La Ragnatela/The Spiderweb:
Works by Giampaolo Seguso from The Corning Museum of Glass
(April 10 – June 13, 2014)

La ragnatela (or “spider web”) refers to the characteristically long, thin lines and complex patterns of filigrana vases. Invented in 1527, the filigrana glass-making technique involves melting parallel glass canes into an incandescent mass, which creates perfect geometrical shapes in net and spiral-like patterns. The practice is still used today by master glass-maker Giampaolo Seguso, whose family has been making glass on the Venetian island of Murano for more than 600 years. The second part of a three-part project Seguso calls “La Galleria dei 99,” La Ragnatela is documented in an eponymous book that beautifully illustrates the 33 objects in this series; each of which is accompanied by one of Seguso’s evocative poetic meditations on the complexities of mortal existence, the beauty of the natural world, and the power of the human spirit. Examples of all 33 vases (lent by The Corning Museum of Glass) will be on view, together with the artist’s poetry. A complementary micro-exhibition, featuring five new pieces created by Seguso in honor of Holy Week, will be displayed concurrently at Fairfield’s DiMenna-Nyselius Library.

The Museum is open Mondays- Fridays 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.