If money was not an issue, and your home decor was determined exclusively by your aesthetic sensibilities, what would you display? Take a glimpse into private glass art collections in Toledo, and nationwide, during the Toledo Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibit, Hot Spot: Contemporary Glass from Private Collections, opening Friday, April 15.
Hitting home
As the curator of glass and decorative art at the Toledo Museum of Art, Jutta Page has a daunting task— curating the museum’s significant, time-tested works for educational benefit. “As museum curators, we have to be rational,” admitted Page. “[When purchasing works] I have to keep the overall development of the collection and the history of glass in mind, as well as our general art collection.
“Private collectors have the benefit of simply buying what they intuitively like,” explained Page, who has seen much fine glass work in private local collections during her past 13 years as a Toledo resident. “In putting this exhibition together, I tried to borrow works by artists who are not currently represented in the collection… so this exhibit is really enriching… and gives exposure to the local public. If we are looking at the exhibit thematically, it certainly holds together very nicely with quite a range of techniques, individual artists, and countries represented.”
A decade of discovery
Ten years ago, when the Glass Pavilion was built, Page began curating the objects that would move into the Glass Pavilion. “Whenever you are reinstalling works of art and you’re making connections slightly differently, the works look new to the viewer,” said Page. “That certainly will be the case for Hot Spot.”
Instead of moving a work from one museum gallery to the next, Page must now consider the placement of works from a private collector’s home into a public gallery.
“In the private home of individuals, these works have a very different context. When they are moved to a professional gallery setting, they will have a very different appeal and look… They’ll look new,” said Page.
Page has curated more than 80 contemporary glass objects to exhibit at the TMA before they go back home September 18.
Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion | 2445 Monroe St.
419-255-8000 | Toledomuseum.org