Robyn Townsend and I have ferried our way back to the States for round two in Washington DC. This time we will be spending two weeks working as artists in residence at the Washington Glass Studio. So far we’ve met many of the artists in neighboring studios, Flux, and Red Dirt, and seen some really inspiring works. We’ve spent that last two days making lots of waxes and moulds, so watch this space to see how things turn out!
Glass work inspired by the image of the Goddess 
celebrated by different cultures over thousands of years created by a Sunderland graduate is going on show in Austria.
University of Sunderland graduate Criss Chaney’s work is to be placed on display in Austria as part of a solo exhibition lasting two months.
Based at the Museum Humanum in Fratres from August 24 until October, the public will be able to come and celebrate “The Year of the Woman” in glass art form.
Criss’s work is on show at the 2013 Kulturbrücke Festival in Austria that will concentrate on human experience, spirituality and the subconscious. Artwork will look at the past and the different cultures in which humans have felt the need to create religions, spiritual practices, and art to express their subjective and intuitive experiences.
Criss said: “Most of my inspiration comes from Goddess figurines, it’s a theme that reappears again and again in all cultures across the world. I’m not really trying to portray anything to the public, I just hope they like it and it can be a starting point for discussion around the intersections of religion, spirituality and science and how they can be reconciled with each other in today’s world.”
The internationally acclaimed glass artist has exhibited extensively in the UK, Europe and the United States since graduating in Glass, Architectural Glass, and Ceramics from the University of Sunderland in 2006.
The exhibition is a double act of Sunderland graduates with Helma Rud who is organising the event also a former student at the University.
Criss explains: “Helma is a long time friend of mine, we studied together back in 2005-2006 and she is a well known Austrian artist in her own right. She had an exhibition at the Museum a few years ago, and while working on that she presented my work to its owner Peter Coreth, from that I was invited to submit a proposal.
“She has only recently moved back to Austria and became involved in the Kulturbruecke, so they assigned her to be my curator, which has been such great news as I don’t know how I could have done it without her. I hope to pass on the good fortune to anothe
r of my Sunderland colleagues and hopefully we can really start creating a cultural exchange between the two regions.”
All the artworks will be on sale, for more information about the exhibition, please visit: https://crisschaney.wordpress.com/, or contact criss@crisschaney.com.
Written by Dan White, Originally published on Monday 19th August 2013 (http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/newsevents/news/news/index.php?nid=2329)
Acclaimed Austrian author Peter Turrini will be paying my exhibition a visit! This Saturday the Kulturbruecke Fratres is hosting a special event ‘Turrini Liest Turrini’ whereby Turrini will be reading a selection of his work. Visitors for the day will be able to view the Museum and Exhibition before sitting down to enjoy a reading of one of his powerful works. Its sure to be an engaging and enlightening evening.
The event will be held on September 7th, and the reading starts promptly at 6pm. Come early to view the grounds, museum and gallery. For more information visit the Kulturbruecke’s website and facebook page.
Criss Chaney Glass Art 