Thaddeus Wolfe
{{short description|American designer and artist (born 1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
Thaddeus Wolfe (born 1979) is an American designer and artist, known for his glass vessels, light fixtures, and wall-bound pieces made through a "unique molding process that combines one-of-a-kind plaster casts and expert glassblowing".{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/thaddeus-wolfe-glass-studio/all|title=Thaddeus Wolfe's Cutting Edge|last=Herriman|first=Kat|website=W Magazine|date=August 11, 2015 |access-date=17 April 2019}} His glasswork is multi-layered and highly textured, often incorporating brass and bronze. In 2016, Wolfe was awarded the Rakow Commission given every year by the Corning Museum of Glass.{{Cite web|url=https://contempglass.org/news/entry/thaddeus-wolfe-awarded-2016-corning-rakow-commission|title=Thaddeus Wolfe awarded 2016 Corning Rakow Commission {{!}} AACG|website=contempglass.org|access-date=18 April 2019}} Wolfe lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Early life and education
Wolfe was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio,{{Cite web|url=https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/exquisite-contradictions-thaddeus-wolfe|title=The Exquisite Contradictions of Thaddeus Wolfe|website=American Craft Council|access-date=17 April 2019}} a town known for its glass-rich culture.{{Cite web|url=http://ohiowins.com/glass-city/|title=Toledo is Nicknamed 'the Glass City'|date=June 1, 2016|website=OhioWins|access-date=17 April 2019}} He studied art and design with a focus in glass at the Cleveland Institute of Art where he received a BFA in 2002.{{Cite web|url=http://artdaily.com/news/91545/Corning-Museum-of-Glass-unveils-2016-Rakow-Commission-by-Thaddeus-Wolfe|title=Corning Museum of Glass unveils 2016 Rakow Commission by Thaddeus Wolfe|website=artdaily.com|access-date=17 April 2019}} After graduation, he moved to New York City where he apprentice with several notable glass artist, including Jeff Zimmerman and Josiah McElheny.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/glass-artists|title=Breaking the Mold|last=Khemsurov|first=Monica|website=W Magazine|date=May 13, 2015 |access-date=18 April 2019}} He established his own studio practice in 2009.{{Cite web|url=https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/exquisite-contradictions-thaddeus-wolfe|title=The Exquisite Contradictions of Thaddeus Wolfe|website=American Craft Council|access-date=18 April 2019}}
Career
Wolfe's began using clay as his original molding material but then started using Styrofoam which allows him to make more dimensional, dynamic, and angular constructions.{{Cite web|url=https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/exquisite-contradictions-thaddeus-wolfe|title=The Exquisite Contradictions of Thaddeus Wolfe|website=American Craft Council|access-date=18 April 2019}} His work uses traditional glassmaking techniques but his sculptures often don't end up looking like they are made of glass.
In his work, he incorporates human-made and organic structures: "I am interested in the organic deterioration of surfaces in my urban surroundings, Czech cubism, visual complexity in simple repeated structures in minerals, plants, and other natural phenomena, and recently poroid patterns in certain bracket-fungi (the undersides of shelf-like mushrooms). My goal is a synthesis of visual input/ideas from the natural and unnatural worlds into something more complex and abstract which does not necessarily reference any one specific thing".{{Cite web|url=https://www.sightunseen.com/designers/thaddeus-wolfe/|title=AMERICAN DESIGN HOT LIST 2014|website=Sight Unseen}}
His work has been exhibited at Corning Museum of Glass, E.R. Butler and Co., Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, Heller Gallery, R & Company, Matter, The South Street Seaport Museum, Volume Gallery, and Pierre Marie Giraud. He is represented by Volume gallery in Chicago and Pierre Marie Giraud in Brussels. His work has been collected at Musée des Arts Decoratifs de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, RISD Museum, Providence, RI.
References
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External links
- {{official|https://www.thaddeuswolfe.com/}}
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Category:American glass artists