SNAG Emerging Artists 2017
Lecture Room A
8:30AM-9:30AM

Three exceptional emerging artists, Kat Cole, Motoko Furuhashi and Anne-Sophie Vallée, will each speak about the development of the innovative jewelry they create. Presented by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

Genesis: Life and Form Through Different Lenses
Lecture Room A
9:30AM-10:30AM

Jewelry artists Ezra Satok-Wolman and Wendy McAllister will each present a lecture about their work and collaborative exhibition project Genesis: Life and Form Through Different Lenses. From a simple flower to complex fractals, the lectures will explore how both artists draw inspiration from the geometry of the natural world, and the vastly different ways in which they interpret it. Presented by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

CAST: A New Book and the SOFA Artists It Features
Lecture Room A
10:30AM-11:30AM

CAST: Art and Objects Made Using Humanity’s Most Transformational Process by Jen Townsend and Renèe Zettle-Sterling is a new book that shines a light on the under-appreciated art of casting from the Bronze Age until today. This lecture will focus on SOFA artists who are featured in the book and who use casting in a variety of ways with incredible and varied outcomes. There will be a book signing with the authors following the lecture. Presented by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

In Conversation: Davide Salvadore and Peter Bremers, Artists in Transition
Lecture Room B
11:00AM-12:00PM

Artists Davide Salvadore and Peter Bremers will discuss how very different backgrounds led them to glass as an expressive material for art. The significant issue for each mid-career artist is exploring, experimenting and innovating to move forward. Ferdinand Hampson, founder of Habatat Galleries, will deftly query each artist to discuss the challenges encountered at their individual crossroads. Presented by Habatat Galleries.

Philip Baldwin: The Journey is the Destination
Lecture Room C
12:00PM-1:00PM

Blowing glass and making art in the 20th and 21st centuries: survival, disaster and a whole lot of fun in between. Artist Philip Baldwin will recount some of the ups and downs in getting from there to here with his long-time collaborator Monica Guggisberg. Presented by Bender Gallery.

Something New, Again
Lecture Room A
12:00PM-1:00PM

Artist Dan Dailey will discuss the curiosity which has caused him to change his work constantly for 50 years, and led to the making of more than 3000 things. Beginning with drawings to realize his thoughts, his development of an “industrial palette” with glass and metal resulted in increasingly complex works. Dailey has pursued meaningful communication with expressive murals, sculpture and functional art. Sponsored by Hawk Galleries.

Learning is Doing
Lecture Room B
1:00PM-2:00PM

Mentoring, a relationship focused on the development of skill and self, has become more prevalent and pertinent in the academic world of art and design. Designed to ease the transition from student to practitioner it can be utilized to refine skill, expand practical knowledge and promote real world experience with a practicing professional. This panel will discuss the benefits and potential challenges of mentoring in academia and look at community engagement as an alternative form of continuing education. Moderated by Amy Santoferraro, Program Manager, MFA Applied Craft + Design (OCAC/PNCA). Presented by the MFA Applied Craft + Design (OCAC/PNCA) in conjunction with the SOFA CHICAGO Special Exhibit “MFA Applied Craft + Design: Thinking Through Making.”

Viking Ships: Glass and Wood
Lecture Room C
1:00PM-2:00PM

Artists Andrew Jason Brown and Mette Bentzen will discuss the unique collaboration that merges crafts, workshops, nationalities, and histories in the making of wooden and glass Viking ships. Cabinet makers Mette Bentzen (DK) and Lasse Kristensen (DK) and glass artists Nanna Backhaus (DK) and Andrew Jason Brown (UK) combine their skills to produce these unique pieces. Their workshops are at the harbor in Hundested, Denmark, where Viking ships passed through. Presented by Gronlund Gallery.

Turning a Full Circle
Lecture Room B
2:00PM-3:00PM

From its inception as an artist led organization, the American Association of Woodturners has been dedicated to the open sharing, collaboration and communication of ideas, techniques, and opportunities. In this panel, moderator Gwynne Rukenbrod, Executive Director of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, will bring her experience with craft organizations to a discussion of how the AAW’s uniquely broad spectrum approach to membership has cultivated new talent and sparked creativity, as well as played a role in rapid advances in techniques and technology. Presented by the American Association of Woodturners in conjunction with the SOFA CHICAGO Special Exhibit “MATERIAL EVIDENCE.”

A Life in Glass
Lecture Room C
2:00PM-3:00PM

A conversation moderated by James Baker, Executive Director of Pilchuck Glass School. Artists Nadège Desgenétez and Laura Donefer will discuss the development of their lives as artists, the ways they work, the ideas that inspire them, and the new directions they are exploring in their work. Artists represented in order of listing: Heller Gallery, New York, NY, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI.

Luminous Vessels: An Ongoing Exploration of Form, Design and Color
Lecture Room A
3:00PM-4:00PM

In this lecture, artist David Huang will consider his exploration of form, design and patina as his body of work has developed over the years. Huang’s metal vessels showcase skilled craftsmanship and explore the physicality of the material world. Presented by Kirsten Muenster Projects.

Individual Voices, Shared Vision: Micha Karlslund & Steffen Dam
Lecture Room C
Friday, November 3 | 3:00PM-4:00PM

Susie Silbert, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass will be in conversation with artist Micha Karlslund. They will discuss Karlslund’s work and a recent, ongoing collaboration between herself and her husband, Steffen Dam. At the center of Dam & Karlslund’s joint body of work is the concept of images as a universal form of communication. Presented by Heller Gallery.

Two Artists Deconstructed Ideas Build a New Landscape
Lecture Room B
4:00PM-5:00PM

Moderated by the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Heather McElwee, this panel will bring together print artist Seth Clark and glass artist Jason Forck to speak about the value of cross collaboration while working toward the SOFA Special Exhibition, Dissolution. Their collaboration began in the Idea Furnace residency program, which provides access to glass for material exploration. They’ll discuss what was revealed through exploring a new material and working jointly with a partner who started with a disparate knowledge. Presented by the Pittsburgh Glass Center in conjunction with the SOFA CHICAGO Special Exhibit “Dissolution.”

Resounding Silence: The Power of Nonverbal Communication
Lecture Room A
4:00PM-5:00PM

In a world characterized by distractions, be it the persistent chiming of cellular phones, ubiquitous advertising campaigns and often loud and fast paced city centers, we risk losing our ability to be silent. Artist Ivan Markovic will discuss the importance of art today, as it provides a solace from the vast noise we live in. And allows us to reconnect with a deeper and more vital level of consciousness. Presented by Option Art.

Leaving a Legacy: Contemporary Glass Bequests and Museums
Lecture Room B
5:00PM-6:00PM

This panel discussion will examine the options explored by collectors to donate works to museums and their impact, as well as the roles and concerns of non-profit organizations in accepting collections. Panelists include Jan Mirenda Smith, Executive Director of Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Dr. William Ganis, Chair, Department of Art and Design at Indiana State University; James Yood, Associate Professor of New Arts Journalism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and Dr. Jutta-Annette Page, Executive Director of the Old Dominion University Museum Foundation. The panel is moderated by Attorney Roy Fine, a specialist in business transactions and estate planning and serves on the Board of Directors of Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass. Presented by Habatat Gallery and the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass.

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: Amy Santoferraro, Andrew Jason Brown, Anne-Sophie Vallee, Attorney Roy Fine, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Chicago, collaboration, Collecting, Corning Museum of Glass, Dan Dailey, David Huang, Davide Salvadore, Dr. Jutta-Annette Page, Dr. William Ganis, Ezra Satok-Wolman, Ferdinand Hampson, glass, Heather McElwee, Indiana State UNiversity, Ivan Markovic, James Baker, James Yood, Jan Mirenda Smith, Jason Forck, Jen Townsend, jewelry, Kate Cole, Laura Donefer, metal, Mette Bentzen, Micha Karlslund, Motoko Furuhashi, Nadege Desgenetez, Navy Pier, Near North Side, Old Dominion University Museum Foundation, Peter Bremers, Philip Baldwin, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Renee Zettle-Sterling, Schiffer Publishing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Seth Clark, Society of North American Goldsmiths, SOFA, SOFA CHICAGO, Stefen Dam, Susie Silbert, Wendy McAllister