06/06-10 Innovative Kilncasting: Merging Traditional Techniques with Digital Practices, with Norwood Viviano

June 6-10, 2024, 10am-5pm daily. CLASS IS LIMITED TO 8 STUDENTS.

Discover an innovative approach to kilncasting in this stimulating workshop with Norwood Viviano, where the allure of time-honored glasswork practice meets cutting-edge digital fabrication techniques. Delving into this course, we will immerse ourselves in an explorative fusion of 3D computer modeling, 3D printing, and rubber mold making with classic wax working and plaster investment methods.

As we journey through these blended techniques, participants from beginners to intermediate levels will gain a practical understanding of how to leverage digital tools to enrich their individual glasswork practice. Our focus will be on both imparting essential skills and encouraging exploration of how these pioneering digital methods can push the boundaries of traditional kilncasting.

Join us as we innovate, learn, and shape the future of kilncasting, bringing age-old craftsmanship into the 21st century.

PLEASE NOTE: Students will each need to bring a laptop to class to learn the software side of this process.  The software we will be using in the workshop is free.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Norwood Viviano's artistic oeuvre is a testament to the transformative forces of change. His expertise lies in harmonizing the traditional glass blowing and casting processes with advanced digital 3D computer modeling and printing technology. This symbiosis allows him to create poignant artworks that elucidate population shifts intricately linked to the dance between industry and community. His masterpieces offer a three-dimensional perspective on how landscapes and populations undergo metamorphosis under industrial influences, giving visibility to the unseen or easily overlooked.

Utilizing blown glass forms and precision-cut vinyl drawings, Viviano creates micro-models that reflect macro changes on a regional, national, and international scale. His evocative approach to art makes his work a dynamic commentary on societal transformations.

His groundbreaking installation, Cities: Departure & Deviation, was showcased at the esteemed 2014 Architecture Biennale in Venice. His art has been celebrated with solo exhibitions at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art, and featured in group exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery.

Viviano holds a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA in Sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. His profound impact on the art world is evident in the placement of his pieces in globally recognized collections, such as the Corning Museum of Glass, the deYoung Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Shanghai Museum of Glass, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, as well as numerous private collections.

Currently, Viviano imparts his deep understanding and passion for sculpture as an Associate Professor and Sculpture Program Coordinator at Grand Valley State University.

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