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Glass Art: From Murano to Dale Chihuly With Dr. Jennie Hirsh

Glass Art: From Murano to Dale Chihuly With Dr. Jennie Hirsh


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

This seminar will look at the history of glass art, focusing on the lineage of longstanding production houses on Murano Island in Venice through an international group of star practitioners based across the globe.
Glass production in Venice dates back to the medieval period when artisan glassmakers were required to move to the island of Murano, thus creating a unique community of craftspeople still active today. This seminar will trace the long history of glassmaking in Venice, emphasizing artisans of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will review key terms specific to the trade, such as Aventurine glass, filigrano, caning, and different types of beads (like murrine and millefiori), as we survey the various techniques engaged for different styles and objects, including chandeliers, vases, jewelry, and other sculptural as well as functional items.
Moreover, we will explore several of the key fornaci or glass workshops–such as Venini, Cenadese, Seguso, and Carlo Moretti–with a view toward how key designers from across the globe, from Carlo Scarpa and Tapio Wirkkala to Ettore Sottsass and Dale Chihuly, have been commissioned to create new iconic designs. Finally, we will visit virtually some of the best sites in Venice for exhibitions of glass today, such as the Cini Foundation on San Giorgio Maggiore, as well as the Glass Stress exhibitions since 2011.
Led by an expert on modern and contemporary art, architecture, and design, Jennie Hirsh, this interactive seminar will provide an introduction to as well as an in-depth consideration of key examples of glass art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased appreciation for glass art and its rich history of creation and exhibition in Venice, Italy, and beyond.

Eager to learn more about Glass Art with Dr. Hirsh? We invite you to explore her upcoming seminar, Celebrating the International Year of Glass in 2022.

Jennie Hirsh (Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College) is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton and Columbia Universities, as well as pre-doctoral fellowships from the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Wolfsonian FIU. Hirsh has authored essays on artists including Giorgio de Chirico, Giorgio Morandi, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Yinka Shonibare, and Regina Silveira, and is co-editor, with Isabelle Wallace, of Contemporary Art and Classical Myth (Ashgate 2011).

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 75 reviews
87%
(65)
9%
(7)
3%
(2)
1%
(1)
0%
(0)
M
MK (Pittsboro, US)
Another excellent class

Dr.Hirsh again provided a well planned, informative and engaging class. Her range of expertise is impressive and enthusiasm is contagious. Highly recommend her as an instructor.

L
Lyle McClellan (Mead, US)
Interesting course

Very interesting course. Amazing the variety of methods of producing glass. Also loved the history and background. Nice job!

M
Melinda (Timonium, US)
Packed with information

When it comes to Venetian glass, Dr Hirsh is a wealth of information. This comprehensive overview of Murano glass history and secret techniques left me wanting more. I am registered for more of Dr Hirsh’s classes and highly recommend them.

E
Elizabeth (Alexandria, US)
Fabulous

Dr. Jennie Hirsh's class on Glass Art is a must. It is part guided tour of Venice and part lesson on the evolution of glass making. She is knowledgeable, entertaining, and engaging. Loved this class.

V
Vanessa Cieslak (Washington, US)
Beautiful Venetian Glass

This is a very informative class and Dr. Hirsh provides a very good introduction to Venetian glass. If you love glass and plan to visit Venice to see glass this class is a good way to start.

Customer Reviews

Based on 75 reviews
87%
(65)
9%
(7)
3%
(2)
1%
(1)
0%
(0)
M
MK (Pittsboro, US)
Another excellent class

Dr.Hirsh again provided a well planned, informative and engaging class. Her range of expertise is impressive and enthusiasm is contagious. Highly recommend her as an instructor.

L
Lyle McClellan (Mead, US)
Interesting course

Very interesting course. Amazing the variety of methods of producing glass. Also loved the history and background. Nice job!

M
Melinda (Timonium, US)
Packed with information

When it comes to Venetian glass, Dr Hirsh is a wealth of information. This comprehensive overview of Murano glass history and secret techniques left me wanting more. I am registered for more of Dr Hirsh’s classes and highly recommend them.

E
Elizabeth (Alexandria, US)
Fabulous

Dr. Jennie Hirsh's class on Glass Art is a must. It is part guided tour of Venice and part lesson on the evolution of glass making. She is knowledgeable, entertaining, and engaging. Loved this class.

V
Vanessa Cieslak (Washington, US)
Beautiful Venetian Glass

This is a very informative class and Dr. Hirsh provides a very good introduction to Venetian glass. If you love glass and plan to visit Venice to see glass this class is a good way to start.