The Counterman-Diner

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The Counterman-Diner

Artist Emily Brock (American, born 1945)

Date1991-1992

DimensionsOverall: 14 1/8 x 17 15/16 x 10 in. (35.9 x 45.6 x 25.4 cm)

MediumGlass, fused, slumped, lampworked; metal

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds given in memory of Judie Chatreau by friends and co-workers at Society Bank & Trust (now KeyBank) and with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1992.2

On View

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion (2444 Monroe Street), Glass Pavilion Gallery, 2

Label TextEmily Brock studied clothing and textiles at Oregon State University, but she found that as an artist “Translating my thoughts into glass seemed so logical and inviting.” For Counterman—Diner she recreated in minute detail a sleek, chrome, 1930s-era diner from her neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her choice of an early modern diner suggests nostalgia for a time when such streamlined structures declared optimism in the future. However, Brock’s diner resonates in its emptiness. The presence of the patrons is felt in details such as the newspaper, dropped napkin, and empty glass with straw. As Brock noted, “Upon entering the diner I was aware of all those who visited before.”Published ReferencesReich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2009, p. 61, repr. (col.).Exhibition HistoryFarmington Hills, Michigan, Habatat Galleries, Emily Brock: Personal Spaces, February, 1992.Comparative ReferencesSee also Clemons, Daniela, "Miniature Architectures from Emily Brock," Neues Glas, Fall, 1990, pp. 34-35. Cf. Keller, Martha, "Emily Brock," Glass, no. 44, Summer 1991, p. 51. Cf. World Glass Now '91, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan, pp. 28, 194.