Hand blown, smaller-scale, and created in multiples, each year's crop of Studio Editions reference some of the best-known unique works by Dale Chihuly, perhaps the best-known artist working __with glass, whose signature adorns each one. Each season since 2012, the Chihuly Workshop has released four new studio editions, part of a series designed to offer Chihuly works at a more affordable price-point. These are available at galleries specializing in glass such as Schantz Galleries in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The Studio Editions were developed as a way for museums and botanical gardens to sell work in their stores during Chihuly exhibitions. According to Jim Schantz, director at Schantz Galleries, the successes of these editions, which were seen as fundraisers for the nonprofit institutions exhibiting the work, made the artist realize this was a great way to widen accessibility to his work and build a broader audience.
“[Chihuly] wanted to make his work affordable and reach a wider audience,” Schantz said. “For example, a school teacher whose dream was to get a Chihuly piece, and every year we get people who come in and this is their big art purchase.”
Schantz compared the initiative to Andy Warhol and his silkscreened prints, which offered the Pop artist a way to reach a different art buyer. The effect of multiplication doesn't affect the integrity of the studio editions, Schantz explains, because each piece still retains a unique set of properties, just like a mono-print. The Chihuly Workshop's limited number of designs released each season keeps the series narrow and focused.
IF YOU GO:
Dale Chihuly Chihuly 2017 Studio Editions Spring 2017 - Open ended Schantz Galleries 3 Elm St Stockbridge, Massachusetts Tel: 413 298 3044 Website