In March 1962, visionary artist Harvey Littleton held a seminar at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, to prove that glass could be used as a material for individual artistic expression. He debuted a breakthrough design for a small glass furnace that effectively liberated the material from the factory and unleashed new possibilities for sculpture. Fifty years later to the day, as part of a commemorative artist residency, a similar glass furnace has been reconstructed brick by brick at the Toledo Museum of Art by three selected artists, all of whom directly experiment with the material in ways that engage the larger contemporary art dialogue. Here we present some photos from the first experiments of the three resident artists. Matthew Szosz (MFA, RISD), Kimberly Harty (MFA, Art Institute of Chicago, expected 2013), and Amber Cowan (MFA, Tyler School of Art), all delve into the material properties of glass.  

At 10 AM Friday, March 23rd, 2012, the three Toledo Workshop Revisted artist residents (pictured L to R standing on the unbuilt furnace's metal base: Amber Cowan, Matthew Szosz, and Kimberly Harty) set to work rebuilding by hand a furnace modeled after the one used by Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino for the Toledo Workshop 50 years ago to the day. Project consultant and Toledo-area artist Jack Schmidt surprised the crew with a donation of a dozen 40-year-old furnace bricks that had been given to him by Fritz Dreisbach in 1972 but were never used. These would become the bed of the tank. The residents worked from plans developed by Jack and Glass Pavilion studio manager Jeff Mack, who, together with Robert M. Minkoff Foundation director Andrew Page, conceived of the project. A few wrinkles needed to be worked out -- a dent in the steel plate had to be hammered out, a gap between the bricks and the frame was filled with milled two-by-fours, and bricks were cut to fit -- but little by little, the furnace rose in height as course after course of brick was stacked. By evening, it was ready for lighting. The Toledo Museum of Art facilities staff triple-checked the propane lines and redundant safety features on the air and fuel mixer (one of the few concessions to 2012 technology). By 7:30 PM, the brick structure was lit with orange flame as it heated all night in preparation for being charged Saturday morning.

Dan Schwoerer, the owner of Bullseye Glass and a former student of Harvey Littleton, visited the residency with his wife, Lani McGregor, and they were on hand most of the afternoon, offering advice and technical analysis of the Johns Manville #475 marbles that would be melted here in homage to the original workshop. Robert Minkoff, managing trustee of the nonprofit foundation that bears his name and is co-sponsoring the event, was also present and offered his expertise in engineering. In the morning, Toledo Museum of Art curator of glass and decorative art Jutta Page took the residents on a tour of the new exhibit area of the Glass Pavilion before the day's events got underway. As the furnace was completed, museum-goers observed and asked questions of the residents and staff. Stay tuned for further updates as the project continues ...

Three artists (pictured L to R: Kim Harty, Matthew Szosz, and Amber Cowan) have been chosen to participate in the Toledo Workshop Revisited artist residency that will take place at the Toledo Museum of Art from March 22nd through March 31st. The project is being co-sponsored by the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation and the Toledo Museum of Art. A panel made up of Jutta-Annette Page, curator of glass and decorative arts at the Toledo Museum of Art; Jeff Mack, director of the glass studio at the museum's Glass Pavilion; and Andrew Page, director of the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation, chose from nine proposals submitted by invited artists. For more on each artist and their proposal, please see the "The Resident Artists" section of the Website.

Dates of Residency: March 22 - March 31, 2012
Public Events: The invited residents will deliver a lecture about each of their projects during a special commemorative event honoring the 50th anniversary of Studio Glass on Friday, March 30th from 6:30 - 8 PM. From March 27th - 30th, the public can view the residents at work during regular museum hours (12 - 4 PM) in the Glass Pavilion. In addition, artists will participate in interviews and other documentary efforts.
Admission: The Toledo Museum of Art is free to visitors.