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The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis opens an exhibition focused on women glass artists on Feb. 1 but is now just glass on display. The show, Fluidity: Identity in Swedish Glass, invites viewers to immerse themselves in a sensory experience of light, color, sound, and intricate art glass—all set within a darkened gallery complete with meditative soundscapes.
The exhibition is the U.S. premiere of Swedish artist Jo Andersson’s “Being,” an immersive glass experience in which visitors engage with each object to create intricate light mosaics. Make sure you bring your smart phone. Using light from the phone, you can “connect” with the gallery, the artwork, and each other. According to Andersson, “‘Being’ is an installation intended to bring individuals into the present moment, a safe space where viewers can lose themselves and fully experience my work as well as their responses to it. Each hand-blown Light Vessel is a tool for meditation, personal insight, and contemplation—the shapes are inspired by the fluidity of glass which creates these organic, flowing forms. The vessels are filled with water to increase a feeling of magnitude as well as intensify their interactions with light.”
Adjacent to the Andersson installation is a companion exhibition with works by women artists from ASI’s glass collection—which boasts more than 1,000 objects from more than a century of glass artistry. Also in the exhibition are glass works by contemporary artists who continue to challenge, form, and shape the glass industry both in Sweden and the Midwest. Artists include Ann Wolff, Ingeborg Lundin (for Orrefors), and Ulrica Hydman Vallien (Kosta Boda), as well as more unsung artists including Eva Englund, Monica Bratt, Monica Backstrom, Andrea Blum, and Mona Morales Schildt.
Ingrid Nyholm-Lange, ASI’s Director of Experience, says the organization is “thrilled to focus on artists who are under-recognized and overshadowed,” She adds that the exhibition “invites visitors to be present in the moment and to explore the pursuit of artistic expression in a challenging and complex medium—all while experiencing gorgeous visuals of color, reflection, and light.”
Regular hours for the museum’s exhibitions, FIKA Café, and the Museum Store are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. General admission offers access to all exhibitions on view, as well as the historic Turnblad Mansion. Walk-up museum admission is available. Visitors are also welcome to register for museum admission in advance. Visit the hour & admissions page for more information.
