Pratt Manhattan Gallery will present a panel discussion titled “Glass, Light, and Public Space,” in conjunction with the current Pratt Manhattan Gallery exhibition “Bright Future: New Designs in Glass,” on Thursday, April 5 at 6 PM in Lecture Hall 213 on Pratt's Manhattan campus at 144 West 14th Street, second floor.
The panel, featuring “Bright Future” guest-curator Sarah Archer, chief curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance; designer James Carpenter; fine artist Bruce Munro; and glass artist and Pratt alumnus Tom Patti will discuss the continued vitality and versatility of glass as a medium in technology, design, and architecture. William Menking, professor of architecture at Pratt Institute and founder of The Architect's Newspaper, will moderate the panel. The discussion and exhibition are free and open to the public.
“Bright Future,” on view at Pratt Manhattan Gallery now through May 5, 2012, features furniture, tableware, architectural elements, and lighting designs by American and international artists and firms that explore issues of sustainability, the manipulation of light, and the contrast of ancient and modern influences in contemporary glass. The signature qualities of glass–its flexibility, clarity, complex cultural history, and ability to magnify and direct light–are all at play in the works exhibited.
“Bright Future” is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the development of studio art glass in America. To celebrate this milestone and recognize the many talented glass artists in this country, more than 160 glass demonstrations, lectures, and exhibitions will take place in museums, galleries, art centers, universities, organizations, festivals, and other venues across the United States throughout 2012.
About the panelists:
Before becoming chief curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Sarah Archer was director of Greenwich House Pottery and curatorial assistant at the Museum of Arts and Design. Her writing has appeared in the Journal of Modern Craft, American Craft, Artnet, Ceramics: Art and Perception, Hand/Eye, Modern Magazine, and The Huffington Post. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Swarthmore College and a master of arts degree from the Bard Graduate Center.
James Carpenter is a pioneer in discovering and designing architectural applications for glass. He has worked on the development of new glass materials including photo-responsive glasses and various glass ceramics, with research projects aimed at potential architectural applications that utilize the unique technical capabilities of these glasses to control and manipulate light and information. He is founder of James Carpenter Design Associates, a firm that specializes in finding and implementing architectural uses of glass, steel, wood, and composites. One of the firm's more recent projects includes the redevelopment of the McKim, Mead & White's Farley Post Office as the new Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan (to be renamed Moynihan station, renderings on display at Pratt Manhattan Gallery). Carpenter has been recognized with numerous awards including the National Environmental Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution, the American Institute of Architects Honor Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Carpenter studied architecture and sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972.
Bruce Munro is a fine artist who is renowned for his adventurous sculptural light works and installation art. Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia will celebrate his work this June with a one-man show including five large exterior installations, three interior installations, and an exhibition of his work. He has produced work commercially for clients such as The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, ZSL London Zoo, The Royal Society, Liberty & Co, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. His work was included in the Guggenheim Museum's “Contemplating the Void” exhibition, in Pirelli Garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the museum's “Brilliant” exhibition, and with Harvey Nichols during London Fashion Week. Munro has a bachelor of arts degree from Bristol Polytechnic and lives and works in Wiltshire.
Pratt industrial design alumnus Tom Patti (B.I.D. '67 and M.I.D. '69) is considered one of the most highly regarded artists working with glass. His art reveals itself in transparent cross-sections that encapsulate veils and patterns within the borders of simple, sophisticated forms. An artist, designer, and materials scientist, Patti has received numerous awards for his sculptural objects and his collaborations with architects on projects using high performance glass and plastics. He has been a technical consultant on glass design for Corning Incorporated, Owens Corning, PPG, Solutia, and IBA. Published and exhibited throughout the world, his work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, both in New York; The National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; and the Louvre Museum in Paris.
About the moderator:
William Menking is an architectural historian, writer, critic, and curator of architecture and urbanism, as well as founder and editor of The Architect's Newspaper and A|N Book Review. Currently professor of architecture, urbanism, and city planning at Pratt Institute, Menking has lectured and taught at schools in both the United States and Europe. He has also been published in numerous architectural publications, anthologies, and museum catalogs, and has curated international exhibitions on the visionary British architecture firm Archigram, the Italian radical architects at Superstudio, and on contemporary English design. Menking has participated in various juries including the 2006 and 2008 New York City AIA New Practices, 2007 and 2008 San Francisco AIA Honor Awards, and the 2007 Lumen Awards for lighting.
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“Bright Future: New Designs in Glass”
February 10-May 5, 2012
Pratt Manhattan Gallery
144 West 14th Street, Second Floor
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 AM-6 PM
Clockwise from Left: Installation shot of “Bright Future: New Designs in Glass;” Moynihan station Winning Scheme (rendering) by James Carpenter Design Associates; Whizz-Pop Chandelier by Bruce Munro; and Z Table by Tom Patti (B.I.D. '67 and M.I.D. '69). Photo credits Clockwise from Left: Aram Jibilian; Jock Pottle; Courtesy Bruce Munro; and Paul Rocheleau.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu
ON SITE MEDIA CONTACT:
Nick Battis at 212-647-7778 or nbattis@pratt.edu