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Marlene Rose’s art often embodies animals that she is interested in during the time she creates her work. Rose says she became fascinated with octopi when she saw a documentary and was amazed by the creature.
Photo provided by Aaron Schey
This Buddha statue created from glass casting shows Rose’s interest in cultural and spiritual history.
Photo provided by Aaron Schey
ROYAL OAK — Habatat Galleries is currently hosting its Glass52 event featuring 400 pieces of glass art created by artists from around the world.
Habatat is the oldest and largest gallery in the world dedicated to studio glass art, and this event is free of charge for the public.
Running from May 4 to Aug. 30, the public is welcome to visit the gallery and view the various pieces of art. Habatat is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and is located at 4400 Fernlee Ave. in Royal Oak.
The gallery features hundreds of pieces, each one showing the craftsmanship of the person who created it.
Glass art is unique in and of itself and has continued to grow in popularity over time, according to Director of Habatat Galleries Andrew Schey.
“One of the goals of the annual exhibition is to acquaint the general public with the world of glass art as well. Not everyone is a collector, but it is important to us that the general public learn about the medium of glass and how it has grown in the world of art over the decades,” Schey said in a press release.
Each year Schey and his team are on the lookout for new artists to feature in the annual glass show event. Finding so many artists comes from years of credibility and word of mouth.
“We hear about new talent from other artists or clients,” Schey said. “With social media or (television) shows, you can start to see the creatives that can make up another glass show (at Habatat).”
The television show that Schey is referring to is the new-er Netflix series “Blown Away,” a glass blowing competition show that features glass blowing artists who compete for a prize.
Glass52 currently has a handful of works on display by artists who participated in “Blown Away.”
Marlene Rose, a Florida native glass artist, is internationally known for her work in glass casting, a medium of glass art that she pioneered.
Rose said she has been a part of this show for decades, and currently has a few pieces on display. One piece is a wall installation called “Whirling Ginkgos.” She also has a horse and an octopus on display.
Rose was introduced to glass casting in the 1980s by her professor at Tulane University, where she studied art.
“When I learned it, it just clicked with me — the technique. And yeah, that is when I found my calling,” she said. “It incorporated so much of what I love.”
To safely create a glass casting, Rose works with a team of people who help during each step.
“It is this very choreographed, well-orchestrated, dangerous dance,” Rose said. “You can’t really verbalize much of what you need, even though it is so dangerous, because it is so noisy, so you have to know your part in it.”
Rose’s work is inspired by spirituality and cultural history. Often, her work resembles ancient relics.
“It was so raw and primitive and simple, but bold for me,” she said. “I respond to bold simplicities where you break things down and you’re left with simplicity.”
Rose’s work in the gallery represents her love for history as well as her love for animals.
After seeing a documentary about octopi, and rediscovering her love for horses, she knew these were the pieces she wanted in the show.
“There is a spiritual connection to animals for me right now, and then the Ginkgos are like ancient; they are like dinosaurs,” she said. “They’ve been around forever and they have a lot of healing properties.”
For more information on the Glass52 exhibition, visit habatat.com.
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