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NEWS RELEASE Media contact:
Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director
Maryhill Museum of Art Features Work of Celebrated
Glass Artist William Morris
Native Species on View June 12-September 6, 2010
(Goldendale, Washington, March 8, 2010) – Internationally celebrated glass artist William Morris has created an original and fully realized world in Native Species, an engaging exhibition that fuses hot glass and regional landscape. Included in William Morris: Native Species are 38 glass vessels inspired by the flora and fauna of three Pacific Northwest microclimates: the Steens Mountain region and the Sisters area, both in Oregon, and the Cascade Mountains north of Seattle. The series, created in 2004, is the result of a collaboration between Morris and Portland arts patron George R. Stroemple, to whose collection the vessels now belong.
William Morris: Native Species will be on view at Maryhill Museum of Art June 12 – September 6, 2010; an exhibition opening with talks by George R. Stroemple Collection Curator Linda Tesner, and glass critic William Warmus will take place Saturday, June 12, 2010.
In connection with the exhibition, the Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop will be on-site at Maryhill June 12-18, with glassblowing demonstrations daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
The genesis of Native Species began in 1991, when William Morris and George Stroemple forged an enduring friendship, built on mutual interests that included a deep respect and love of nature, motorcycles and contemporary glass. They traveled and spent time together at Stroemple’s ranches near Steens Mountain in southwestern Oregon, and Sisters in Central Oregon. In 2004 Stroemple commissioned Morris to create the Native Species series, based on natural history specimens found near his ranches and in the Cascades north of Seattle, where Morris lives.
In conceptualizing the works, Stroemple encouraged Morris to study the work of 19th-century Art Nouveau glassmakers such as Emile Gallé, Antonin Daum, René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, as well as Japanese Meiji-era ceramics, both of which drew inspiration from and explicitly reference the natural world. Morris’ task was to fuse these sensibilities with a 20th-century technique and perspective.
The resulting collection includes 38 vessels that reflect three diverse and vital Northwest ecosystems. The vessels are adorned with all manner of flora and fauna, ranging from cedar boughs, oak and maple leaves falling in autumn, pine needles and cones, to seedpods, dragonflies, beetles, centipedes, lizards, quail and squirrels. The commission was a true collaboration; Stroemple collected many specimens from around his properties, storing them in shoeboxes which were then mailed on to Morris.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
William Morris was born in Carmel, California, in 1957. He studied at ceramics at California State University at Chico and, in the 1970s, became active in the studio glass movement, studying at a new glass school in the Pilchuck woods outside of Stanwood, Washington. There he met and became friends with many of the artists responsible for bringing studio glass to the fore of contemporary art, among them Dale Chihuly. In the early 1980s, Morris served as Chihuly’s chief gaffer, or master glass blower.
Morris has received international acclaim for the extraordinary technical skill and high level of craftsmanship that he brings to his work. He is known for creating powerful sculptures and installations that explore the human experience. Morris’ work draws on his passion for wilderness experiences, ranging from scaling rocky precipices to spear hunting fish and stalking large game with bow and arrow, all of which have taken him to remote areas of the world. Morris recently retired from working in glass.
RELATED PROGRAMS:
SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2010
Summer Fun at Maryhill
A fun-filled day at the museum awaits the whole family as we open the exhibition William Morris: Native Species with glass blowing, lectures, a gallery walk, and more.
Family Fun: Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Experience the excitement of a fully-equipped glass blowing studio from the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. Highly skilled artists will be on site to for glassblowing demonstrations as visitors ask questions about the art and science of blowing glass. On Family Fun days children under 17 are admitted to the museum free all day with one paid adult museum admission. Sponsored by the Walter Bailey Foundation.
Gallery Walk | 2 p.m.
Linda Tesner, curator of the George R. Stroemple Collection, leads a tour of the exhibition William Morris: Native Species.
Lecture: Treasures in Glass at Maryhill Museum: Gallé to Morris | 3 p.m.
Join William Warmus, former curator at the Corning Museum of Glass and editor of Glass magazine, for an enlightening talk on the glass artist Emile Gallé, a major figure in the French Art Nouveau movement and whose work is featured in Maryhill’s collections. Warmus contributed an essay for the catalogue that accompanies the exhibition William Morris: Native Species.
Opening Reception | 4 p.m.
Enjoy refreshments and celebrate the opening of the exhibition William Morris: Native Species.
SATURDAY, JUNE 12 – FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010
Museum of Glass, Mobile Hot Shop | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Offering both education and entertainment, the Mobile Hot Shop from Tacoma’s Museum of Glass will delight visitors of all ages with interactive glassblowing demonstrations. Watch the right-before-your-very-eyes creative process and ask questions about the art and science of glassmaking. Sponsored by the Walter Bailey Foundation.
SATURDAY, SEPETEMBER 4, 2010
Columbia Gorge Glass Artists Studio Tour | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit the White Salmon Glassworks, the studio of glass artist Peter McGrain, Andy Nichols Studio and other glass artists of the Columbia River Gorge. See glassblowing demonstrations and talk with artists. Transportation and lunch included. Cost: $75 members of Maryhill Museum of Art / $95 non-members. Reservations required. Call 509-773-3733.
Click here for a full list of events and programs during Maryhill's 70th Anniversary Season.
ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:
Opened to the public May 13, 1940, Maryhill Museum of Art celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2010. Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Today Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden features work by Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Alisa Looney, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries are available at Café Maryhill; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.
Image Above: Glass vessels featured in William Morris: Native Species. Photo by Robert Vinnedge.
High-resolution for use by the media are available for immediate download here.
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| Maryhill
Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive | Goldendale,
WA 98620 | 509-773-3733 |
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