Amber Cowan Fawn in River and Jade, 2024
Fenton Glass base, Mosser Glass fawn created from an old Fenton Glass mould, flameworked recycled cullet in Jadeite, River Green and Mongolian Green. Custom made scientific glass dome, mixed media
9 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2inches
Presented by Hall Spassov
“My work is based on the rejuvenation and reuse of American pressed glass. The majority of the material I use is “cullet” or the scrap glass left after the production run in a glass factory. I travel and search for cullet yards throughout the country where there are barrels and piles of old dead stock colors which I then remelt scrap by scrap through the process of flameworking into the multitude of forms that create each
of my sculptures. The glass that I use is generally procured from now defunct pressed glass manufacturers.
During the mid-1800’s through the mid 1900’s pressed glass manufacturing was an enormous industry that employed thousands of Americans throughout the country. Because of the popularity of designs and the ease of production by the mid-19th century most inexpensive glassware was pressed. Nowadays, this material is out of fashion and relegated to the dustbin of American design. I take this material which is abundant on the shelves of thrift stores and flea markets and rejuvenate it into a new second-life.”
Bio: Amber Cowan’s sculptural glasswork is based around the use of recycled, upcycled, and second-life American pressed glass. The primary material used for her work is glass cullet sourced from scrap yards supplied by now defunct pressed glass factories as well as flea-markets, antique- stores and donations of broken antiques from households across the country. Cowan lives and works in Philadelphia where she received an MFA in Ceramics/Glass from Tyler School of Art and Architecture of Temple University. She was the recipient of the 2014 Rakow Commission from The Corning Museum of Glass. Her work can be found in the permanent collection of The Museum of Art and Design in New York, The Toledo Museum of Art, and The RISD Museum.