TMA Glass Pavilion hosts guest artist Mark Matthews

Internationally known independent glass artist Mark Matthews will be a special guest artist July 17-19, 2009, at the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion. In addition to a glassblowing workshop, the artist will give a public presentation.

Matthews’ works are part of the permanent collections of the Toledo Museum of Art, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., among others.

He was introduced to working with molten glass while an undergraduate student at Kent State University. After earning a master of fine arts degree from Ohio University, he started working full time in glass, concentrating on spheres in 1985. 

Today he is artist-in-residence at the Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio, and internationally recognized for his mastery of the marble.

Says Matthews, “For me, the marble is a device that unifies my radically diverse explorations in glass.”

The glass artist utilizes both modern and ancient techniques to create everything from traditional swirls and lutzes to realistic interpretations of animal pelts.

His slide presentation at the Glass Pavilion will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 17. Those attending will be able to watch him work that evening from 7-10 p.m. at the Glass Pavilion’s Hot Shop.

Weekend visitors to the Museum will be able to see Matthews at work at 2 p.m. Saturday,

July 18, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19 in the Glass Pavilion Hot Shop.

Admission is free.

For information on the juried weekend workshop with Matthews, in which students will learn principles to guide them through any complicated color developments in their work, contact Jeff Mack, the Museum’s glass studio manager, at [email protected]. The registration deadline for the workshop is June 26.