MILLVILLE – The Gallery of Fine Craft at WheatonArts will present, “Paul J. Stankard: Celebrating the Native Flowers of Southern New Jersey,” opening April 2 and continuing through May 5.
Stankard is a master glass artist who lives in southern New Jersey. This exhibit and sale unveils his most recent work in addition to early work from the 1970s and 1980s. His new work will include new orb designs focusing on botanicals native to southern New Jersey. His glass mastery can be found in his creation of lifelike honeybees, ripe fruit and delicate blossoms that appear to be floating in the clear glass.
His work can be seen in 38 museum collections across the world and in several books and documentaries. He has helped advance the flameworking technique by teaching at seven master classes, including Japan and Scotland. He supports the Creative Glass Center of America Fellowship Program at WheatonArts as a board member since its founding in 1983 and as president for three years.
On his web site, paulstankard.com, he explains, “I am interested in integrating mysticism with botanical realism giving the glass organic credibility. Through the work, I reference the continuum of nature, by portraying and exploring the mysteries of seeds, fertility and decay. The work celebrates the primal beauty of nature on an intimate level. It is influenced by the poetry of Walt Whitman.”
He was awarded the 2013 Masters of the Medium award by the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) (www.jra.org). The award recognizes artists of consummate craftsmanship who have contributed to and influenced their chosen fields. Clemmer Montague, JRA president, writes in the summer 2012 issue of the James Renwick Alliance Quarterly, “In his quest for creativity in glass, Paul Stankard, an internationally acclaimed artist, has taken the paperweight out of the decorative arts and moved it front and center into the world of sculptural art. He has proven that it takes more than hand skills to turn raw glass into an object of beauty—it takes an education in the medium and in art history, as well as knowledge about current contemporary glass.”
Stankard will demonstrate his glass art techniques in the WheatonArts Glass Studio on April 14 at 1 p.m. The demonstration is included in the price of admission to WheatonArts. The opening reception for the exhibit will follow at 2:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
WheatonArts is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April through December. For more information about The Gallery of Fine Craft or WheatonArts, call 1-800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800, or visit online at www.wheatonarts.org. WheatonArts admission: Adult $10.00, $9.00 Senior Adult and $7.00 Student. Children five and under are free. It is free to shop and stroll except during outdoor special events.
WheatonArts strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Provide two weeks notice for additional needs. Patrons with hearing and speech disabilities may contact WheatonArts through the New Jersey Relay Service (TRS) 800-852-7899 or by dialing 711.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey Cultural Trust. WheatonArts receives general operating support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, Division of Cultural Affairs in the New Jersey Department of State, and is supported in part by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism and Cumberland County Urban Enterprise Zone.
Villas – Yep, here come those mask mandates again starting in, of course, a blue state. If there isn't a virus yet for the mask, they will find one before November 5th.
