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Joshua R. Cole  Artist Statement In 1542 Venetian glass became so irresistible that goblets had reached as far north as the court of Henry VIII in England and as far east as the palaces of Suleiman I, the Magnificent, in Constantinople. (Barr 13) “It was the Venetians skill that made their glass supreme. These glassmakers’ elaborate vessels, often worked in complex, virtuoso shapes were sought as the height of grandeur by all who loved to make a splendid display of wealth.” (Zerwick,51) Using traditional Venetian glass blowing techniques and esthetics, I am creating work that is glamorous and extravagant. These ornate objects are inspired by the highly fashionable, expensive status symbols of today. The new American dream is defined by the youth culture that is obsessed with fashion, status, and celebrity. The fashion designer is the new rockstar. We have entered the new Baroque, a self-indulgent, gluttonously opulent period, where high fashion is more closely merging with popular culture than ever before. Everything in this post-postmodern world must be fashionable in order to achieve any merit. By indulging myself, I am transforming the non-fashionable to fit into this new America. I am making objects for the fashionably ridiculous. Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Confections in glass 1855-1914. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1998. Zerwick, Chloe. A Short History of Glass. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990. Curriculum Vitae E D U C A T I O N  2005- 2007 Master of Fine Arts in Glass, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2000- 2005 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass, Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, Ohio 2004 Penland School of Crafts, Intermediate Glass Blowing with Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz, Penland, North Carolina 2003 Pilchuck Glass School, Designing and Blowing Glass, juried class with Preston Singletary and Katherine Gray, Stanwood, Washington E X H I B I T I O N S 2006 8TH Annual Goblet Show Snyderman Works Gallery Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Curator: Frank Hopson, Gallery Director 2006 West Michigan Area Show Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Kalamazoo, Michigan Juror: Tim Lowly, studio artist, professor 2006 Biennial Exhibition of North American Glass Guilford Art Center, Guilford, Connecticut Juror: James Mongrain, glass artist, gaffer Crossover: Crafts, Art, Design Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, Delaware Juror: Ursula Ilsa-Neuman, Curator at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City 2006 Goblet Show Kittell / Riffkind Gallery Dallas, Texas Curator: Barbara Kittell, Gallery Owner and Director 2005 American Fine Dinning BFA Solo Exhibition, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio SIE 59 Student Independent Exhibition, Reinberger Gallery at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Ohio Jurors: Dominique Nahas, Amy Jean Porter, Sue De Beer A W A R D S 2005 Honorable Mention at SIE 59, Student Independent Exhibition, Reinberger Gallery at the Cleveland Institute of Art Golden Jacks Award Winner Awarded to a student from the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Glass Department for excellence in the hot shop
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