Livio Seguso (center) discusses Muranese glass history with Shane Fero (right) at his showroom. Lucia Santini, interpreter (left) is also pictured. Photo: Eddie Bernard
proximity to it, chose to go into a sculptural realm that did not symbolize anything of an objective nature. He rejected the Murano model of sculpting objects. Using glass with its own molten inherent nature and following what ”it” wanted to do with heat and gravity, instead of the other way around – this is truly unique and creative. Of course, it is more complicated than that, but isn't that what pioneers do? Also, I so enjoyed talking with Richard Meitner in Venice this year as he talked about producing forms from an idea or feeling he had versus depicting a known objective form. We also talked about quantum physics, university programs and other subjects which had major relevance to him. There are many more examples to discover when you go to the GAS website: www.glassart.org/gashistoryproject.html The Oral History Interviews are so important to understanding the pioneering individuals that influenced the development of Studio Glass and their relationships to art and our community. GN: What are you looking forward to as this project develops? SF: In terms of developing the project, it would be even better if we could find a format for interviewing more people from around the world. Ideally, our process
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could be developed with the same level of professionalism, without the need to be physically there. The Corning Museum is doing interviews with their own slant on interviews, which has equal value, but with less emphasis on GAS. Documentation is so important as there is erroneous and misleading information out there on the history of Studio Glass based on myopic or biased views (not to mention ego-based self-promotion). Historians rewrite history as we get further from the true sources and people who have participated in these developments. I believe that we can avoid this with the larger, more inclusive view while continuing our accumulation of more information. The greatest way for the History Project to move forward is exposure within the glass community and beyond. I would like for more people to access the interviews and listen to the stories that people have to tell. They are not only informative, but inspiring to anyone developing their own career. These interviews provide so much insight into the history, personal struggles, and collective knowledge of our development of the glass arts. Shane Fero is a studio artist and educator who has exhibited, lectured, and taught in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Fero is a past-President of the Glass Art Society.
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