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Robert A. Mickelsen Biography

 

 

Sharon ButlerArtist's Statement

I am primarily interested in the personal expression of ideas and feelings and how the resulting sculptures fit into the environment of our lives. I believe strongly in the uniqueness of my own vision and strive to express it in the purest and most honest way possible. This often means stepping completely away from the traditional forms that have always been associated with my chosen medium (glass) and embracing forms, materials, and techniques that are not only non-traditional, but even controversial. I believe in breaking rules to achieve what I want and revel in the disapproval this approach often generates. I identify myself less and less with the material and technique of glass and more and more simply with living the life of an artist, making work that fulfills my need to be creative.

The objects I create are narratives… personal vignettes that reveal the secrets of my innermost thoughts. These are often mysteries even to me until the creative process reveals them and so the work becomes a form of self-discovery. The work provides me with a path to understanding things that I otherwise would not be aware of and sharing them with others who can then identify those things within themselves.

Robert A. Mickelsen 2006

Brief Biography

Born in 1951 in Fort Belvoir , Virginia and raised in Honolulu , Hawaii , Robert's formal education ended after one year of college. He apprenticed with a professional lampworker for two years in the mid-seventies and then sold his own designs at outdoor craft fairs for ten years. In 1987 he took a class from Paul Stankard that opened his eyes to the possibilities of his medium. In 1989, he stopped doing craft shows and began marketing his work exclusively through galleries. Since then, his career has taken off. He shows his work in some of the finest galleries in the country and participates in prominent exhibitions each year. His work is exhibited in many prominent collections including the Renwick Gallery of American Crafts at the Smithsonian Institution, the Corning Museum of Glass, The Toledo Museum of Art, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Mint Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Village , and the Pilchuck Glass School .

He has taught extensively at the major glass schools including the Pilchuck Glass School , Penland School of Crafts, The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, and The Eugene Glass School. He has filmed and produced two videos on his flameworking process, and he has designed and maintains an elaborate web page dedicated to his own work and the galleries that represent him. He has published numerous technical and historical articles on flameworked glass. He served for six years on the board of directors of the Glass Art Society and was their treasurer and vice-president.

 

Resume

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

  • Early Education at Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii; Humboldt State University, California.
  • 2 Year Apprenticeship 1975-1976 Steven L. Sebaugh, Glass Impressions, Greeley, Colorado.
  • Lampworking Class at Penland from Paul Stankard 1987
  • Glassblowing Class at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass from Bill Gudenrath 1999, 2000

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: (selected)

  • The Corning Museum of Glass permanent collection
  • The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution - permanent collection
  • The Toledo Museum of Art - permanent collection
  • The Carnegie Museum of Art - permanent collection
  • The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC - permanent collection

TEACHING EXPERIENCE (selected)

  • Pilchuck Glass School - 1994, 1995, 2002
  • Flameworking workshops taught in home studio - Spring, Fall 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Frabel Studios - Atlanta, GA. - Workshop on color application. - July, 1997
  • Penland Crafts School - 1997
  • The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass - 1998, 1999, 2001
  • Urban Glass, Brooklyn, NY - 2000
  • Eugene Glass School - 2002, 2003, 2004

SPECIAL HONORS

  • Selected for inclusion in the 1993 Corning Museum of Glass New Glass Review, vol. 14
  • "Sangre del Iguanazul" goblet purchased by Corning Museum of Glass - 1993
  • Niche Awards 1995, 1996, 1997 - First Place - Non-functional Glass, Lampworking, Teapots
  • Selected for Annual Pilchuck Exhibit at Seattle-Tacoma Airport - 1995, 1996
  • Best of Category – Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show – 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003
  • Board of directors of The Glass Art Society - 1999 - 2005; Treasurer 2002 - 2003; Vice-President 2003 - 2004
  • Winner - ABCs of Glass - Mostly Glass Gallery - 1998
  • Selected for inclusion in the 1999 Corning Museum of Glass New Glass Review, vol. 20
  • “Organism Series - Carnivore” acquired by The Renwick Gallery for their permanent collection. 1999
  • “Organism Series - Alien ” acquired by The Toledo Art Museum for their permanent collection. 2003
  • “Organism Series - Nematocyst ” acquired by The Carnegie Art Museum for their permanent collection. 2003
  • Selected as special honoree by Salem Community College at their annual flameworking conference - 2005

SELECTED RETAIL AND WHOLESALE SHOWS

  • Buyer's Market of American Crafts - Philadelphia 1989 - 2001
  • The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
  • ACE Craft Show - Baltimore 1994 - 1995, 1998 - 2005
  • Smithsonian Craft Show - Washington DC 2005

PUBLISHED WORK

  • Glass Line - Volume 2, Number 6 - 1990 : Footprints
  • Glass Line - Volume 4, Number 4 - 1991 : Stand and Deliver
  • Glass Line - Volume 4, Number 5 - 1991 : Decorating with Shards
  • Glass Line - Volume 4, Number 6 - 1991 : Casing Glass for the Lampworker
  • Glass Line - Volume 5, Number 5 - 1992 : The Soft Touch : An Introduction
  • Glass Line - Volume 5, Number 6 - 1992 : The Soft Touch : Making Beads
  • Glass Line - Volume 5, Number 8 - 1992 : The Soft Touch : Basic Techniques
  • Glass Line - Volume 5, Number 9 - 1992 : The Soft Touch : Advanced Techniques
  • Glass Line - Volume 8, Number 6 - 1995 : Working with Northstar Borocolor Glass
  • Writes a regular feature column for both Glass Line and Common Ground: Glass on Flameworking.
  • Wrote and published a “web-book”, Mondo Fiamma - A Global Overview of Flameworked Glass Art with co- author Jennifer Frehling Zamboli.
  • Vetro Magazine - Volume 1, Number 0 - 1998 : A Brief History of Lampworking

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

  • Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition - 1992, 1993
  • Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA), Chicago, Illinois - 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • William Traver Gallery, Seattle WA : 17th Annual International Pilchuck Exhibition - 1994
  • Habatat Gallery, Pontiac Michigan : International Lampworked Glass Exhibition - 1994
  • Glass Lover’s Weekend, Wheaton Village, Millville, New Jersey - 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003
  • Belvetro - Miami Beach, Florida - Solo Show - 1995, 1997
  • Sculptural Objects and Functional Art (SOFA), Miami Beach, Florida - 1996, 1997
  • Society for Arts and Crafts - Boston, Massachusetts - Out of the Flame - 1996
  • Gallery Lara - Chicago, Illinois - Solo Show - 1996
  • Craft Alliance - St. Louis, Missouri - Survey: Flameworking ‘97
  • Miller Gallery - New York City, New York - Flameworking Show - 1997, 1999
  • Vespermann Gallery - Atlanta, Georgia - Solo Show - 1997
  • Philabaum Glass Gallery - Tucson, Arizona - Regions of the Flame - 1997
  • Tucson Art Museum - Tucson Arizona - Calido! - 1997
  • Miller Gallery - New York City, New York - Figurative Show - 1997, 1998, 1999
  • Habatat Gallery - Pontiac, Michigan - International Glass Invitational - 1998
  • Mostly Glass - Englewood, New Jersey - Toffolo/Mickelsen - Ethereal Glass I, II – 1998, 2000
  • Center of the Earth - Charlotte, North Carolina - VISTAS IV - A Glass Invitational - 1998, 1999
  • Stones Gallery - San Francisco, California - Dreamscapes in Glass - Flamework Invitational - 1998
  • Wheaton Village - Millville, NJ - The Human Form in Allegory, Metaphor, and Myth - 1998
  • Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery - Pittsburgh, PA - Flameworking Show - 1998
  • Cool Arts at The Gallery - Corning, New York - Solo Show – 1998, 2001
  • Habatat Gallery - Boca Raton, Florida - International Invitational Show - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • ERL Originals - Winston-Salem, North Carolina - Solo show – 1999, 2001
  • Gallerie Dorita - Atlanta, Georgia - Joint Show with Cesare Toffolo - 1999
  • Kane-Marie Gallery, Virginia Beach, Virginia - Solo show - 1999
  • Contemporary Museum of Art at First Hawaiian Center - Honolulu, Hawaii - Solo Show – 2000
  • Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida – Solo Show - 2001
  • Mostly Glass Gallery, Englewood, NJ - Solo Show - 2004
  • Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida – Group Show with Paul Stankard, Kari Russell-Pool, and Janis Miltenberger - 2005

 

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