Nancy Callan: Forces at Play

Opens fall 2024

Exhibition Overview

Seeing glass through the eyes of Nancy Callan is a delight and experiencing the material through her work is a master class in the artistic process. Her elegant, playful designs are inspired by a seemingly limitless visual vocabulary and are executed with extraordinary technical expertise. Nancy Callan: Forces at Play, Callan’s first major solo exhibition, will invite visitors to experience the multitude of ways Callan has used hot glass as a canvas for her perspectives on the world around her.

The exhibition will unfold through a series of thematic groupings that explore the sources of inspiration that have fueled Callan’s career: fabrics and fashion; Pop Art and graphic design, and nature and the wonders of the universe. Each thematic grouping will be represented by series of artworks, illustrating Callan’s conceptual development, and her exploration of form and pattern. These narrative themes will unfold in a multi-sensory environment, creating an insider’s look into Callan’s process through a series of studio vignettes, tactile components, and silent movie-inspired film which will capture the essence of Callan’s artistic process.  The exhibition will also feature new work, created and documented in the Museum’s Hot Shop through a series of residencies.

Nancy Callan: Forces at Play celebrates the thoughtfulness, wit, and sense of wonder that are signatures of Callan’s work and invites viewers to see the medium of glass with the same curiosity and passion that have fueled Callan’s artistic career.

Featured Images

CREDITS

  1. Nancy Callan (American, born 1964). Luminescence Droplet, 2021. Blown and etched glass; 17 x 14 x 14 inches. Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist. 

  2. Nancy Callan (American, born 1964). Tunnel Vision, 2020. Blown and slumped glass; 22 x 34 x 1 inches. Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist.

  3. Nancy Callan (American, born 1964). Storm Stringer, 2013. Blown glass; 16 ½ x 16 ½ x 33 inches. Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist.

  4. Nancy Callan (American, born 1964). Ghost Oasis I, 2021. Blown and slumped glass; 27 x 18 ¾ x 1 inches. Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist.

  5. Nancy Callan (American, born 1964). Mod Candy Cloud, 2009. Blown glass; 12 x 18 ½ x 6 inches. Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist. 

EXHIBITION CREDIT

Organized by Museum of Glass and the artist.