Suspended Artifact

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Suspended Artifact

Artist William Morris (American, born 1957)

Date1994

Dimensions21 1/4 x 19 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (54 x 49.5 x 20.6 cm)

MediumGlass, blown, glass powders, scavo technique, acid-etched; steel

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1995.12A-D

Not on View

Label TextTo produce the fossilized effect of the two tusk-like blown-glass forms of this sculpture, William Morris first dipped the hot blown glass in cold water and then filled the resulting cracks with opaque colored glass powder and the chemical scavo. After annealing (slowly cooling) the forms, he coated the surfaces with acid, resulting in an overall veined pattern. Morris has described his Suspended Artifact series as an exploration of “the abstract relationship between objects to find a harmonious balance of color, texture, and composition…. The intentional association of one object to another is not meant to provoke a literal interpretation but rather a subtle recognition of the underlying motifs of ritual and ceremony.”Exhibition HistoryPontiac, Michigan, Habatat Galleries, The 23rd Annual International Glass Invitational, 1994, pp. 48, 49, repr. p. 48.Comparative ReferencesSee also Geldzahler, Henry, Patterson Sims, and Narcissus Quagliata, William Morris Glass: Artifacts and Art, 1989. Cf. Biskeborn, Susan, Artists at Work: Twenty-five Northwest Glassmakers, Ceramists, and Jewelers, Seattle and Anchorage, 1990, pp. 34-38. Cf. Failing, Patricia, "William Morris: Glass Remains," AMERICAN CRAFT, vol. 53, Feb/Mar 1993, pp. 48-51. Cf. Netzler, Sylvia, "William Morris," NEUES GLAS, no. 3, 1993, pp. 10-21. Cf. Blonston, Gary, "Through a Glass, Artfully" ART & ANTIQUES, vol. 15, December, 1993, pp. 58-63. Cf. Kangas, Matthew, "Paleoglass," GLASS, no. 55, Spring 1994, pp. 20-27.