Tacoma, Wash. (November 28, 2006)— The Museum of Glass will welcome Richard Marquis as a Visiting Artist to the Hot Shop December 6 – 10, 2006.  Marquis’ residency is concurrent with the Museum’s newest exhibition, Contrasts: A Glass Primer, which includes his works in the Transparent/Translucent/Opaque and Useful/Fanciful groupings.

Marquis is admired for his accomplished mastery of color and form along with his sense of humor and willingness to experiment.  For his residency, he hopes to utilize the unique resources of the Museum’s Hot Shop and glassblowing team to experiment with new concepts he doesn’t normally attempt in his own shop, from giant vegetables to land speed assault vehicles.  “I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be doing during my residency—in fact, that’s the point.  We shall see what happens!”

Joining Marquis on the Hot Shop floor will be his wife, artist Johanna Nitzke on December 6 and 7, and fellow glass master Dante Marioni on December 9 and 10.  Marquis’ residency includes a Conversation with the Artist and slide presentation on Sunday, December 10, at 2 p.m. in the Museum Theater.

About the Artist:
Richard Marquis’ influence has been integral to the development of contemporary studio glass in the United States.  He began working with glass in the 1960s while studying ceramics at the University of California at Berkeley.  In 1969, he earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Murano, Italy, where he mastered the techniques of Venetian glass blowing.

Marquis’ work is included in numerous collections around the world, including the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), the National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institute (Washington D.C.), the World Modern Glass Arts Museum (Hiroshima, Japan) and the Kuntsmuseum (Düsseldorf, Germany).  Recent awards include the 2006 Honored Artist Award from the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Glass Art Society, and the 2004 Libenský Award from the Pilchuck Glass School and Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.  He lives with his wife in Freeland, WA.

About the Visiting Artist Program:
The Museum of Glass Hot Shop Visiting Artist Program includes internationally known artists and emerging artists from the region and around the world—some who are masters of glass and some who are experimenting with the medium for the first time.  They work with the Museum’s resident Hot Shop team to explore, invent and create with glass.  With a diverse mixture of culture, style, focus and expertise, each artist offers Museum visitors the chance to experience a distinct creative style.

The Visiting Artist Program at the Museum of Glass is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and Courtyard by Marriott / Tacoma.  The Visiting Artist lecture series is sponsored by PONCHO.