Admirers of art glass have reason for excitement this summer.
Michigan City's Lubeznik Center for the Arts will join venues across the country in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the studio art glass movement with exhibitions and experiences showcasing the unique, and often luminous, medium.
Among Lubeznik Center's offerings is a rare opportunity to tour a private collection that includes works by easily recognized names like Lino Tagliapietra and Dale Chihuly, alongside an impressive list of internationally known glass artists.
Mark and Donna Richter began collecting both glass and turned wood at regional art fairs more than 30 years ago. Mark estimates that their glass collecting became "serious" in 2005 with the purchase of their first Sidney Hutter piece. They've been adding to it ever since.
In 2007, they remodeled their South Bend, Indiana home – in part to more properly display their growing collection. "We have tried to incorporate our collection into our home as part of our lives," says Mark, "As a result, our pieces are not viewed as museum objects in a house, but rather as characters in our day to day living that came from somewhere, and in many cases, reminders of artists, galleries, and places we have come to know."
This unique tour, led by Michael J. Hofer of Chicago's Echt Gallery, will be preceded by a film and champagne reception in WNIT Public Television's recently renovated (and conveniently located) Public Media Center. A limited number of tickets will be available.
Echt Gallery, along with Ken Saunders Gallery and collector Bonnie Marx (all of Chicago) began working with Lubeznik Center in 2011 to assemble their exhibition, Light & Flow: 50 Year Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement. Sponsored by Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Midwest Contemporary Glass Art Group and Bonnie Marx, the exhibition will run from May 26 through August 26, 2012. A public opening reception will be held on June 1, from 5–8 p.m. at Lubeznik Center for the Arts.
For more information about the exhibition, tour, or associated programs visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or phone (219)874-4900.
Photo: From the Richter collection, Lino Tagliapietra, Dinosaur Photo Credit: Russell Johnson