Hawk Galleries in Columbus is celebrating a Toledo family's legacy etched in glass.
It is the story of two boys growing up in their parents' glass studio knowing that the throwing of balls absolutely must be done outside. Zach Schmidt became a graphic designer, and his brother, Ian, followed his parents, Shawn Messenger and Jack Schmidt, of Schmidt Messenger Studios, into the sandblasted path of their craft.
“Wherever Ian ends up, he seems to find a glass studio,” Jack Schmidt, 78, said.
IF YOU GO What: A Family Legacy in Glass exhibit
When: Through April 27
Where: Hawk Galleries, 153 E. Main St. in Columbus, open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
Cost: Free
Information: hawkgalleries.com Ian Schmidt is the creative director of glass and ceramics programs at the Workhouse Arts Center, a not-for-profit craft center, in Lorton, Va. His work, taking on the textures, forms, and colors from the natural world, and that of his parents can be viewed closer to home in A Family Legacy in Glass which is on view through April 27, at Hawk Galleries, 153 E. Main St. in Columbus.
“This is the first time Jack and Shawn have exhibited together with their son, Ian, who serves as the focal point of the exhibition, which celebrates the legacy of this artistically gifted family,” said Tom Hawk, owner of the gallery, which was established in 1986. “Each piece in this show is a representation of an artist's time and love for family and the craft of glass making.”
It was in a portion of a sprawling enclave of artists — encompassing four buildings at 340 Morris St. in Toledo that are connected by roofs and owned by the husband-and-wife team — that Ian Schmidt developed his earliest techniques and philosophies.
“As a biomorphic artist, I work towards making objects that speak to the natural world and a human experience within it,” he said.
Ian Schmidt remembers growing up with his brother in his parents’ studio — one of the longest-running private glass studios in northwest Ohio — as a unique experience and at the same time as very ordinary.
“I think because of my childhood and the unique nature of growing up in their studio I developed this way of speaking with glass. I could think through the material and when it came time for me to make my own pieces, that language began to flow out of me and I found my true passion in the arts,” he said.
Ian Schmidt says he is proud of how his family has been connected to Toledo for more than 100 years, and describes the city’s legacy as intermingled with that of his own family. That said, his own artistic path has diverged since he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of American Crafts.
“I saw all these other ways of working with glass, and I began to merge my concepts of vessel making with architecture,” he said. “I would say my pathway in glass differed in part because I was growing up in a time when technology was becoming prominent in our everyday lives.”
While his parents have worked independently for more than 40 years, he has spent a lot of time working in glass institutions, such as the Corning Museum of Glass.
“I think my experience in the glass world has been different in many ways because of how much you can interact with a global community of glass makers. Within this pathway, I have really explored the globe with my career in glass, and I think that exploration has begun to inform the work,” he said.
In A Family Legacy in Glass , Ian Schmidt’s methods can be seen as an outgrowth of his mother's delicately flowered murrine, or patterned glasswork, technique and the power of his father's stone-simulated sculptures, yet tweaked by his own explorations and techniques.
As the son’s glassblowing is finding new space, his parents say they are looking for their next transition that may not include running a studio, although glass will always be a component of their lives.
“Light gives glass a living component. It can scream with color, dance as a frozen liquid or be stoic and quiet,” said Jack Schmidt, who has always been focused on making things with his hands. “I believe I add strength and power to these characteristics by contrasting them with stainless steel and the earthy qualities of weathering mild or corten steel.”
His inspirations, ranging from the crash of a space shuttle to ancient cairns, fall from the end of his pencil into a sketchbook, he said. It may take as long as eight weeks to move an idea to its final creation.
“Occasionally I draw on the hot form (of the glass) with a fine thread of glass to create what might look like a crack or inclusion. The form is then sandblasted and etched to give it more of a stone-like quality,” said Jack Schmidt, who has spent much of his life as a gypsy scholar, teaching at schools such as the Cleveland Institute of Art, where his wife graduated in 1979.
Messenger's work dates back to a method used as far back as 4,000 years, which was revived by Venetian glassmakers in the 16th century.
“I would describe my work as impressionistic, inspired by flowers and gardens,” said Messenger, who acquired a grant from the Toledo Arts Commission to complete her portion of the exhibit at Hawk Galleries. “The challenge is to create something that can draw the viewer into my world and let them explore that beauty.”
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