for this years GAS conference in Louisville, Kentucky i will be showing some stuff in a coupe exhibitions -"melting the cultural fringe" at Glassworks, and one at The Green Building with Ken Moore.

this spring i will be heading up to Rochester New York where i will be the artist in residence at Rochester Institute of Technology's glass programme.

i'm pretty excited to see the friends i have there and spend some time in the studio with them making new work in a new environment.

i'm looking forward to seeing the inner workings of the Glass Guild, which has enabled many students from the glass programme to travel each year to GAS and other glass conferences.

plus, i'll get to see the thesis show of my friend Beccy Feather and an exhibition of Kristin Deady's work as well.

if it's cold, i'll be in the hotshop...

this summer, in gloriously humid Wisconsin August, i will have the opportunity to undertake an overwhelming sculpture installation at the Racine Art Museum.

each year they invite an artist to fill their south facing wall of windows with sculptural work. there are 6 windows, each 10 feet high and 13 feet wide. in all the installation will span nearly 80 feet in length!

i am currently going in several new directions with the trash, given this incredible opportunity to expand the scale of the work.

the big opening will take place August 6th, 2010 with a gallery talk the next evening. the installation will be in place until the end of July 2011, with a modification of the installation taking place in March of 2011 to change things up.

better get to work.

luckily my trip to Turkey in May of 2010 has been postponed until October. i will be traveling to Turkey to take part in the "Camgeran 2010: Applied Glass Symposium with International Participation".

the symposium has quite an interesting array of topics it will be covering. these include:

"scientific and applied researches to develop and evaluate the technological applications, methods of shaping, artistic aspects, and education methods that differ or meet in the determination of the 'traditional' and the 'contemporary'."

"presently we are continuing a living surrounded by the material glass. from the most simple from to the production of the most developed technical instruments: glass has become a most common material in our daily lives"

"the aim of the Applied Glass Symposium is to create a suitable platform to discuss the problems of glass art and to bring people as "freeland artists", "artists-academics", and industrial producers together and provide an environment of working and sharing."

amazing. i'm real curious to see what transpires throught the connection of these differing factions within the facets of glass production that are out there today..

from what i can tell i will be traveling to Anadolu University in Eskisehir, Turkiye where i will give a lecture during the symposium and teach a workshop as well.

from there i will travel with the symposium to Nazarkoy Village to visit a factory where tiny seed-beads have been made since the 1950's. then we will travel to Selcuk-Efes a city of significant religious histories. then on to the city of Denizli where we will visit the Isecam Glass Factory and see the workings of the operations that produce hand-blown glass objects in the heritage dating back 5,000 years.

another jaunt will take us to Antalya to visit the ancient cities of Andrsan-Olympos and Phaselis.

wow. incredible!

"A Survey of Contemporary Flamework 2010" is an exhibition that Carmen Lozar is curating for the Merwin Gallery at Wesleyan University in Illinios. the exhibition will run from January 12th through February 4th. i am honoured to show my work with Carmen and the many talented makers of glass that she has chosen for this exhibition.

check out this PDF of the exhibit and keep up on some of the happenings in glass at the GlassQuarterly blog..

this winter i will have the great fortune to return to to Japan. while there i will be demonstrating and teaching with the help of my friend Yuko Kuwahara. she is hosting a few classes at her studio in Nagoya in addition to other courses and demos at various locations throughout Japan including the Glass Mouse in Tokyo.

here's the schedule:

January 23rd = demonstration in Nagoya
January 25th - 29th = 5 day beginner workshop at Yuko's studio, Zackri House, in Nagoya

February 6th = demonstration in Osaka
February 13th = demonstration in Tokyo @ Glass Mouse Studio
February 14th + 15th = workshop in Tokyo @ Glass Mouse Studio
February 19th = demo in Nagoya @ Zackri House Studio
February 23rd + 24rd = beginner workshop in Nagoya @ Zackri House Studio
February 25th + 26th = advanced workshop in Nagoya @ Zackri House Studio

i am thrilled to have this opportunity and looking very much forward to meeting all the students!

instead of crappy Pittsburgh grey, i think i'll go to Japan and see my beautiful girlfriend Katie!! maybe i'll stay for 3 months..

yeah, that sounds real nice. i'm doin it then.

this year i was honoured to hear that the womens committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show chose to use an image of my work for the cover of the craft show booklet. the image is of the piece i have in the collection of the museum which was acquired in 2007.

ten years after....

in the fall of 2009 i will be teaching the concentration in flamework at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. the fall concentration is an in-depth course running 5 days a week for 8 weeks. my good friend Theo Keller will be my assistant. i met him ten years ago when He and i took Emilio Santini's concentration at Penland.
Theo has a successful wholesale business producing flameworked glass ornaments and vessels. He has exhibited with Rosen and the ACC for the last 6 years and has had work in over 100 galleries throughout that time. He and i will bring everything we can to the table to fullfill the students and give them the best breadth of experience possible.

Emilio Santini and Paul Stankard will be visiting artists, as well as a yet to be announced surprise visiting artist...
here is a rough outline of what the class will offer:


COURSE SYLLABUS
WEEKS 1-3

discussions on the disciplines, lineage, and histories of glass
introduction to glass chemistry, torches, tools, and equipment
demonstrations, hands-on practice, and short assignments in the handling of clear rod and tubing
demonstrations and short assignments utilizing colour in decoration

COURSE SYLLABUS
ONGOING
demonstrations and short assignments practicing advancing technical challenges
debates/discussion on the contemporary state of flameworking
discussions on various ways to arrange a studio and ergonomics of the studio:
demo's, lectures, and slide shows from teachers, assistants, and visiting artists.
-Shane Fero -Emilio Santini -Paul Stankard

field trips to surrounding studios, galleries, museums.
-Shane Fero -Energy Exchange -Harvey Littleton -Blue Spiral
access to teacher handouts and lists of pertinent periodicals, dvd's, manufacture and wholesale catalogs & other reference materials

COURSE SYLLABUS
WEEK 8

prepare, manage, and host a small exhibition of work
-lighting -display -lecture/slide show -critique/question and answer



-----------------------------------------------------

for five days in September Chris McElroy, Kaori Koike, and myself will be the artists in residence at the Studio of Corning Museum of Glass. this is the debut of a new Instructor Collaboritive Residency where any person who has taught at Corning in the last 5 years was eligible to apply to bring two people of their choice to utilize the Corning studios, equipment, and staff to collaborate on a body of work.

the residency will run from September 14th to the 19th. we're pretty excited about it, here is some info on Chris an Kaori and the proposal for the residency:

Kaori's work inspires me to see beyond the material and process into the narrative of her figures and the human relations they address. I see a resemblance in her unique approach to the technique she practices that reminds me of Picasso's pen and ink figures. It interests me very much to explore a more decidedly connected interplay between her aesthetic and Picasso's.

Chris's work in kinetic sculpture strikes a cord with me in it's attention to engineering and composition. I find appealing his work's commentaries on structure, strength, support, balance, hesitation, limited endurance, failure, and death. I would be excited to delve into tangents of his flameworking concepts and to see what other mediums find their way into the work.

My current series of work deals with many social, psychological, and economic aspects surrounding consumer waste. The antagonist in me can't resist using age-old craft disciplines merely to imitate an item which is mass produced in seconds all around the world on a daily basis. The response of the viewer to the futility of water bottles or aluminum cans painstakingly handmade from glass propels my realizations that modern society is far too reliant on, and blind to the convenient trappings of capitalism. The over consumption of material goods and the futility of rampant economic activity are concepts from my current body of work that I want to bring to the residency.

In this residency I am interested in pursuing a glass object that does not have as it's motive selfish beauty; Glass that would act as a devils advocate to glamour, clarity, shine, decor, and tradition. The glass may only be the catalyst for another visual experience. Or it may only serve a minute mechanical purpose, or serve only the purpose of pointing out it's purposelessness.

Work created during the residency would consist of flameworked elements varying greatly in scale from miniscule to human in stature. Blown forms and meshes of thin sculpted rods would be assembled with a leaning towards kinetic movement and visual experience. any other mediums that deem themselves appropriate to the concept at hand would be included.


--------------------------------------------------

this August i will have a small grouping of my work in a show titled "yummy" at The Matchbox Gallery @ Junction view Studios in Columbus Ohio.

the opening is from 6pm to midnight on August 14th, with the show running through September 13th. check it out, yo's

from August 23rd - September 5th i will be teaching a workshop at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass. this will be a 2-week class covering my basic approach to flamework utilizing points, jacks, and diamond shears.

Corning is an amazing mecca for glass, offering the Museum of Glass, the Studios, and the Rakow Library. the town is about 5 minutes wide with enough restaurants and taverns to get your fill.. come check it out and be a part of the international glass scene!


----------------------------------------------------

during the week of August 17th through the 22nd Tom Doner will be hosting 100 or so flameworkers for the 9th annual Art Glass Invitational at the Glass Blowing Center in Hilliards, PA.

this is must attend event in the flameworking diaspora. this year i will be demonstrating for the 4th consecutive year and plan to make something a bit different from anything i've done there yet...

also, this year the recycling programme will be signifigantly improved. i will have a small structure which will act as a transfer station for waste from the event. i will have TeamTrash there to help divide and conquer the crap we generate that weekend. the characters as follows: Matt: "TrashHoss" Jazz: "Trashizzle", Jon: "TracKSuitTrash", Becky: "EuroTrash", and Kristen: "Trashed!"

in addition to the recycling, TeamTrash will be providing reusable plates, forks, knives, & spoons and clothe napkins. each person will hang on to their particular service the whole weekend. there will be enough water there to give your stuff a rinse every now and again.


-------------------------------------------------------------

on the 15th or 16th of August (TBA) i will be hosting a 1-day workshop at my studio at the Brewhouse in Pittsburgh, PA. this will be timed to take place just before AGI, which is just over an hour North of my place.

i will be going over the basic approach i have to flameworking, using points, jacks, and diamond shears. the day will be filled with demonstrations where i'll talk through my process at length and make items in accordance with students wishes. there will be a small amount of torch time for the students, time allowing. each student will leave with a demo piece or a piece of trash for their collection.

we'll have a slide lecture in the evening accompanied by a home-cooked meal made mostly from the produce of a local Amish farmer. He produces all organic veggies, grass fed beef and lamb, free range chickens and their eggs, and is involved with a co-op to produce grass fed cheeses from several farmers' cows. wine, beer, or what-have-you will be included as well.

cost is $200 per person, limited to 4 peeps. contact me at matteskuche@gmail.com to RSVP


----------------------------------------------

on the 15th of August the Brewhouse Association, where i live and work, will be having it's annual openhouse. we will have performances of music and puppetry, a member exhibition in our gallery, and a renegade light installation by the Society for the Preservation of the Missionary Position... there will be refreshments and light fare and many of the members will have their studios open to the public.

i will have my studio open with drinkies and be giving short demonstrations of my craft in between bites of avocado, sweet chili sauce, and soft cheeses..


--------------------------------------------

with much gratitude i'll be heading out to Corning for a couple days in July as a visiting artist for Paul Stankard's class. this guy is great, and i'll just do whatever it is He wants me to do.


------------------------------------

this summer in July i will heading out to Vancouver British Columbia again for the 2nd annual Great Canadian Glass Gathering.
it'll take place in the absolutely gorgeous country a bit North of Whistler from July 24th - 26th.

i will be giving demonstrations, formal and informal, with the possibility of a workshop in there as well. really good peoples and a really good time.


------------------------------------

in July i will be exhibiting with Habatat Gallery Chicago at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center. the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is helping to host the exhibition: GlassWeekend, an International Symposium and Exhibition of Contemporary Glass, which will take place from July 17th - 19th, 2009.

Since 1985, GlassWeekend, a biennial event, has brought together the world’s leading glass artists, collectors, galleries, and museum curators for a three-day weekend of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on glassmaking, artists, demonstrations and social events.


----------------------------------------------

this summer i'll be demonstrating again at the Glass Art Society conference in Corning, New York. the conference runs from June 11th - 13th, 2009 and will host tons of informative lectures and thrilling demos, especially mine! i will be making as many pieces of trash as possible and then treating them the same as we as a collective people treat our earth... come check it out.

it''ll be taking place in the flameworking studio, at The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, bright and early Friday morning at 8am ...climaxing at 9:30 or so.


-------------------------------

in May i'll be teaching a 3-day workshop at Austin Flameworks in Austin, TX. the class will be centered around an approach to flameworking through the use of points, jacks, and diamond shears. we'll cover basic shaping, encalmo, and some odds and ends. if i'm lucky i'll get to pick up a couple tricks from Mr. Salt.


-----------------------------------------------------

on April 18th at 6:30pm i'll be demonstrating my craft at the "Out of Hand" Gala Auction at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. i'll be making soda cans and a Sprite brand plastic type soda bottle to compliment the silent auction grouping that will be available that evening.


------------------------------------

this spring i'll be exhibiting with Habatat Gallery Chicago for the SOFA New York exposition. the show is located in the Park Avenue Armory in midtown Manhattan, opening on the 15th of March and running through that weekend. i'll have 5 sculptures on display, but unfortunately won't be able to attend the show.


---------------------------------------

this year i'll be demonstrating again at the Salem Community College's International Flameworking Conference in Carney's point, New Jersey. i'll be making a couple gala auction type 4oz. cocktail glasses with ice cubes and straws.

Paul Stankard will proceed to break them and then claim he will owe me an 8" sphere as consolation. it's recorded on video so i can cash in later..


---------------------------

in March i'll be teaching a short workshops with my friends in the glass programme at Rochester Institute of Technology: School for American Crafts. we'll be going over the basics of approach to flameworking and working on cheap beers.

make sure you check out what they do for the glass programme through their glass guild and def get the scoop on Ultra Shiny...


--------------------------------------------

on March 14, 2009 Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is hosting "Red Hot! A Fiery Cocktail Fundraiser Celebrating Hot Glass" in celebration of the closing weekend of "Hot Glass, Cool Collections" and "Environments = Form + Space".

Guests will enjoy glass demos by featured artists, Paul Stankard and Matt Eskuche; hot ‘n’ spicy entertainment; a mojito bar; bites by Ruggles Green; “soular” grooves by DJ Sun; a cash raffle and live auction featuring the work of many sought after glass artists.


-----------------------------------------------------

The Society for Contemporary Craft will host a lecture/panel discussion on March 12, 2009 at 7pm titled "art and the environment". it will be led by Lori Beck, the director and founding member of Ohio Valley Creative Energy, myself, and Anny YuShan Huang, PhD candidate in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

my lecture will focus on the influences and ideals that drive my current body of work. Lori and Anny will focus their lectures on utilizing methane from a landfill to power art studios and educational centers and the on the history and life cycle of the single-use beverage container.


---------------------------------------------------

the opening for my first solo show, "Dollar Menu" will take place at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in the Distillery District of Toronto on February 7th, 2009.
i will have 15 of my large scale sculptures on display in the 1,200 square foot front of the gallery dedicated to solo shows. i will also have a limited edition series of 10 small sculptures in one of the vaults located in the middle of the gallery.
a slide lecture with hors' d orderves and refreshments will take place on the opening night at 7pm.


---------------------------------------------

this January i will have the chance to realize a large scale, multi media installation, "the united state of America, life liberty and the pursuit of crappiness" at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh.
i will have my glass and paper trash installed in the SCC's exhibition space, Eat: an art space about food. the exhibition opens January 18th and runs through August 29th, 2009.

the installation will start with only a few pieces of trash and build slowly, accumulating more and more trash throughout the duration of the exhibition. there will also be a lecture on March 12th, 2009 focusing on the ideas surrounding the work and the history and lifecycle of single-use beverage containers.


----------------------------------------------

i'll be exhibiting my work at the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts from December 13th, 2008 through March 15th, 2009.
"Environments = Form + Space" is curated by Gweynn Rukenbrod and features installations by myself, Amy Rueffert, and Pablo Soto.


-----------------------------