A Big Anniversary

    It was exactly one year ago, I was finishing and sending in my application for the Kohler/Corning Residency.  This is an amazing residency sponsored by Kohler (yes the faucet, sink & toilet manufacturer) and the Corning Museum of Glass.  For me, it was a pivotal moment, being the first residency I have ever applied for.  I found that there was a state of mind I needed to get myself into in order to finish the application.  I worked on it for a couple of months, finishing work, taking photographs, and figuring out how to express ideas that I have been mulling over for years into a very short proposal.  I had to completely believe that I was going to be awarded the residency, and wrap my head around what that actually meant.  It meant that I would be leaving Philadelphia, to begin a new chapter of my life.  I would be completely devoting myself to the pursuit of my artwork.  I would be going out on a limb, opening up for others to see. I could be amazing, or fail spectacularly.  I delivered it to the Post Office about 10 minutes until close on the postmark deadline of April 1.  Not that I didn't have enough time to get everything done, it was that I had convinced myself that I was committed to the fact that everything was going to change if I sent the application in.
    Here's the cover letter to the proposal:

I have had my own studio for 11 years, which has allowed me to concentrate on sculpture in a variety of materials.  I have also worked as a project manager/consultant in the creative construction industry.  At the Kohler/Corning Residency Program, I would like to marry these two skill sets to work on a large scale with a team of skilled artisans. I am comfortable working within the dynamics of a studio that has many projects happening simultaneously. As a glass blower and a project manager, I have experience with the give and take that occurs in these situations and believe it strengthens the relationships between the participants, while adding energy to the work.

I have been exploring the idea of sculpture consisting of a vocabulary of symbolic, modular shapes and elements for several years. These elements become symbols that have individual meaning and when put together create new meanings in their relationship to each other, the space and viewer. I see large scale installations that relay the essence of a story, constructed of modular components made of metal, glass, wood, and ceramic. 

    The Proposal:


    I will develop a series of modular pieces of sculpture which will have the potential to be assembled in many different ways.  A vocabulary of shapes, sizes, textures and colors will be created representing individuals, events, and how they relate to and affect each other.  I want to create an experience for viewers that will evoke feelings and emotional responses to this abstract language. I see these forms manifesting as room sized fixed installations, as well as being presented as “kits” for others to assemble using their own vision or expression, thus creating a living language in three-dimension. 

Time line:

Month 1 – Planning, drawing, creating mock-ups, understanding studio logistics and installation spaces

Month 2 – Continue with drawings, mock-ups, begin making models and prototypes

Month 3 – Using a variety of materials, create blow molds and glass manipulation tools

Month 4 - Time at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass to make pieces using these molds and tools in the hot shop, and any cold working that is necessary.

Month 5 – Return to Kohler Arts Center, assess the stock. Plan installations and design non-glass elements

Month 6 – Create non-glass components

Month 7 – Final constructions and site installation.

Here is a link to the photos of the work.

    I thought it was pretty good.  The big thing was that I actually followed through with the application. No more just talking about what I was going to do someday, time to start doing it.  Once that piece was in the mail, things changed for me.  I spent a couple of weeks at my brother's place on the Potomac River, house sitting & trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself.  It was during this time that the seeds for what I am up to now were planted.