Recasting Toledo

Artist Norwood Viviano (American, born 1972)

Place of OriginAmerica

Date2021

Dimensions13 3/4 × 13 3/4 × 5 1/2 in. (34.9 × 34.9 × 14 cm)

MediumKilncast glass, 3D printed pattern; vinyl wall decal

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineMuseum Art Fund

Object number

2021.15A-Q

Not on View

DescriptionComprised of 16 elements cast in Gaffer crystal (colorless) that are cut and acid-polished. Each element is based on Libbey glass tumbler decorated with the Hobstar pattern. The 16 tumblers are arranged in a 4x4 grid and have a 3D cast map of Toledo across the surface. A map of Toledo, Ohio printed on vinyl that combines data from aerial maps (1963) and Sanborn maps (1936-1951) is separate from the glass.

Label TextIn Recasting Toledo, Detroit native Norwood Viviano explores the intersections of geography, mapmaking (cartography), and history. The work comes from his Re-Cast Cities series in which he merges urban landscapes with symbols of the industry that have fueled their booms and busts. A Libbey Company drinking glass was a clear choice to represent Toledo, the Glass City. Libbey is the oldest of five glass-related companies located in the Toledo area that also include Owens-Illinois, Owens-Corning, Johns Manville, and Pilkington/NSG. The sides of the 16 cast glass tumblers imitate the intricate Hobstar pattern, well-known in the late 19th century at the height of the “Brilliant Period” of cut glass, of which Libbey was a leading producer. Viviano used three sources for the mapping data to create Recasting Toledo. The glass casting of downtown Toledo shows recent LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data from about 2018, while the map on the wall combines the earliest available aerial map of Toledo (1963) with color Sanborn Fire Insurance maps from 1936 to 1951. All the elements together allow you to see changes in Toledo over time.Published ReferencesSarah Darro, Recast Cities, 2021.

New Glass Review 42, New York, Corning Museum of Glass, 2022, repr. (col.) p. 128.

Exhibition HistoryNew York, Heller Gallery, Norwood Viviano: Recast Cities, March 4 - May 1, 2021. Muskegon, MI, Muskegon Museum of Art, Re-Cast Cities, December 15, 2022 - March 12, 2023.