(A rendering of the new Glass Wheel Studio in Norfolk’s Arts & Design District)
By Jeremy Bender
Norfolk’s emerging Arts & Design District (also dubbed NEON District) will give birth to the Glass Wheel Studio on Saturday, November 14. The opening reception will run from 7-10 PM and the public is welcomed to attend.
The 8,500-square-foot building will house two rotating galleries with 2,500-feet of gallery space. Regional and national artists who have not been displayed in Hampton Roads previously will be featured during the first year. The focus will be on contemporary work. The opening exhibition is titled Provenance featuring works by Jon Goldberg, Natalie Abrams, and Liz Berk.
Goldberg is a glass artist from Philadelphia. He took classes at The Studio at Corning Museum of Glass and studied under such contemporary glass artists as Josh Simpson and Elio Quarisa. Abrams is an edgy wax and paper sculpture artist.
The works on display at Glass Wheel Studio will go beyond what the venue’s name suggests.
“One of the things I want to do is pair glass and non-glass artists in the space,” said the studio’s director Cheryl White, who previously worked at the Chrysler Museum of Art as Curatorial Coordinator.
In addition to main gallery exhibitions, the studio will provide 13 visual artists work space. The program provides opportunities for research, experimentation, and ultimately aims to foster creative innovations and new modes of working and thinking collaboratively.
Studios range from 140-250 square feet and feature 24-hour secured access, HVAC, Heat/AC, wireless internet, basic wood shop and access to small production kilns, spray booth, and portable air compressor
The inaugural program session will run November 2015 through December 2016
Glass Wheel Studio will be closed Mondays, but open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday 1-5.
Two of the three works of art commissioned by the studio are as follows:
Alex Brewer (A.K.A: HENSE), Glass Wheel Mural, 2015, Paint, Title TBD by artist at completion: This 3-story mural, by internationally-known painter, Alex Brewer (a.k.a HENSE) will cover the façade and portions of the east elevation of Glass Wheel Studio. Brewer’s iconic and dynamic style marries the quick, gestural brushstrokes of both graffiti and abstract painting.
Robin M. Rogers, Progression, 2015, Metal, mirrored and dichroic glass: Comprised of 3 geodesic domes clad in mirrored and dichroic glass, this site-specific work will hang in the atrium of Glass Wheel Studio. The piece explores geometry, space and is inspired by glass’s ability to reflect and refract light.
