Glass-Artist Rebel Paul Marioni

Craft in America Center is proud to host an artist talk and screening with Paul Marioni, a ground-breaking glass artist and founding member of the American Studio Glass movement. His work is featured in our current exhibition, Seeing Into It: Messages in Glass, which is in its final month—closing June 28^th.

Marioni was a filmmaker before being swept away by glass as an artistic medium. His 1972 film, Hole, a pseudo-documentary about a man’s obsession with orifices, has won several awards. The release of Holes coincided with his discovery of studio glass, which for him marked a point of no return. He found the material could express his voice like no other. We will be screening his 20-minute film, shot in 16-millimeter, in conjunction with his talk.

Lickin', 2005, kinetic cast glass

Paul Marioni is known for his innovative approach to glass, pushing his techniques to their limits: his glass “rockers” defy the conception of glass as a fragile medium not to be toyed with. He excels not only technically in glass, but also uses it as a powerful conceptual platform: his enamel portraits and glass-blown sculptures have existential poignancy. Marioni has been a mainstay in the studio glass scene since the 1970s: he was asked by Dale Chilhuly to teach at Pilchuck Glass School in its second year, and also taught at the Penland School of Crafts, among other schools and programs internationally. His artwork can be found in the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, Corning Glass Museum, Oakland Art Museum, and the National Museum of American Art, among others.

Paul Marioni in his studio
Photo courtesy of urbanglass.org