Joseph Gregory Rossano (American, born 1962)
Mirrored Murrelets, 2008
Mirrored hot-sculpted glass, steel, mold-formed fiberglass
June 7, 2008 – December, 2009

Tacoma, Wash. (May 6, 2008)— On June 7, 2008, the Museum of Glass will introduce Mirrored Murrelets, a new outdoor art installation created by Arlington, WA, artist Joseph Rossano for the Museum’s Mezzanine Plaza. Rossano created the glass birds for the installation in the Museum’s Hot Shop during his Visiting Artist residency in January. Mirrored Murrelets will be on display through 2009 before it travels to additional venues around the country.

Rossano’s work focuses on the natural world and the animals who live in ecosystems threatened by human impact. Mirrored Murrelets highlights the effect of forestry on the Marbled Murrelet, a small sea bird that nests primarily in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. The installation will comprise more than 250 mirrored glass birds that will “float” just above the surface of the Museum’s mid-level pool. The mirrored surfaces of the birds will reflect the viewer’s image, symbolically suggesting the impact of humans on the natural world. Fiberglass benches, designed to represent charred stumps that can be found in once abundant old-growth forests, will surround the pool. As visitors experience the installation, Rossano hopes they will “ponder the plight of the bird as well as the beauty of its existence.”

“Throughout my career, I have focused on the interdependence of the natural world to create haunting images of animals who, like us, rely on our primeval forests for their existence,” comments Rossano. “I choose to use glass as a medium because, like our environment, glass is transparent, fragile and reflective—transparent in that it hides nothing, fragile in that once damaged it may never be repaired, and reflective of how we have impacted it.”

About the Artist
Joseph Rossano earned a BFA in studio arts at Louisiana State University in 1987. He has worked as both the artistic director for Waterford Crystal in Ireland and the studio manager and lead gaffer for Chihuly Studio in Seattle. Rossano has been an integral team member for a number of established artists including Lino Tagliapietra, Benjamin Moore, Richard Royal, Martin Blank and William Morris. He currently lives and works in Arlington, WA. Artist website: www.josephrossano.com

Sample Images:

A Mirrored Murrelet on the punty
Photo by Bill Ruth

Mirrored Murrelets sketch by Joseph Rossano

The Museum of Glass provides a dynamic learning environment to appreciate the medium of glass through creative experiences, collections and exhibitions. In addition to the Hot Shop Amphitheater where visitors can watch artists work, the facilities include galleries, outdoor exhibition areas, a theater, studio, grand hall, store and café.

The Museum of Glass is sponsored in part by the City of Tacoma Arts Commission, the Washington State Arts Commission, ArtsFund and Comcast. The Visiting Artist Program at the Museum of Glass is sponsored by Courtyard by Marriott / Tacoma.

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