A new Swedish glass art exhibition, Pull, Twist, Blow: Transforming the Kingdom of Glass, opens today at the Nordic Heritage Museum (3014 NW 67th St). The exhibition features the work of young, innovative Swedish glass artists and will be showcased at the museum until April 27, 2014.
According to the museum, glass art is considered an “institution” in Sweden. “For many years, glass art in the country was defined by traditional techniques and patterns passed down through an apprentice system at glass factories in Glasriket (The Kingdom of Glass) in the region of Småland, where 15 of Sweden’s 16 glassworks are located,” writes the museum’s Marketing & Communications Manager Erin M. Schadt. New artists are now breaking away from the traditional methods of glass art in Sweden and are expressing themselves by creating their own take on what glass art should be.
The exhibition features the works of young, contemporary Nordic glass artists including Peter Hermansson, Annika Jarring, Åsa Jungnelius, Ingalena Klenell, Simon Klenell, Helena Kågebrand, Matilda Kästel, Ludvig Löfgren, Fredrik Nielsen, and Karl Magnus Nilsson.
In a tribute to the traditions of glass art, each artist selected objects from the Glass Factory in Boda, Sweden, to use as a reference to create their own unique work. These inspiration pieces will be featured alongside the new works including pieces by Monica Backström, Kjell Engman, Hertha Hillfon, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Erik Höglund, Vicke Lindstrand, Bengt Lindström, and Bertil Vallien.
The Nordic Heritage Museum is open from Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday noon – 4 p.m. Admission is $6 general, $5 seniors and college students and $4 children over 5 years.
Click here to learn more about the exhibition.
Photos courtesy of The Nordic Heritage Museum.
