Contemporary American ceramic artist Richard Hirsch and glass artist Michael Rogers' Figure Sculpture was created in 2007. This sculpture is comprised of a cast glass head and a raku patinaed ceramic masher encapsulated in clear blown glass with a ceramic bottom resting on a separate ceramic base. The following text is an excerpt from an article that was published in Ceramics: Art and Perception, 2008 written by Scott Meyer about their collaborative work; "It is of no small importance that the artists share a “craft medium” heritage. Both clay and glass have their roots in utility and place high value on process and careful manipulation. The grace with which parts make up the whole is fundamental to the production of art in craft media. Further, the fabrication of work in clay and glass historically has involved more than one solitary artist. Furnaces, kilns, and the sheer physicality of the material often foster the formulation of teams gathered around common production goals. While a climate of mutual regard and shared ideas in a creative process is not the sole province of craft media, these qualities are essential for collaborative work." All works by Richard Hirsch and Michael Rogers are accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity from the artists. This sculpture ships directly from the artist’s studio in Rochester, NY.
(Literature: "With Fire: Richard Hirsch, A Life Between Chance and Design", Scott Meyer (Author), RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press 2012 - "Outside In, Collaboration" pgs. 106 - 121, similar sculpture pictured on pg. 111 / Exhibition catalog - "Recollections : Richard Hirsch, Michael Rogers" Richard Hirsch - artist, Michael Rogers - artist, Dr. Scott Meyer, Pittsburgh Glass Center - host institution (authors), Pittsburgh Glass Center 2008 - similar sculpture pictured on pg. 11)
Richard Hirsch Brief Bio:
In the field of contemporary ceramic, Rick Hirsch has earned an international reputation. He has achieved this recognition by engaging in numerous diversified professional activities. Through efforts in university teaching, exhibits, writing, lecturing and researching he has risen to worldwide prominence.
In 1975, Hirsch co-authored a book entitled Raku, published by Watson-Guptill. This was the first comprehensive text to address the new innovations developing in the west that were transforming traditional Japanese Raku. Also, in the same year, Hirsch became a founding faculty member of The Program in Artistry at Boston University. Currently, Hirsch is a Professor Emeritus at The School for American Crafts which is a part of Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. His university teaching career now spans well over four decades.
Repeatedly, Hirsch has participated in several milestone exhibitions and publications. Significant shows include; The Evolution of American Art in Craft Media Since 1945; Echoes: Historical References in Contemporary Ceramics; American Ceramics Now; Raku: Origins, Impact and Contemporary Expression; and Convergences: The Presence of the Past in Contemporary American Ceramics.
Frequently his work appears in book and magazine publications, such as; Overseas Contemporary Ceramic Art Classics by Baiming, China; Raku Investigations into Fire by David Jones, England; The History of American Ceramics from 1607 to the Present by Elaine Levin, New York; World Contemporary Ceramics by Baiming, China; and Firing, Philosophies within Contemporary Ceramic Practice by David Jones, England.
Several museums have included his work for their permanent collections. These include; The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta; The Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; The Taipei County Yinko Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan; and the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada.
In 1984, Hirsch was elected as a permanent member of The International Ceramics Academy, a worldwide organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. A recipient of a William J. Fulbright Research Scholar Award in 2002, Hirsch has also received several Individual Artists Grants. Most recently he was honored by The Rochester Institute of Technology, with the Board of Trustees' Outstanding Scholarship Award. Recently Hirsch collaborated with Dr. Scott Meyer on his biography, the book is entitled With Fire: Richard Hirsch and is published by The Cary Graphic Arts Press at RIT, ISBN-13: 978-1-933360-97-3.
Amid the ever-shifting sands of change and new trends that is prevalent in contemporary ceramics, Richard Hirsch has maintained his steadfast personal aesthetic and continues to make a significant contribution to his field.
Michael Roger Brief Bio:
Michael Rogers is Professor Emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Crafts. Previously he had taught at Aichi University of Education in Japan for eleven years. He maintains his studios in upstate New York as well as in Riga, Latvia. Michael travels and exhibits internationally and considers travel an essential aspect of his artistic practice.
Current exhibitions include “The Voice of Glass Collaborative” at the Latvian National Museum in Riga, Latvia, “Current Realities” at LEVANT Gallery in Shanghai, China, “Knowing, Seeing, Painting”, Boda Glass Factory Museum in Sweden, and “Permeable Structures”, The Byre Project, Bullseye Projects, Latheronwheel, Scotland.
Permanent collections include, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, L’viv National Museum, L’viv, Ukraine,
Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey, Mexico, First Contemporary Glass Museum, Madrid, Spain, Suntory Museum, Tokyo, Japan, and
Glasmuseum, Ebeltoft, Denmark.
