Sarasota Review

The Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design is hosting an exhibition titled "Contemporary/Traditional: Selections from the Basch Glass Collection." The exhibition, which runs from October 22, 2023, to February 11, 2024, showcases a diverse array of glasswork styles. These works are drawn from the Richard and Barbara Basch Collection and include pieces by internationally renowned artists.

Virginia Shearer, executive director of Sarasota Art Museum, stated that the exhibition highlights how contemporary glass artists are pushing traditional boundaries by innovating and asserting their vision in their work. "It’s all about technique for the studio glass artists featured in Contemporary/Traditional," she said. The collection includes over 40 works by leading glass artists such as Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg, Lucio Bubacco, Dale Chihuly, Václav Cigler, Jun Kaneko, Carmen Lozar, Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová among others.

Rangsook Yoon, the museum's senior curator expressed her excitement about the exhibit: “We think visitors will be enchanted by the vibrant colors and patterns and sensual and sinuous forms of works by Tagliapietra, Chihuly, and Baldwin and Guggisberg." Yoon collaborated with Barbara Basch in selecting pieces for this exhibition.

Barbara Basch emphasized her mission to share their collection with a broader audience. “Richard and I have always enjoyed sharing our collection of studio art glass with as many people as we were able; our mission has been to demonstrate the beauty...and interpretation of each artist’s inspirations,” she said.

The exhibition is made possible through contributions from Barbara Basch and her late husband Dr. Richard Basch. Their extensive collection will be donated exclusively to Ringling College of Art and Design. This event is organized by Sarasota Art Museum with Rangsook Yoon serving as curator.

Sarasota Art Museum provides a platform for exploring contemporary art. It opened in 2019 within a reimagined historic building designed by K/R Architects. The museum features dedicated exhibition space along with various facilities including a bistro inspired by local produce markets.

Visitors can attend related public programs like a Curator Talk on November 4th led by Rangsook Yoon at Sarasota High School Alumni Auditorium.