John Fronczak
308.865.8084
Glass artist Chad Fonfara will give a talk about his exhibit of works in glass during an Artist Talk on Friday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m., in the University of Nebraska at Kearney Fine Arts Building, Room 312.
Fonfara’s exhibit, “Blown Glass Sculpture,” is on display in the Walker Art Gallery, which is located in the UNK Fine Arts Building. A UNK assistant professor of sculpture and glass, Fanfare began working with glass when he joined the UNK faculty in 2006 after completing an M.F.A. in sculpture at Kansas State University.
A recent work, “The Glass Imaginarium,” was a featured artist-in-action installation last summer at the 35th Annual Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina, Kan. In the fall, Fonfara had a solo exhibit in the Skylight Gallery in the Museum of Nebraska Art, showcasing a continuation of his “Cases and Remains” series.
Fonfara’s work has also gained him acceptance into two of the most prestigious glass workshops in the nation– Pilchuck Glass School near Stanwood, Wash., and at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. At The Studio workshop, he was able to participate in the Venetian technique session taught by William Gudenrath.
“Because of the educational opportunity, I was able to add Venetian techniques to the current glass curriculum here at UNK,” Fonfara said. “It is my hope to similarly integrate glass sculptural techniques into the advanced glass curriculum while continuing to develop my body of work.”
Last spring, Fonfara was one of 12 featured artists in “Esprit: A Taste of Art” at the Museum of Nebraska Art. Also, his work has been included in juried exhibitions at the Moss-Thorn Gallery in Hays, Kan., the Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, Kan., and at MONA.
Upcoming shows in the UNK Walker Art Gallery include the UNK Art Society Juried Exhibition, Feb. 13 – March 16, and the Senior Exhibitions, March 26 – May 4.
