Wheaton Conversations:
Voices in Studio Glass – the Paul Hollister Archives
with Barb Elam & Catherine Whalen from Bard Graduate Center

Watch the April 8, 2021 recording above

Join us in a conversation with the co-organizers of Voices in Studio Glass History: Art and Craft, Maker and Place, and the Critical Writings and Photography of Paul Hollister, a multi-media, web-based digital exhibition, and publication. Hosted by Bard Graduate Center, this project builds upon the work of critic and historian Paul Hollister. It rethinks and reinterprets the history of postwar American studio glass. 

Extensive original research informs this reinterpretation of what became known as the studio glass movement, grounded in unprecedented opportunities to create work outside of factory settings from the 1960s onwards. Presented in a rich digital environment, Voices in Studio Glass History foregrounds key making and learning sites, including Wheaton Arts.

During this event, we will speak with Barb and Catherine about how the project came about, how it expanded their view of glass and the artists that use it, and the special role paperweights play in Paul Hollister’s work.

This event is part of “Wheaton Conversations,” a new virtual series highlighting select artists with ties to WheatonArts! To see the full schedule of conversations, Click Here. 

Catherine Whalen, PhD
Associate Professor, Bard Graduate Center

Catherine Whalen is Associate Professor at Bard Graduate Center. She is co-curator and developer, with Barb Elam and Jesse Merandy, of the online exhibition and publication Voices in Studio Glass History: Art and Craft, Maker and Place, and the Critical Writings and Photography of Paul Hollister. Whalen has lectured and published on the history and theory of collecting, gender and material culture studies, craft and design history, and vernacular photography. She is the founding director of the Bard Graduate Center Craft, Art and Design Oral History Project, an online archive of interviews with contemporary makers conducted by the Center’s graduate students. She holds a BS from Cornell University, a master’s from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.

Barb Elam
Associate Director of Visual Media Resources and Study Collection Librarian, Bard Graduate Center

Barb Elam is Associate Director of Visual Media Resources and Study Collection Librarian at Bard Graduate Center. She is co-curator and developer, with Catherine Whalen and Jesse Merandy, of the online exhibition and publication Voices in Studio Glass History: Art and Craft, Maker and Place, and the Critical Writings and Photography of Paul Hollister. Barb is an active member of the Visual Resources Association (VRA) and has held leadership positions in the VRA’s Greater New York Chapter. Prior to joining the BGC in 2007, she worked as a cataloguer of the collections of the Museum of the City of New York in both the department of Collections Access and Collections Management and was a registrar at the American Federation of Arts. Before coming to New York, Barb was Slide Librarian at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She has a dual Master’s degree in Art History and Library Science and an advanced certificate in archives from Pratt Institute.

Thank you to our sponsor, PNC Arts Alive!