One of Samantha Scalise's whimsical bird forms on display at Vetri Glass in Tacoma.
Four young artists from the Hilltop Artists in Residence program, a glassblowing school that offers classes to at-risk youth, will have their gallery debut this weekend at a special exhibition at Vetri gallery in Tacoma, located practically next door to the Museum of Glass. Dexter Russaw, Samantha Scalise, Boaz Nichols, and David Pricee will exhibit their work in glass, which in the case of 18-year-old Scalise, includes exuberant bird sculptures that showcase the artist’s glassblowing skills.
According to a press release, the collaboration was undertaken in part to teach Hilltop students about the financial practicalities of being an artist, or finding ways to market oneself, in other words. Representatives from Vetri Glass met with students and former students, then asked them to submit a portfolio of work, “an intimidating process for artists at any stage in their career.” Four artists were chosen, and the result is this look at both what’s new and what’s to come in the Tacoma area.
L to R: Dexter Russaw, Vase and Coasters, 2009. Blown and hot-sculpted glass.; Boaz Nichols, Vase, 2009. Blown glass.; Samantha Scalise, Crazy Bird, 2009. Blown glass. ; David Price, Cane Bowl, 2009. Blown glass.
The exhibition will be on display until January 10th, 2010. For information about visiting the gallery, click here. For more on the Hilltop Artists in Residence and similar programs around the country, see this article that ran on the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet last October.
–Analisa Coats Bacall
IF YOU GO:
Hilltop Artists Vetri — Tacoma November 14th, 2009 – January 10th, 2010 (Opening reception: Saturday, November 14th, 4 – 7 PM) 1821 Dock St # 101Tacoma, WA 98402-3201
phone: (253) 383-3692
Thanks so much for the blog piece! It was a stunning event — Lino T. was one of the many incredible artists there…and he bought the work of one of the students…! A story that will be told to grandchildren….
We are having a huge sale of student work on December 12, at Jason Lee Middle School in Tacoma. Visit our web or facebook site…!
Again THANKS!!
It’s great to see this kind of support for at-risk-youth. Giving young prospective artists an education on the business side of things is a great thing to do.