture of carpet squares. These objects were included in a charity auction to support the Design Industry Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA).

Currently, Allen is working with the Museum on the exhibition design for Life on a String: 35 Centuries of the Glass Bead, opening in May 2012. Before then, be sure to check out his design prototypes on view in Making Ideas: Experiments in Design at GlassLab at the Museum through January 6, 2013.

More images from this summer’s design performances, as well as designer bios, process videos, design drawings, prototypes and more are available on the web-based GlassLab app at cmog.org/glasslab.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Guido Gerlitz

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

For his first time on the Roadshow stage, Bay Area artist Guido Gerlitz demonstrated sculpting a femur bone. Noting its symbolism of strength, power and rejuvenation, he was interested in working with the form of the object in glass. Guido was assisted by his studio partner Luca Rattazzi and Theron Hanks, a twelve year-old rising star who has been a student of Guido’s.

Rob Swidergal and Guido Gerlitz

See more photos from GAS in Seattle: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjv39EuW

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Jim Mongrain

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

Jim Mongrain demonstrates a variety of Venetian goblet techniques using the help of assistants Sarah Gilbert, Nick Fruin, Jason Christian, and twelve year-old Theron Hanks. He prefers focusing on showing the technical side of the Italian technique. “I’ve always enjoyed making [them], and it’s always challenging as well.”

Twelve year-old Theron Hanks assists Jim Mongrain at the Hot Glass Roadshow.

GAS Seattle

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Keke Cribbs and Ross Richmond

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

In a method she calls “hot printing,” Keke Cribbs brings her background in print to this collaboration with sculptor Ross Richmond. Keke drew a pattern in colored fine glass powder while Ross began working the glass. Ross then carefully rolled the hot glass over the design, blending the two artists’ work to create this vibrant piece.

Ross Richmond gaffs a Keke Cribbs design

Rik Allen with Keke Cribbs.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Rodman Miller

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

With a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and a Ph.D in Biology, you’d think that Rodman Miller would be conducting research as a university professor. Instead, Rodman prefers the hot shop. “Yes,” he says, “this is much more fun.” The great-grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Rodman left academia after taking a glass blowing course, but he still uses his background in microbiology – Rodman draws inspiration for his glass pieces from the shapes that he used to see under a microscope.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Twisty Cup Competition

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

The challenge: to create a twisty, or “twisty inspired” cup in 10 minutes. Joe Miller from M-Space explains how creativity and performance are judged at the annual competition, now in its 8^th year.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Alex Stisser

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

Growing up on a farm in Illinois was what led Alex Stisser to begin working with glass. “I think I’m drawn to working with your hands…always having to work on something.” At the Roadshow, Alex transformed the concept of the classic Airstream into what he calls “retro camper” sculptures.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Mark Zirpel

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

Never afraid to experiment with glass, Mark Zirpel took to the Hot Glass Roadshow stage where he performed a series of pieces including blowing glass horns to play a “humpback whale duet” and exploring the reactive forces of glass, steam and pressure in a piece about pleasure. His gallery work often blends science and art, so it’s no surprise that Mark tries out new techniques in the Hotshop like a scientist in the lab.

Ryan Doolittle caught this shot during the show:

Mark Zirpel utilizes an unorthodox method to squirt water onto the jackline

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle – Jen Elek

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

For South Seattle artist Jen Elek, “People, the relationships we have with one another, and the places we occupy, inspire my work. Making art acts as a translator, helping me process messages presented by modern media. My personal interpretation of American culture is the basis for my artwork.” In this piece, Butchigiri 2011 CMoG Roadshow, Jen draws on a method learned from gaffer Bryan Rubino to create a colorful grape inspired sculpture.

2011 Hot Glass Roadshow: Glass Art Society, Seattle

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Mandy Kritzeck

The Hot Glass Roadshow is a mobile studio that allows artists to blow glass in virtually any environment anywhere in the world. We brought the Roadshow to this year’s Glass Art Society Conference in Seattle, WA, where we had the opportunity to work with amazing artists.

To make all this happen, the team had to work out the logistics of setting up the Roadshow in the Seattle Convention Center. John Cowden helped set up the stage:

“This is the truck maneuvering in the Seattle Convention Center where the Glass Art Society Conference took place. This room is on the fourth floor. The truck drove up through the curving ramp up four floors. The Convention Center is on both sides of Pike Street and the truck drove over a bridge in the Convention Center from one side of the street to the other. We made it out with just one flat tire!”

The truck arrives

Ready for action

Corning Museum of Glass

Behind the Glass

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