Judy Hill, Sour Grapes, 1994. Kiln-cast glass, raku ceramic. H 22 1/2, W 7 1/2, D 4 1/2 in. photo: harold wood
If you’ve been meaning to see the work of Judy Hill at the Seattle-area Bellevue Arts Museum, you can do so for free on September 26th. During the fifth annual Museum Day sponsored by Smithsonian magazine, the Bellevue and the Museum of Glass in nearby Tacoma (which has a major show of Preston Singletary’s work) are among the over 100 Smithsonian affiliate museums, including the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin, that will participate this year by opening their doors and forgoing admission costs to attendees who can present a Museum Day admission card (available for free online). The card will get two adults in for free.
“Judy Hill: The Self Transparent, From the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky,” puts one-quarter of the artist’s entire output on display, both her glass and ceramic statues as well as various works on paper. The exhibit opened this summer and remains at BAM until January 3, 2010.
Most of Portland, Oregon-based Hill’s work consists of figurines that combine the crackled surface of raku ceramic with the transparency of cast glass giving the sculptures an artifact-like quality. The highly autobiographical works, known for embodying common human feelings conveyed through frozen stares, honest stances, and genuine gestures, exude a psychological presence.
Bruce Metcalf, Figure Pin #140, 1997. Maple, copper, brass, sterling silver, 23k gold leaf. H 4 3/4, W 2 3/4 in. photo: john wilson white
Also at BAM, a mid-career retrospective of the work of outspoken craft philosopher Bruce Metcalf. Titled “The Miniature Worlds of Bruce Metcalf,” the exhibition runs through October 18, 2009. Metcalf, who has been creating work since the 1970s, is represented by over 70 of his pieces cataloging his journey and the progression of his work. As an unconventional artist, well-known jeweler, writer, and critic of contemporary craft, Metcalf angered some glass artists in attendance at his presentation at the 2009 Glass Art Society conference in Corning, New York when he urged them to stop thinking of themselves as artists and accept that they are making “decorative” work, something he classified his own work as.
With participating museums across the U.S. exhibiting everything from transportation history to fashion design, Museum Day is the perfect time to discover what’s on view at your local institution. If you happen to miss out on this year’s museum day, remember BAM offers free admission on the first Friday of the month.
—Simone Monet-Williams
