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OMCA Presents Exhibition Coinciding with 50th Anniversary of Studio Craft Glass in the United States

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The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) announces the presentation of a special exhibition celebrating the golden anniversary of the studio glass in the United States. Opening on October 27, 2012, and running through March 24, 2013, the exhibition Playing With Fire: Artists of the California Studio Glass Movement traces the evolution of studio glass in California from its

Presenting a total of 32 works of art that showcase the work of the movement’s early artists alongside the creations of some of the Bay Area’s top next-generation artists, the exhibition provides a sampling of studio glass in California. Tracing the impact of the California Studio Glass Movement from its beginnings, the exhibition features work by Marvin Lipofsky—a student of movement founder Harvey Littleton—who established the glass programs at U.C. Berkeley and the California College of Arts and Crafts, and Robert Fritz, another student of Littleton’s who founded the program at San Jose State University. In addition, contemporary works featured in the exhibition by artists such as Cassandra Straubing and Oben Abright reveal the more recent influences of place, landscape, and culture in California in glass art, including such themes as migrant labor and urban dynamics. A number of Liposky’s and Fritz’s students, such as Richard Marquis, Jay Musler, and Mary White—all of whom are now established artists in the Bay Area—are also featured in the exhibition, demonstrating the