The Glass Secessionist Facebook discussion group, in which artist Tim Tate moderates an online bulletin-board conversation about wide-ranging work in glass that in the eyes of followers draws a line where Studio Glass ends and a new type of work begins, is holding an in-person meeting during the 2014 Glass Art Society conference in Chicago. Taking place at 12 noon on Friday, March 21st, and billed as "the Gathering," the idea is to bring together in real life those who know each other mostly from the posting of photos of glass artwork, installations, and architecture and responding politely and usually positively. (Tate admonishes members to "keep it civil or have your post deleted" and keeps a tight rein on the exchange to prevent "cyber-bullying.") (Disclosure: Tim Tate published an essay laying out why he embarked on his Facebook enterprise in GLASS #133, and GLASS contributing editor William Warmus is one of the most frequent contributors to Glass Secessionism after Tate).
In fact, Tate credits a conversation he had with Warmus for the creation of Glass Secessionism in an interview published in the current edtion of American Craft magazine and available online. Though many would argue with Tate's premise that Studio Glass was primarily techinque-driven rather than driven by artistic vision, or that the widely divergent types of work shown on the Glass Secessionists website constitutes a unified art movement, Tate applauds the freedom he sees now that artists have escaped the confines of the Studio Glass galleries, art fairs, and collectors who enforced limits on expression. Tate says: "Rather than artists having to adapt their art forms to an existing audience, they can make work first and then find a like-minded audience. Artists can pursue ideas and get immediate feedback in ways that would have been impossible without the internet. It has opened up the field."
IF YOU GO:
The Glass Secessionist Gathering Friday, March 21, 2014 12 noon Grant Park Room, 6th Floor Palmer House Chicago (GAS Conference Registration Required)