Wausau, Wisconsin: Tiffany Studios leaded-glass lampshades and windows – some of the twentieth century’s most striking, iconic decorative objects – shine in an exhibition that opens at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum on Saturday, December 3.
Translucent flowers, gossamer dragonfly wings, landscapes, and domes of geometric patterns were created by masterfully selecting opalescent glass for its color, opacity, and texture. Assembling colored glass marked a bold departure from the centuries-old stained glass tradition of painting images on the surface of glass. The vast and varied glass palette and intricate designs became hallmarks of Tiffany Studios. “Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light” will be on view at the Woodson Art Museum December 3 through February 26, 2017.
Louis Comfort Tiffany – the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of luxury retailer Tiffany & Company – directed hundreds of Tiffany Studios artists and artisans who created an array of decorative art objects. Sheets of colored and textured glass were chosen, cut, and assembled to depict landscapes, figures, floral motifs, and geometric patterns. The use of opalescent glass and innovative fabrication techniques achieved impressionistic effects in Tiffany’s signature leaded-glass work.
The exhibition highlights the contributions of Tiffany Studios chemist Arthur J. Nash and leading designers Agnes Northrop, Frederick Wilson, and Clara Driscoll. The exhibition also includes an educational model illustrating how leaded-glass shades are fabricated and examples of Tiffany lamp forgeries to explore issues of authenticity and connoisseurship. “Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light,” was organized by The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens, New York.
An exhibition drawn from the Woodson Art Museum’s collection, “Victorian Art Glass Baskets,” will be on view concurrently and features a selection of glass baskets collected by Alice Richardson Yawkey, the mother of the Museum’s namesake, Leigh Yawkey Woodson. Blown-glass baskets were produced in the United States between 1880 and 1905 encompassing the Victorian era. During this dawn of the Industrial Revolution, an economic boom increased the demand for decorative tableware, and the flamboyant, fanciful designs of art glass suited the eclectic décor of late-Victorian-era homes.
Programs for all ages that explore themes from the “Tiffany Glass” and “Victorian Art Glass Baskets” exhibitions will be offered, including snow sculpture, gallery walks, workshops, and hands-on activities led by visiting artists.
Exhibition Insights
During Tiffany Glass Design & Legacy, Saturday, December 3, 1-2 p.m., the director of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass and exhibition curator Lindsy Parrott discusses the methods, artisans, and materials that made Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios American art icons.
Curator Jane Weinke will lead gallery walks through the Museum collection exhibitions “Enduring Beauty: Art Nouveau Glass” and “Victorian Art Glass Baskets” and discuss the Museum’s glass collections during Art 101: Woodson Glass on Thursday, January 5, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, January 18, 12:15-1 p.m.
Stained-Glass Workshop
During a stained-glass workshop for teens and adults, beginners learn stained-glass basics and create a small panel using a selection of glass on Friday, January 6, 4-6 p.m., and Saturday, January 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Glass artist and instructor Judy Shumway, co-owner of The Glass Garden studio in Janesville, leads the two-part workshop. Fee: $50 for Museum members; $65 for nonmembers; Saturday lunch and materials provided. Call the Museum at 715-845-7010 to register.
New Dates for Snow Sculptors: Sat. & Sun, Jan. 28-29
Rain is snow fun for snow sculpture; because of the rain and warm temperatures in the forecast, note the following new dates. See snow sculptors in action on Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 28 & 29, 10 am-5 pm, at the Woodson Art Museum.
With a nod to “Tiffany Glass,” Team USA Snow Sculptors – Mike Martino, Tom Queoff, and Mike Sponholtz – carve an eight-foot-tall lamp from winter’s white stuff, representing their 27th snow sculpture at the Woodson Art Museum. See them at work on Saturday and Sunday, January 28-29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Stained-Glass Discussion
The owners of Wausau’s Woodland Glass Arts, Denis and Janine Daniels, discuss and demonstrate stained-glass materials, tools, and restoration during Art 101: Stained Glass, Thursday, February 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, February 15, 12:15-1 p.m.
For details about Woodson Art Museum programs for all ages through February 26, 2017, check the events calendar at www.lywam.org/events-calendar/ for a complete listing.
For more information, visit www.lywam.org, e-mail the Museum at museum@lywam.org, call 715-845-7010, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Woodson Art Museum
Hours:
Tues–Fri 9am–4pm
First Thurs each month 9am–7:30pm
Thurs during Birds in Art 9am–7:30pm
Sat–Sun Noon–5pm
Closed Mon & holidays, including New Year’s Day, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas
Admission: Always Free Admission
Phone: 715.845.7010
Email: museum@lywam.org
Location: Franklin and 12th Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403-5007
(700 N. Twelfth Street)
Online: www.lywam.org
