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Left to right: Dante Marioni, Needle Vase, 1995. Blown glass, Overall: 30 x 7 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Marina Marioni, Heaven Is There (Suite of ring, earrings, pendant, and brooch), 2006. Sterling silver, clear and colored resin, decals, porcelain, silver leaf. Courtesy of Marina Marioni. Paul Marioni, The Visitor, 1984. Blown glass, Overall: 12 x 6 inches approximately. Courtesy of the artist.
Left to right: Dante Marioni, Needle Vase, 1995. Blown glass, Overall: 30 x 7 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Marina Marioni, Heaven Is There (Suite of ring, earrings, pendant, and brooch), 2006. Sterling silver, clear and colored resin, decals, porcelain, silver leaf. Courtesy of Marina Marioni. Paul Marioni, The Visitor, 1984. Blown glass, Overall: 12 x 6 inches approximately. Courtesy of the artist.

On view June 9 – September 23, 2012

The Marioni Family’s Radical Experimentation in Glass and JewelryExhibition Marks the 50th Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement.

This summer Tacoma Art Museum celebrates the art and legacy of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most innovative and influential artist families: Paul Marioni and his children Dante and Marina, while marking the 50th anniversary of studio art glass in America. On view June 9 through September 23, The Marioni Family: Radical Experimentation in Glass and Jewelry showcases how the artists of the Marioni family engage with form, materiality, and tradition, each in their own thought-provoking and individual styles.

Exhibition highlights include a retrospective survey of the work of Paul Marioni, one of the nation’s foremost innovators in glass art; a selection of works by his son Dante that underscores his world-renowned skill as a glassblower; and jewelry by his daughter Marina that showcases her humor and wit. The three family members were recently subjects in the “Family Episode” of the PBS documentary series Craft in America.

The Marioni Family features 140 works and celebrates the gift of the Paul Marioni Glass Collection to Tacoma Art Museum, a collection that traces the evolution of the Studio Glass Movement through Paul’s engagement with the Pilchuck Glass School. The exhibition also showcases works by Dante Marioni, including more than 100 of his glass goblets and large-scale vessels. Dante began as a glass blower learning the Venetian tradition and has become one of the nation’s foremost artists working in glass. Marina Marioni’s artwork rounds out the exhibition. Her passion and ingenuity as a self-taught jewelry artist has taken shape through her use of alternative materials and pop culture inspirations.

“This exhibition represents the family’s innovation and commitment to their art,” said Rock Hushka, Director of Curatorial Administration at Tacoma Art Museum. “The works demonstrate the experimentation and innovation of glass as a medium and their penetrating observations of human nature.'”

Tacoma Art Museum’s collection features a major retrospective selection of works by Dale Chihuly. The promised gift of the Anne Gould Hauberg collection will add an important chapter to the museum’s artworks that preserve the history of how the Northwest became a world-renowned center for glass art. American studio art glass began with two glass workshops held at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1962. From there, glass programs were established in Wisconsin, California, and later at the Rhode Island School of Design (led by Dale Chihuly), to name but a few. Since then, the art of glass has been incorporated into art education, museums, and personal collections, and is now accepted as an important medium within fine art.

“This exhibition shines a light on the contributions and commitment that the Marionis have made over the years,” said Stephanie A.Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum. “Their conceptual and technical excellence has shaped the artistic landscape both here in the Northwest and across the United States.”

The Marioni Family: Radical Experimentation in Glass and Jewelry is organized by Tacoma Art Museum. Generous support provided by the Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff Fund for the Decorative and Design Arts.