The State Hermitage Museum Exhibition: Gifts from America

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA — On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of The State Hermitage Museum, Dan Dailey installed his Byzantine Sconces on November 27 – 30, 2014 for the exhibition “Gifts from America” which opened December 2 and runs through March 8, 2015. The sconces were made in 2002 for Restaurant Daniel in New York City. Daniel Boulud has now donated them to The State Hermitage Museum permanent collection.

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Dailey and a Hermitage Museum electrician install his Byzantine Sconces before the exhibition opening reception.

“Working with the museum curators, installation team, electricians, architects and engineers was an unusual way to become familiar with the Russian people and with the Hermitage Museum, as we pursued the common goal of setting up my works in the exhibition. Museums have long been a source of inspiration for my art, and the fabulous collection of this museum has made a profound impression. I can’t tell yet how I will react, but the historical overview and the quality of works in the museum led me to inspect many of them in detail. In time this influence will be reflected in my thoughts and drawings, then new work.” —Dan Dailey

The exhibition was conceived by Helen Drutt English and curated by Matthew Drutt. They worked for two years to produce the “Gifts from America” exhibition, overseeing all aspects of production from the checklist of works, including crating, shipping, and set-up in the museum. The exhibition reflects Helen’s preferences, which are based on more than fifty years of scholarship and direct communication with the artists whose works are included.

James Renwick Alliance 2014 Distinguished Educators Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dan Dailey, along with fellow awardees Peter Held, Glen Kaufman and Patti Warashina, was honored with the Distinguished Educator Award at a special brunch event at the St. Regis on Saturday. A celebration of craft education honoring four educators, the Awards Brunch was part of the James Renwick Alliance’s 2014 Spring Craft Weekend.

The James Renwick Alliance presents the Distinguished Educator Award every other year, honoring up to five educators for their outstanding ability to increase awareness and appreciation for the history and traditions within the field of craft, a reputation for excellence and innovation in education and for significant contributions to American education in the craft field. 

James Renwick Alliance Panel Discussion – Materialism: The Medium or the Message

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted a panel discussion in the McEvoy Auditorium on Saturday as part of the James Renwick Alliance's 2014 Spring Craft Weekend. An audience of over 125 heard from leaders in their fields: the 2014 JRA Distinguished Educator honorees Dan Dailey, Peter Held, Glen Kaufman, Patti Warashina and moderator Elisabeth Agro, the Nancy M. McNeil Associate Curator of American Modern and Contemporary Crafts and Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The panel discussion, titled "Materialism: The Medium or the Message" was centered on the material focus of the four artists, and the development of a still unnamed art movement. Each artist illustrated a history of involvement with their chosen material and their unique process of work. The event streamed live on the Smithsonian American Art Museum website and Youtube.

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Barbara Wolanin (Chair), Giselle Huberman (JRA President), and panelists Glen Kaufman, Peter Held, Patti Warashina, Elisabeth Agro and Dan Dailey.

The discussion was inspired by Dailey's "Materialism" interview and lecture series (2009 – ongoing) created in collaboration with Joe Rapone, Associate Professor at UArts in Philadelphia. Materialism defines a late 20th century art movement where studio artists gained a mastery of materials traditionally employed by artisans using clay, glass, fibers, wood and metal. Following introductory presentations by the artists, Dailey made a presentation showing artists he has interviewed as subjects of his lecture series. 

Ms. Agro's perspective as a curator gives her key insights to this art movement's relevance in the history of art. Her thought provoking questions elicited fascinating responses from the artists that kept the audience engaged throughout the discussion. Many educators, scholars and art dealers in attendance participated and expressed their own views about the development of the material art movement. Watch the entire event below.

Glass Art Society Lifetime Achievement Award

CHICAGO, IL — Dan Dailey was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday as the Glass Art Society began their 43rd Annual Conference. The ceremony honoring Dailey at the Palmer House Hilton featured presentation from Dailey on his body of work, and a keynote address by Chicago artist Theaster Gates. Three days of workshops, seminars, demonstrations, exhibits and other events began Thursday and continued through Saturday, March 22.

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Albert Paley delivers the Wilson Lecture.

Albert Paley delivered the Willson Lecture, focused on the melding of glass and steel in his work. Paley is a Philadelphia native who began his career as a jeweler and began working with iron in 1970. Paley's ironwork pays homage to European art nouveau and American abstract expressionism. He is recognized in the metalsmithing community for his extraordinary work with ferrous metals. 

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Benjamin Moore, Dante Marioni, Aaron Baigelman, Preston Singletary, Dan Dailey, Margy Trumbull, Rich Royal and Brent Rogers attend the Glass Art Society 43rd Annual Conference at Ignite Glass Studios in Chicago, IL.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the Glass Art Society's highest honor, given in recognition of significant and sustained contributions to the field of glass art, technical innovation, exemplary leadership, dedication to education, and support for and promotion of glass art.

Museum of Glass Artist Residency

TACOMA, WA — Artist Dan Dailey was a Museum of Glass Visiting Artist from Wednesday, December 4 through Sunday, December 8. Dailey’s residency was sponsored by Karen and Marc Jaffe through the Fuel Their Fire program, and concluded with a lecture in the Hot Shop on Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 pm. The lecture was streamed live on the museum’s website.

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Dailey compares his sketch to a test panel of fused glass rods.

“Fuel Their Fire offers a wonderful opportunity for members of the public to support artists, such as world-renowned Dan Dailey,” noted Susan Warner, executive director of Museum of Glass. “Dailey has received numerous awards for his work, including the Masters of the Medium Award by the James Renwick Alliance, which recognizes artists who have contributed to and influenced their field. His style is very unique, so we are thrilled to have him complete his residency in the Museum’s Hot Shop.” 

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A blown glass color cup is filled with molten clear glass.

"About three years ago I began experimenting with a way to use certain techniques and processes to create a glass mural. During the blowing of parts for my sculpture, and for some vessel series, we often make a 'cup' during the first stages of blowing the form. The color cup method allows me to apply colors and manipulate them in a way that will be stretched and overlapped and faded when the form is blown out to its final dimensions." —Dan Dailey