Church and county
‘Art Glass in Orange County'
www.ocfl.net/artglass
Art culture tends to run in trends, so prepare for less puppet frenzy and more "art glass" in the near future. Now that Orlando Museum of Art has extended until Oct. 4 its customized installation by glass artist Therman Statom, it's a no-brainer that OMA's executive director Marena Grant Morrisey wrote the introduction to Orange County's spanking-fresh guide titled Art Glass in Orange County.
The impressively researched 20-page project from Terry Olson, director of Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs, is divided into three categories. There are eight entries in the "Museums, Studios and Galleries" category, pointing the way to the obvious (such as OMA, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Millenia Fine Art and the Grand Bohemian Gallery) and the lesser-knowns (Atlantis Art Glass Studio, J. Piercey Studios, Keila Glassworks and Nick Bingham Studio).
Twelve entries fill the "Public Art and Commercial Buildings" section, covering governmental institutions including Orlando City Hall, the Federal Courthouse and Orange County Administration Building, as well as the Renaissance Senior Center and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando.
The bulk of the catalog is given over to "Churches," loaded with 36 of the 56 total items referenced in the guide, many of them historical. Brief write-ups provide useful facts and insights, along with a map on the back cover, but Olson's April 17 presentation at OMA revealed how much information he and his team discovered that didn't fit into the guide. We're hopeful that Olson can be talked into giving a talking tour. Till then, the glossy art glass guides can be picked up at OMA and other arts facilities, or go to the county website (referenced above) to print your own.
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