MARK ABILDGAARD
Born March 2, 1957 in San Francisco, California
Resides: California
Glass and Steel Sculpture by Mark Abildgaard
In the summer of 2006 I spent two weeks teaching a kiln casting course at Pilchuck glass school in Stanwood Washington. During this time I was able to work with hot glass artists at the school who assisted me in creating blown glass pieces for a sculpture I had designed. I became very excited with the possibilities for combining glass forms with steel structures. I want to explore the potential for combining glass and steel in sculptures which can reach beyond the limitations of pieces made using glass alone. I also wanted to make the steel an integral part of each piece and not just a hidden structural element. I have found that this new body of work has opened up a wide range of environments for me to explore. I am very interested in finding ways to use this new combination of materials to create pieces which can be used in locations that are not restricted to a pedestal or table top. Glass has always seemed like a magical material for me because of the way it can dramatically interact with light. The combination of glass and steel create possibilities for these new sculptures which are truly endless.
Images (top and right): "Twister" + "Stringer" Blown glass, sandblasted. 2008. 16 x 14 x 14 cm
Education:
1983 M.F.A., University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
1979 B.A., San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Selected Exhibitions:
2008 Suspended Elements, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2007 Tribal Visions, Kuivato Gallery, Sedona, AZ
2006 Aquarium Invitational, Vespermann Gallery, Atlanta,GA
Made in California – Oakland Museum Café, Oakland,CA
2005 Offerings - Solo Exhibition, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Out of the Mold, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
Figure it Out, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
2004 GLASS - Conley Art Gallery, California State University, Fresno
2003 Casting Spirits - Kuivato Gallery, Sedona, AZ
20/20 Vision - CGCA Fellows Exhibition, Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ
Figurative Work in Clay and Glass, Gallery Alexander, La Jolla, CA
2002 Glass Sculpture - Solo Exhibition, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
A Figurative Show - Virginia Brier Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2001 Transmutations - Clay into Glass, Bullseye Connection Gallery, Portland,OR
The Figure, Carolyn Blake Gallery, Charleston, SC
2000 Glass Sculpture, Portia Gallery, Chicago, IL
1999 Glass Sculpture by Mark Abildgaard, The Rachael Collection, Aspen, CO
Figurative Glass Sculpture, The Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1998 Sculptural Perspectives for the New Millennium, The Leff Foundation, St. Helena, CA
1997 Calido! Contemporary Warm Glass, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
Glass, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Owensboro, KY
1996 Crocker - Kingsley Exhibition, The Crocker Museum, Sacramento, CA
1995 Light Interpretations: A Hanukah Menorah Invitational, The Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA
1994 GLASS, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
1993 Glass Invitational, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1991 West Coast Glass: A Survey of Contemporary Glass Artists, California Crafts Museum, San Francisco, CA
1990 American Glassmaking, The Corning Museum on Glass, Corning, NY
1989 A Seven Year Legacy - Fellows of the C.G.C.A., Grohe Glass Gallery, Boston, MA
1988 Taking Shape, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA
1986 Poetry of the Physical, American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Collections:
The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
The Fresno Museum of Art, Fresno, California
The Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia
The Wheaton Museum of American Glass, Millville, New Jersey
The Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saks Fifth Avenue, Corporate Collection, Phoenix, Arizona
Pacific Enterprises, Corporate Collection, Los Angeles, CA
Hawaii State Foundation of Culture and the Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii
The Persis Collection of Contemporary Art, Honolulu, Hawaii
The Saxe Collection, Private Collection, San Francisco, CA
Work Related Experience:
2007 Instructor, Kiln Casting Course - Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass,Corning New York
2006 Instructor, Kiln Casting: Basics and Beyond, Pilchuck School, Stanwood, WA
2005 - 08 Instructor, Kiln Casting Course, Red Deer College, Alberta, Canada
2003 - 07 Instructor, Kiln Casting Workshop, Masaoka Design Studio, Carmel Valley, CA
2002 Visiting Artist, Emporia State University, Emporia Kansas
2001 Instructor, Kiln Casting Class, The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass
Guest Artist, Master Casters Seminar, Bullseye Glass, Portland, Oregon
2000 Artist in Residence, Bullseye Glass Company, Portland, Oregon
Guest Instructor, Public Glass, San Francisco, California
1999 Instructor, The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
Guest Lecturer, Ohlone College, Fremont, California
Instructor, Kiln Casting Workshop, San Jose State, San Jose, California
1995 Guest Lecturer, Glasmuseum, Ebeltoft, Denmark
1994 Guest Lecturer, Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts Program, Washington DC
1986 Started North Star Glass Company, Davis , California
Lecturer, Sculpture Course, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
1985 Fellowship Recipient, Creative Glass Center of America, Millville, New Jersey
Visiting Artist, Sculpture Space, Utica, New York
1984 Resident Artist, Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Tokyo, Japan
