Walter Lieberman: Are you the guy who does the chalk drawings in the Hot Shop?
鈥淔or me, drawing has always been the most fundamental way of engaging the world. I鈥檓 convinced that it is only through drawing that I actually look at things carefully. The act of drawing makes me conscious of what I鈥檓 looking at. If I wasn鈥檛 drawing, I sense that I would not be seeing.鈥� - Milton Glaser
In traditional glassblowing, it is common for artists to make chalk drawings on a hot shop floor to serve as guides to the glassblowers for the exact look of the final piece. For many, this is a crucial part of the process. It is a way to map out the methods they will use, consider composition, and lock in the overall design.
World-renowned illustrator Walter Lieberman has provided a unique layer of artistry and education to Museum of Glass as Hot Shop Emcee for over a decade. Lieberman takes the practical tradition of floor chalk drawings to a new level 鈥� using his detailed, instructive sketches to educate and engage the public and share the intricate techniques being used by the glassblowers. These works of art allow audiences to better follow along with the glassblowing process. His art is often a live demonstration, mirroring the Hot Shop Team鈥檚 work, with chalk as his medium.
Lieberman鈥檚 drawings don鈥檛 just explain the process 鈥� they bring it to life, acting as visual performances that parallel the live glassblowing demonstrations. This exhibition views his chalk drawings as artworks in their own right. Like ephemeral chalk outlines left on the floor, they hint at the artistry and effort of each day鈥檚 work in the Hot Shop, remaining as faint reminders after the pieces are complete. In this new gallery context, his drawings are paired with the glass objects whose process they once recorded, reversing the drawings鈥� original purpose. Now, the glass objects illustrate Lieberman鈥檚 works, giving them the spotlight as art pieces and lasting evidence of the craft they served to explain.
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鈥淔or me, drawing has always been the most fundamental way of engaging the world. I鈥檓 convinced that it is only through drawing that I actually look at things carefully. The act of drawing makes me conscious of what I鈥檓 looking at. If I wasn鈥檛 drawing, I sense that I would not be seeing.鈥� - Milton Glaser
In traditional glassblowing, it is common for artists to make chalk drawings on a hot shop floor to serve as guides to the glassblowers for the exact look of the final piece. For many, this is a crucial part of the process. It is a way to map out the methods they will use, consider composition, and lock in the overall design.
World-renowned illustrator Walter Lieberman has provided a unique layer of artistry and education to Museum of Glass as Hot Shop Emcee for over a decade. Lieberman takes the practical tradition of floor chalk drawings to a new level 鈥� using his detailed, instructive sketches to educate and engage the public and share the intricate techniques being used by the glassblowers. These works of art allow audiences to better follow along with the glassblowing process. His art is often a live demonstration, mirroring the Hot Shop Team鈥檚 work, with chalk as his medium.
Lieberman鈥檚 drawings don鈥檛 just explain the process 鈥� they bring it to life, acting as visual performances that parallel the live glassblowing demonstrations. This exhibition views his chalk drawings as artworks in their own right. Like ephemeral chalk outlines left on the floor, they hint at the artistry and effort of each day鈥檚 work in the Hot Shop, remaining as faint reminders after the pieces are complete. In this new gallery context, his drawings are paired with the glass objects whose process they once recorded, reversing the drawings鈥� original purpose. Now, the glass objects illustrate Lieberman鈥檚 works, giving them the spotlight as art pieces and lasting evidence of the craft they served to explain.
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