Richard Marquis is the first Glass Studio Visiting Artist of 2014

NORFOLK, Va. – (May 29, 2014) – The Chrysler Museum Glass Studio welcomes Richard Marquis from June 5–8 as the first guest in its 2014 Visiting Artist Series.

In his four days at the Studio, the Seattle-area artist, a standout of Studio Glass Movement, will create new art in glass. Each day will feature a noon glass demonstration narrated by the Studio Team, and the public is welcome to watch Marquis at work on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2:30 to 5 p.m. On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the artist concludes his work at the Studio, then at 4 p.m. delivers an illustrated lecture on his 45-year career in glass. Admission to all of the events is free.

The Museum will feature a work of Marquis’ art on view in its recently expanded glass galleries. On display in Gallery 205, thanks to the generosity of anonymous local collectors, is his 2006 Net of Indra Marquiscarpa. The work is an amalgamated homage to traditional Venetian vessel form, murrini mastery, contemporary glass design, and the artist’s personal interest in Eastern philosophy and interconnectivity.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dick Marquis is a legend within the American Studio Glass Movement, and is known for his complex creativity and international influence. The Arizona native studied both ceramics and glass at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a B.A. in 1969 and an M.A. in 1972. In 1969, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year at the famed Venini Glass Factory in Murano, Italy. As one of the first Americans ever to work in a Venetian glass factory, he learned techniques and trade secrets that glass maestros had carefully guarded for centuries. In the decades to follow, Marquis taught and demonstrated these skills at glass programs across the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. As a result, international glassmakers’ regularly experimented and expanded their skills—redefining glass as a medium worthy of artistic endeavor.

Marquis’ work is characterized by the sophisticated use of color, creative forms, and technical mastery.  His artistic vision is often whimsical, ironic, and humorous, and his expert craftsmanship is meticulous.

In his 45-year career in glass, Marquis has had scores of solo exhibitions at galleries and museums around the world. His work is featured in many of the best private and public glass collections, including Corning Museum of Glass, Toledo Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Seattle Art Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum, London, among others. 

Marquis also has been honored with five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as numerous fellowships. Among his many accolades are recognition for Outstanding Achievement in Glass from UrbanGlass, Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Glass Art Society and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass; the Libenský Award from Pilchuck Glass School, and election to the College of Fellows of the American Craft Council.

ABOUT THE VISITING ARTIST SERIES
The Chrysler Museum opened its state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio in November 2011, and 2014 marks the third year that the Chrysler has brought world-class artists in the field of glass to Norfolk through its Visiting Artist Series. The program is designed to encourage glass education, as well as enthusiasm for the Museum’s rich collection of more than 10,000 glass art masterpieces.

In addition to Richard Marquis, glass masters scheduled to participate in the Studio’s 2014 series include Martin Janecky in August, and Nancy Callan and Katherine Gray in November.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM AND GLASS STUDIO
The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums with a world-class collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The new Chrysler reopened in May 2014 after a transformative expansion, renovation, and collection reinterpretation. The Chrysler Museum Glass Studio, which opened in November 2011, is located at 745 Duke Street, directly across the street from the Museum. The Glass Studio brings the Museum collection to life through free noon glass demonstrations, innovative performances, and educational programs for the public. Classes and workshops at the state-of-the-art facility accommodate both aspiring and master artists working in a variety of glassmaking processes.

Both the Museum and the Glass Studio are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information on events and programs, visit www.chrysler.org or call (757) 664-6200.

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