Kathleen Mulcahy
I Am Water
September 06 - November 03, 2018
I Am Water
Press Release
Art becomes more necessary in a fast paced, social media and tech driven world. It can mean something more to a viewer when it speaks to one’s inner self. This is where we find the place to contemplate, reflect and recharge. Art has the power to rivet us to that moment, whether visual or through sound. When someone says – “that moved me to tears,” or “this work has replaced the air in the room,” or “it took my breath away,” they are speaking of the poetics of space. Art is about connecting the plane of beauty to the sublime. It is the window to that other dimension of stillness, slowing down between looking and experiencing. Art made with glass has that power. This work is the embodiment of all that came before, the trial and error, the techniques or invention, as it moves toward the idea of tranquility fully formed.
Kathleen Mulcahy’s glass panels imitate the look of liquid elements in nature. But there is nothing of nature’s seemingly random behavior in these compositions. Instead, Mulcahy simplifies the irregularity of organic shapes to create controlled arrangements. Her glass elements may be prompted by something observed in nature, but they have been refined to a purified geometric form. Works in this series involve hot-worked and flame-worked glass shapes attached to slumped and acid etched plate glass backed by a fabricated steel sheet.
A Leading Name in Glass Art
With a Masters of Fine Arts in glass sculpture and three-dimensional design from Alfred University, she directed glass art studio programs at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh then went on to develop the Pittsburgh Glass Center, one of the top public access glass studios in the nation. For which she was honored as Pennsylvania Artist of the Year in 2013. During this time, her own work — installation pieces, cast glass, blown glass objects — evolved into unique and poignant statements. Her glass works are in many public and private collections including the American Craft Museum, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Renwick Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution, and The Westmoreland Museum of Art. Mulcahy has won numerous awards including grants from the NEA, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and a Fulbright.
Glass Art at the Kim Foster Gallery
Here at the Kim Foster Gallery, we’re passionate about representing art and artists from a wide range of disciplines. That’s why we’re proud and thrilled to house the work of so many unique and one-of-a-kind artists. Throughout the years, we’ve discovered that glass art is one of our favorite art forms. As a medium, glass truly stands apart from the crowd—and nowhere is this truer than in the art of Kathleen Mulcahy. Countless art enthusiasts, creative minds, and lovers of culture have viewed and been inspired by the simple beauty, uniqueness, and lines of Kathleen’s work.
The Primal Form of a Drop
As Kathleen Mulcahy is known to say, “glass is the verb of my work revealed through the primal form of a drop.” She is inspired by the natural world around us and the role that water plays in nature. Rivers, lakes, and storms provide the raw inspiration and ideas that influence her glass water drop installations.
Want to Learn More?
Looking to take a deeper dive into the work of Kathleen Mulcahy? Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Kim Foster Gallery for more information about her work or the work of any artists in our gallery. We can also schedule a private viewing by appointment.
Biography
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2019 VERVE, Kim Foster Gallery, New York City
2018 I Am Water, Kim Foster Gallery, New York City
Art Miami CONTEXT 2018, Kim Foster booth, Miami, FL
Habitat Galleries, Sarasota, FL
2017 Making the Ordinary Extraordinary, Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA
Steady Flow of Cool and Hollowed Truths, Alfstad& Contemporary, Sarasota, FL
2016 Relief, Kim Foster Gallery, New York City
Westmoreland Museum “Opposites Attract: Kathleen Mulcahy and Sylvester Damianos” PA
Beauty in the Abstract: Artists Expressions in Glass, Long Boat Key Center for the Arts, Sarasota, Florida
44th Invitational Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan
Beauty in the Abstract, Habatat Galleries, Longboat Key Art Center, Florida
2015 Glass: A Delicate Balance, Kim Foster Gallery, New York
SOFA Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Chicago, Il
43rd Invitational Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan
Karen Echt Gallery Invitational, Chicago, Il
2014 42nd Invitational Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan
Karen Echt Gallery Invitational, Chicago, Il
2013 (not) Water, Kim Foster Gallery, New York
41th Invitational Glass Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan
SOFA Exhibition, Pismo Gallery, Chicago, Il
2012 SOFA Chicago, Pismo Gallery, Chicago, Il
40th Invitational Glass Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan
2011 Cycles and Symbols : Nature in Glass, Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Arts Cultural Center, Millville, NJ
New Work, Mendelson Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
2010 A Decade and Change, Borelli Edwards Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Perestroika, Selby Art Gallery, Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL
2009 A Matter of Form, Cohen Gallery, Alfred University, New York
2007 Viva Vetro! Glass Alive! Venice and America, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Truth/Beauty, Chautaugua Center for the Visual Arts. New York
Glassnost, Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh
Celebrating Connections: Contemporary Glass by Mid Atlantic Artists
Museum of American Glass, Millville, New Jersey
Set Design, The Sounds of A Voice, Philip Glass Opera, Pittsburgh Opera Theater, Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
2006 Truth/ Beauty, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pennsylvania
25th Anniversary Exhibition, The Glass Gallery, Bethesda, MD
2005 Masters of the Visual Arts, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Well Hung,Chandeliers Reviealed. Pittsburgh Glass Center
2003 New Work, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon
20/20, Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Village, New Jersey
2002 The Maxine and Bill Block Collection, Carnegie Museum of Art, ’03 Toledo Museum of Art
2001 Artist in Residence Exhibition, Artist Image Resource, Pittsburgh, PA
Hot & Cool: Contemporary Glass Works, traveling exhibition with catalog, 1999-2001
1998 Breathless: The Figure in Contemporary Glass, Art Center of Battle Creek, Michigan
1997 Transformations, Society for Contemporary Crafts, Pittsburgh
Parallel Visions, Christine Olson, curator, Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh
1995 Respect, Vicky Clark, curator. The Brew House. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Beyond the Third Dimension: Contemporary Pennsylvania Sculpture,
Passions, Kean College of New Jersey, Union, New Jersey
1994 Made in America, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland
Issues of Abstraction, Allegheny College Art Galleries, Meadville, Pennsylvania
Across Borders / Sin Fronteras, The Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, D.C
Revised Context, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon
1993 Contemporary Artists’ Series, State Museum of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg
Body of Work, Butters Gallery Ltd, Portland, Oregon
1993 Degrees of Abstraction, 925 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh. Curator, Vicky Clark
1992 Artist of the Year, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
COLLECTIONS
American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
American Eagle Outfitters Headquarters, Pittsburgh, PA
American Craft Museum, New York City
Bayer Corporation
Kean College of New Jersey, Union, NJ
City of Pittsburgh, Light Rail Transit
Deloitte and Touche Headquarters, Pittsburgh
Duquesne Light Corporate Headquarters, Pittsburgh
Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
Heinz History Center
Nova Chemicals inc.
State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg
Westinghouse Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County Museum of Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
The Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2016 Clark, Dr. Vicky A., A Fine Intoxication, Opposites Attract, Westmoreland Museum, PA
2010 Masters: Blown Glass, Lark Books, Sterling Publishing Co,
2009 Olson, Kristina, A Perestroika of Form, Perestroilka (n) Restructuring: The Glass Sculpture of Kathleen Mulcahy, Ron Desmett and Martin Prekop, Selby Gallery, Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Fl
2008 Melada, Geoffrey W., Together 24/7 Pittsburgh Magazine, February 2008
Krainak, Paul. GLASSNOST. Essay for Catalog, Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University Campus, Pittsburgh, PA
2007 Olson, Kristina, Kathleen Mulcahy and Ron Desmett. review of exhibition
Truth/Beauty, Pittsburgh Glass Center SCULPTURE Magazine. June
Kangas, Matthew and Susanne Frantz, Viva Vetro! Glass Alive! Venice and America, Curator, Sarah Nichols, published by Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tetkowski, Neil. Natural Forces Exhibition Brochure, Kean University
Olson, Kristina. Natural Forces Exhibition Brochure Essay, Kean University
Reiter, Burkhardt. Opera theater deftly fuses elements in ‘Sound of
Voice’ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 28, 2007
Thomas, Mary. ‘Glassnost’ at CMU gallery represents enlightened ideas. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 27
Todt, Ron. Exhibitions look through the ‘glass city’. Buffalo News. April 8
Kanny, Mark. Opera Theater mixes eras, cultures in ‘Voice’. Tribune Review. April 28
2006 O’Sullivan, Michael. A Show Full of Ideas, Washington Post, January 13, 2006
2004 Krainak, Paul. Artists Crossing Lines. SCULPTURE Magazine, January/February
Women in the Arts Profile, Glass Artist Kathleen Mulcahy Represents Woman in a New Language, Pennsylvania Commission for Women, Commonwealth of Women Publication
AWARD / HONORS
- 2013 Pennsylvania Artist of the Year, Governor’s Award for the Arts
- 2008-2009 Fine Foundation Award, Leadership Pittsburgh Year Long Study
- 2006 Speaker, The Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women, Pittsburgh
- 2005 International Glass Competition, Neus Glas Magazine, Frechen, Germany
- 1997 Artist in Residence, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
- 1996 Creative Achievement Award, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
- 1994 Mid Atlantic Arts Fellowship, Studio Access to Glass, Corning, NY
- 1993 Individual Artist Fellowship, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
- 1991-2003 Co-Founded the Pittsburgh Glass Center with Ron Desmett
- 1991 Masterworks Fellow, Creative Glass Center of America, Millville, New Jersey
- 1984 Fulbright, Lusk Memorial Award, Murano, Italy
- 1983 Individual Artist Fellowship, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
- 1981 Individual Artist Fellowship, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
- 1980 Visiting Artist, ArtPark, Lewiston, New York
- 1978 Invited Participant to the World Crafts Council, Kyoto Japan