Liz Cepanec, Visiting Artist Program Manager

Q1: Tell us something about your background. What led you to your current position? When did you start at the Museum of Glass?

LC: I came to MG with eleven years of museum administrative experience, working at Seattle Art Museum and Tacoma Art Museum previously. At SAM I supported the Modern Art Department curatorial staff and coordinated traveling exhibitions.

My first experience working with artist residencies was through the Ann Gerber Fund at SAM. The Fund was established by Anne Gerber, an avid arts supporter, to invite artists from around the world to live in the community for up to a month and create a site specific installation at the Museum. At TAM I was administrator for the Education Department.

I started work at MG in 2001, a little over a year before its opening. My primary responsibility was to put together the Visiting Artist Program. Given that the Hot Shop was not yet built, I took on other projects during that first year including organizing an international search for a Hot Shop Manager and initialing the RFP process for the Hot Shop equipment.

As a member of the Curatorial Department. I coordinated the art installations on the outside plazas by Buster Simpson, Mildred Howard and Patrick Dougherty just prior to the Museum opening in the July 2002.

Q2: What are your duties and responsibilities as Visiting Artist Manager?

LC: There are two aspects to the VA program. The Summer Series is a partnership with Pilchcuk Glass School. Artist who are past of the PGS program are invited for a 5-day residency each week from mid-June through August. Pike Powers and Ruth King, co-artistic directors at Pilchuck, compile their roster of artists a year in advance. I meet with Pike and Ruth in the fall of each year to review potential artists for the museum’s next Summer Series.

In fall, winter, and spring, residences occur once a month. Artists whose work is included on view in the galleries or that is thematically related to work in the galleries are invited for these residencies.

I initiate an invitation to the artists for a residency and compile background information and images for each artist that will be used for the website, newsletter, Hot Shop MC, Hot Shop big screen, curatorial, etc. As often as possible, I schedule a site visit with the artist or a conference call well in advance of the residency.

Hot Shop and Education staff are included in these meeting both learn as much as we can about he artist and what she/he would like to accomplish in the residency and to make sure the artist is aware of what’s possible here regarding space, time, personnel, equipment, etc. It’s a dialogue that begins when the invitation is accepted and is ongoing before and during the residency.

I mange the contractual aspects of the residency (take care of paperwork up from, request payment to the artists, and with the Director or Director of Curatorial Affairs, select a gift of art for the Visiting Artist Study Collection after each residency). Objects in the Study Collection are exhibited via the Made at the Museum installation in Art Alley and on the Hot Shop balcony, and I coordinate the regular change-out of artwork with Bridget Calzaretta, Exhibition Designer and Rebecca Englehardt, Registrar.

Q3: What is the process of coordinating the Visiting Artist with the Hot Shop? With Curatorial?

LC: The Hot Shop staff are the essential players for the work that is done during the actual residency. Prior to a residency, artists have technical questions about the glass, equipment, techniques, and the team’s experience. Jason Mouer, Hot Shop Coordinator, interfaces with the artists in this regard.

Occasionally, an artist will need to make parts prior to a residency and that is incorporated into the Hot Shop schedule via Jason. John de Wit came and made blank cups to take back to his studio and pain prior to his residency. Paul Marioni had the same need, and the MG team created blank cups to Paul’s specifications.

Another example of how the HS staff helps artists behind the scenes-for the Rene Roubicek residency, Jonas Sebura (Hot Shop technician) will be fabricating metal support posts for the glass columns that Mr. Roubicek will make when he’s here.

Each morning of a residency, the Hot Shop team, Lara Culumber (interpreter), the AV team, Education staff and I meet with the artist in the Hot Shop office. This is an opportunity to review “what” the artist wants to accomplish each day, discuss the best techniques for “how” to do it, and check in with how it’s going both for the artist and the team. This is a time for lots of back and forth as there are often more than a few ideas that could be used to accomplish what the artists wants to do.

I am part of the curatorial staff, and so am in regular dialogue with my colleagues about artists whose work will be exhibited at MG. It works the other way around too. If I hear of or meet an artist via Pilchuck or another source who I think the curatorial staff might be interested in, I will make those introductions. Decisions on objects for the VA Study Collection are usually selected by mutual agreement between the artist and curatorial staff. All changes to the Made at the Museum exhibition are planned with the curatorial staff.

Q4: Are the Visiting Artists paid for their time as resident artist?

LC: Yes, the artists are given an honorarium and per diem.

Q5: What are some of the challenges of accommodating the wide range of artists who come here?

LC: Time: As the program becomes more widely known, artists are beginning to approach the Museum for a residency. This is great! and at the same time a challenge since residencies are currently but invitation, not application.

Studio Limitations: The Hot Shop has been described by many artists as a “state-of-the-art facility.” It was designed mainly for “blowing” glass and for that purpose it is a generous, flexible and accommodating space. We have successfully worked with artist for casting projects, but it is more of a challenge to prep for casting.

I spoke with Czech artist Frantisek Vizner about a residency in connection with the Czech Glass exhibition. His expertise is coldworking the glass. While the Cold Shop has excellent equipment, it is not accessible to the public. So an artist could come here and work in the Cold Shop but we wouldn’t have the advantage of sharing that with the Museum visitor.

Q6: What do you see happening in the future with the VA program? Do you have a wish list regarding future events or artists?

LC: I think the VA program has great potential. Having artists working in this public forum is a unique opportunity for the Museum and its visitors as well as for the artists. The process brings great energy and generates a lot of interest, so I would like to see the program expand and possibly include longer residencies.

I am particularly excited by the idea of artwork for MG exhibitions being created in the Hot Shop. We have been able to do that twice in the history of the program. Marita Dingus had never worked in glass before her residency and chose to come to the Museum in advance of the exhibition of her work, About Face, to make work in glass that would be included in the exhibition. The current exhibition Sound Organ, by Mark Zirpel, includes work that he made during his residency.

In October 2006, Jean-Michel Othoniel will come from France for an extended residency (maybe two weeks) to create elements that will be added to an existing installation for Mining Glass, the Museum’s 5th anniversary show. This is “full circle” for the Museum as so often the work that is made here is exhibited elsewhere.

Q7: As the collection of pieces made by the Visiting Artists grows, what is the possibility of expanding where these are displayed (perhaps some in the Grand Hall)?

LC: Funny you should ask. The collection is growing. There are currently sixty-eight artworks in the Museum Collection and VA Collection combined, and there is little storage space to hose the work. We are considering expanding Made at the Museum to the Grand Hall. Some of the pieces will also be considered for inclusion in the Contrasts: A Glass Primer exhibition. Contrasts will be up for three years and the intent is to refresh the exhibition periodically. The VA Study collection can be a resource for those changes.

Q8: Any other comments or information?

LC: That Visiting Artist Program couldn’t happen without the creative work of every department at the Museum.

Marketing promotes the residencies through Fuse, broadcast emails, posters, plaza kiosks and press releases.

Education hosts Conversation with the Artist and provides the daily color commentary in the Hot Shop.

Curatorial presents the finished work to the public.

The Hot Shop provides the fire and depth of knowledge and talent that has become world renown!

Security are the first to extend a welcoming hand to Visiting Artists and help them navigate the building.

Finance and Administration gracefully handles the mounds of paperwork and PO’s, pays the bills and signs the checks!

Facilities makes the building “work” and bring it to a high polish!

The Devo goddesses (bless their souls) have secured NEA, Poncho, PSE and Marriott funding to support this program.

BRAVO and thank you all!