Glass Art Magazine

48 • Glass Art TM • May/June 2016 http://www.GlassArtMagazine.com

Glass Talk

by The Staff of The Corning Museum of Glass

O

n January 26, 2016, The Corning Museum of Glass and Corn-

ing Incorporated announced the selection of Toots Zynsky as

the first of two Specialty Glass Artists in Residence for 2016. The

program is a joint effort between The Corning Museum of Glass

and Corning Incorporated that supports artists in exploring the use

of specialty glass materials to inform their body of work. Zynsky

is the third artist to take part in the residency, which is by invitation

only. The first selected artist was American sculptor Albert Paley,

best known for his large-scale works in metal, and the second was

glass artist Tom Patti, known for his small-scale sculptural glass-

works and large-scale public commissions.

“Through the Specialty Glass Residency, artists, designers, and

scientists are able to push the boundaries of glass as a medium,

challenging and manipulating it in new ways, ultimately leading

to a better understanding of this endlessly versatile material,” said

Karol Wight, president and executive director of The Corning Mu-

seum of Glass. “As a pioneer of the Studio Glass movement, The

life’s work of Toots Zynsky has revolved around experimentation

and discovery.”

“Toots Zynsky’s vision of innovation through art will be a

great addition to our Research Center at Sullivan Park,” said Dr.

David Morse, executive vice president and chief technology officer

for Corning Incorporated. “Utilizing her creativity, diversity, and

global experience as an artist, it will be exciting to see what kind

of pieces she can create.”

An Overview of Zynsky’s Career as Artist

Zynsky, who has worked with glass since her time at the Rhode

Island School of Design (RISD) in the early 1970s, has gained wide-

spread popularity and acclaim for her intricate filet de verre vessels

and was the 2015 recipient of the Smithsonian Institution’s Visionary

Award. She has always been inspired by music, which for her trans-

lates into color. As such, her vessels are unique explorations of color

that defy categorization and weave together traditions of painting,

sculpture, and decorative arts. Her career has been spent focusing on

the study and manipulation of colored glass through the vehicle of

these distinctive, undulating forms. Continually evolving, her work

is a formal exploration in color and composition that has no end.

Specialty Glass Artist in Residence at

The Corning Museum of Glass

Toots Zynsky

Toots Zynsky, Maestrale (North Wind), Providence,

Rhode Island, 2005. Gift of the Ben W. Heineman Sr.

family, 2007.4.205.