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t e c h n ic a lly d e m a n d in g p r o c e s s
a llo w s h im t o c o n s id e r m u ltip le
v a r ia b le s a n d m a k e a r t is t ic d e c i-
Memorial Art Gallery
A Unity of Opposites:
Recent Work by Michael Taylor
R o c h e s t e r , N e w Y o r k
A p r i l 19 - J u n e 2 8 ,2 0 0 9
m a g .r o c h e s te r .e d u
A n y d o u b ts a b o u t t h e p o s s ib ilit y
o f a f r u i t f u l s y n e r g y b e t w e e n
a r t a n d s c ie n c e , w o u ld c e r t a in l y
b e s e t a s id e a s o n e c o n te m p la te d
t h e d o z e n g la s s s c u lp t u r e s b y
M ic h a e l T a y l o r o n v i e w a t th e
M e m o r ia l A r t G a lle r y . T h e s e
in c lu d e m o n u m e n t a l w o r k s
c o m p o s e d o f h u n d r e d s o f in d i-
v id u a l p ie c e s , a lo n g w i t h p r in t s
a n d m a q u e t t e s , a n d r e p r e s e n t
t h e c u lm in a t io n o f 4 0 y e a r s o f
in v e s t ig a t in g li g h t , fo r m a n d
d e s ig n th r o u g h g la s s . A p io n e e r
o f s t u d io g la s s w h o e n t e r e d th e
fie ld in t h e la t e 1 9 6 0 s fr o m c e -
r a m ic s —h e e n c o u n t e r e d D o m -
in c k L a b in o a n d H a r v e y L i t t l e -
t o n a t t h e T o l e d o M u s e u m
S c h o o l G la s s W o r k s h o p in
1 9 7 0 - T a y l o r t a u g h t f o r m o r e
th a n 3 0 y e a r s , 2 0 o f t h e m a s
h e a d g la s s a t t h e R o c h e s t e r I n -
s t it u t e o f T e c h n o lo g y , r e t ir in g
in 2 0 0 0 . H e b u ilt h is c a r e e r a n d
016 american craft jun/julo9
s io n s a t a m o r e c o n t r o lle d p a c e
th a n is p o s s ib le a t th e h o t-w o r k -
e r ’ s fu r n a c e .
T a y lo r ’ s s ig n a tu r e fo r m s a re
s h a r d - lik e b lo c k s o f la m in a te d
c a s t g la s s in lu m in o u s c o lo r s ,
p la c e d a g a in s t e a c h o t h e r in
a s y m m e t r ic a l a r r a n g e m e n t s .
T a y l o r a p p r o a c h e s e a c h c o m p o -
n e n t in d e p e n d e n tly , th e n a s p a r t
o f a n o r g a n ic w h o le . H e u s e s
th e g r in d in g w h e e l t o s h a p e a n d
p o lis h in d iv id u a l b lo c k s o f c o l -
o r e d a n d c le a r g l a s s , w h ic h a r e
t h e n la m in a t e d t o g e t h e r w i t h
a t w o - p a r t e p o x y r e s in , a n d th e
r e s u lt in g f o r m s p a ir e d o r a r -
r a n g e d in e n d le s s c o m b in a t io n s
a n d v a r ia t io n s o f c o lo r , lig h t
a n d s h a p e . T h e c r it ic R o b e r t C .
M o r g a n in
Michael Taylor: A
Geometry o f Meaning,
a 2 0 0 6
m o n o g r a p h , h a s p o in t e d o u t th e
a r t is t ’ s a ffin it ie s w it h R u s s ia n
C o n s t r u c t iv is t w o r k s o f th e e a r -
l y 2 0 th c e n t u r y .
I n t h e s a m e b o o k , t h e g la s s
s p e c ia lis t T i n a O l d k n o w n o t e s
t h a t t h o u g h T a y l o r ’ s m e d iu m ,
c u t , o p t ic a l g la s s , c a n s e e m c o ld
a n d u n f o r g i v i n g , h e “ g i v e s i t
w a r m t h w i t h c o lo r s t h a t r a d ia te
a n d r e fle c t fr o m th e c e n t r a l c o r e
o f e a c h o f h is s c u lp t u r e s .” S h e
f u r t h e r s u g g e s t s t h a t h is w o r k s
r a t h e r th a n o r ig in a t in g f r o m a
m a th e m a tic a l b a s e o r th e o r e tic a l
b e n t “ a r e s o li d ly b a s e d in t h e
n a tu r a l w o r ld .” B u t th is is c le a r ly
a n a r t is t d r a w n t o m a th e m a tic s
a n d s c ie n c e - c o n s id e r s u c h title s
a s th e g la s s a n d s t e e l
Meditative
Algorithms
( d e t a il) O . “ T h e
s y m b o lis m u s e d in t h e a b s t r a c t
i m a g e r y o f m y w o r k c o n s c i o u s -
l y r e s e m b le s c o n t e m p o r a r y s c i-
e n t ific la n g u a g e s u c h a s t h e
s t r u c t u r e o f th e b in a r y c o d e a n d
d n a
p r o filin g d ia g r a m s , p o w e r -
f u lly in flu e n t ia l s u b je c t s t h a t
h a v e c h a n g e d t h e c o u r s e o f h u -
m a n it y a n d b e e n a s r e v o l u t i o n -
a r y to o u r c u lt u r e a s t h e a u t o -
m o b ile a n d t h e a ir p la n e w e r e to
m y g r a n d f a t h e r ,” T a y l o r w r o t e
in t h a t m o n o g r a p h . Y e t h e a ls o
m a k e s c le a r h is a t t r a c t io n to
o t h e r a r t s , n o t in g th a t h is fo r m s
“ c lo s e ly r e s e m b le th e s t r u c t u r e
o f lit e r a r y fo r m s , s t o r y t e llin g ,
m u s ic a l c o m p o s it io n o r p o e t r y .”
H e h o p e s to “ f o s t e r a n a s s o c ia -
tio n b e t w e e n th e a b s t r a c t e le -
m e n ts o f m y w o r k a n d a b s t r a c t
e le m e n t s o f s p e c i a li z e d s t u d y
in a r t a n d s c ie n c e .” T o h im , th e
m o s t v is ib le a s p e c t o f th is a s s o -
c ia t io n is “ t h e s e q u e n c in g a n d
r e p e t it io n o f p la n a r c o m p o -
n e n t s .” — B .S .
The 40-page catalog is $25.
I L / E lm h u r s t
Elmhurst Art Museum:
Stacza Lipinski: Broadcast
t o J u ly 2 6
e lm h u r s t a r t m u s e u m .o r g
D e n s e , o r g a n ic fo r m s o f in t r i-
c a t e ly c u t p a p e r m im ic t h e in v a -
s iv e y e t b e a u t ifu l g r o w t h o f i v y
o n b r ic k b u ild in g s .
I N / I n d ia n a p o lis
© Artifacts Gallery:
Lydia Gerbig-Fast: Classical
Obsessions
t o J u n e 21
a r t ifa c t s in d y .c o m
T h e c la s s ic s liv e o n in G e r b ig -
F a s t ’ s v ib r a n t , s e n s u o u s j e w e l r y
th a t r e in t e r p r e t s a n c ie n t w o r k s
in c o lle c t io n s in t h e W a s h in g -
t o n , D .o ., a r e a .
K S / W i c h i t a
Wichita Art Museum:
Innovation and Change: Great
Ceramics from the Ceramics
Research Center
t o J u n e 28
w i c h it a a r t m u s e u m .o r g
A t o u r in g e x h ib it io n o f 7 9 p ie c e s
fr o m th e A r i z o n a S t a t e U n iv e r -
s i t y A r t M u s e u m o f f e r s a p a n -
o r a m ic s u r v e y o f c la y ’ s p o te n tia l
a s a n e x p r e s s iv e a r t fo r m .
M D / B a lt im o r e
Baltimore Clayworks:
Ttshi Fujii: Lorinia Salter
Fellowship Exhibition
J u n e 2 7 - A u g . 1
b a lt im o r e c la y t y o r k s .o r g
F u j i i ’ s e x q u i s i t e ly c a r v e d p o r -
c e la in s e d u c e s w i t h o p u le n t ,
d e c a d e n t lu s t e r s .
