Dante Marioni: Form, Color, Pattern
February 16 – August 31, 2008
Organized by Dante Marioni Studio

Tacoma, Wash. (December 19, 2007)— Opening in conjunction with Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Italian Glass, the Museum of Glass presents Dante Marioni: Form, Color, Pattern, a mid-career survey comprising more than twenty exceptional glass works crafted over the past two decades by Seattle artist, Dante Marioni. The exhibition was organized by Dante Marioni Studio and will open on February 16, 2008, at the Museum of Glass, the only West Coast venue on the tour.

Marioni is known for his mastery of Venetian glassblowing techniques. In his hands, the traditional vessel is transformed into modern sculpture with shape and surface simultaneously minimalist and delicately complex. His elegant vessels are compelling for their bold colors, striking geometries, graceful forms and impeccable finishes. Most of the forms he chooses are utilitarian in nature (vases, pitchers and cups) but he challenges viewers’ perceptions of these objects by increasing their scale and incorporating the decorative brilliance that has defined glassmaking for centuries. For Dante Marioni, the art of glassblowing—rather than the blowing of glass art—is the ultimate purpose.

The exhibition explores the ways Marioni has been inspired by both historical and contemporary glassblowers. Drawing upon the centuries-long artistic conversation about classical design, proportion, and aesthetics that dates back to the ancient roots of the art form, he is also influenced by the teachings of contemporary mentors, such as Lino Tagliapietra, to create a style distinctively his own.

Included in the exhibition are pieces from Marioni’s personal collection dating back to the early 1990s. A Conversation with the Artist lecture and slide presentation is scheduled for March 16, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. in the Museum of Glass theater. A catalog accompanies the exhibition.

About the Artist:
Dante Marioni was born in California and comes from a family of artists. He began working with glass in 1979 at age 15, learning glassblowing in the studio directly from his father, Paul Marioni, and other artists including Dale Chihuly, Benjamin Moore and Lino Tagliapietra. Over many years, Marioni has become one of the most accomplished glassblowers in the United States. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is included in several notable collections, including the White House Collection of American Crafts, the Japanese National Museum of Craft, The Corning Museum of Glass and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He teaches and exhibits his work worldwide and lives in Seattle with his wife Alison and son, Lino.