From Origins to Horizons Extended!

The CAT Museum is delighted to announce that our current exhibition, From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement, originally set to close in October, will now be open through December 2024. “The exhibition has been so popular with visitors that we want to give more people the opportunity to enjoy it, as well as welcome back some of our biggest fans,” explains President and CEO Kathie Baradaran. So far, the CAT has provided public tours of this exhibition to 2,100 guests and counting.

Crowd Favorites

Although each work in the exhibition is outstanding in its own way, there are a handful of works that have become visitor favorites. Mark Peiser’s Moon and Landscape and Amber Cowan’s Willie the Mouse with Tractor and Train have without a doubt risen to the top with the CAT’s guests.  

Check out a YouTube video highlighting Moon and Landscape.

Check out a YouTube video highlighting Willie the Mouse with Tractor and Train.

Social Media

Our Director of Communications and Events is always busy finding fun ways to promote our exhibitions on the Museum’s social media channels. Below are the two most popular post with our followers about From Origins to Horizons.

The CAT Museum jumped on the brat train and used AI to turn three artworks a green that will forever be so summer 2024. Click below to take a look!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cafesjian Art Trust Museum (@cafesjianarttrustmuseum)

We highlighted this magnificent margarita glass by Dante Marioni by pairing it with a viral video of little Scarlett asking to celebrate her birthday with a beverage clearly beyond her years.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cafesjian Art Trust Museum (@cafesjianarttrustmuseum)

Docent Highlights

Did you know we have over 20 dedicated volunteer docents who lead tours of our exhibitions? We asked them about their most rewarding moments working with From Origins to Horizons so far. Here are a few of their responses:  

• “Museum visitors are often fascinated to learn about the versatility of glass art. Many are amazed and comment that they had no idea of the seemingly endless opportunities available for glass as an artistic medium. It is a joy to be with our guests as they grow in their knowledge and become more enamored with the captivating world of glass art.” – Sharon
  
  
• “I’d have to say the most meaningful moments for me were interacting with a group from TSE [a non-profit serving adults with disabilities] and observing how so many of them seemed to really appreciate the art from their heart.” – Michael
• “One visitor wondered why they (along with many others) had never heard about these artists before. This show is a true educational gift to the community.” – Tracey 

If you have yet to see From Origins to Horizons (or if you would like to see it again), our docents are ready to welcome you!

To make your tour reservation, visit our booking calendar. Remember, reservations are only available a maximum of 60 days in advance and are released at 8:00am central time.  

Art from the Great Minnesota Get-Together

For most Minnesotans, the State Fair brings to mind fried food on a stick, baby farm animals, carnival games, and live performances. For Gerard Cafesjian, however, the State Fair was a chance to buy artwork from Minnesota artists. As we gear up for the “Great Minnesota Get-Together” at the end of the month, we wanted to shine a light on Gerard’s love of collecting art at the State Fair.

Gerard’s daughter Kathie, the museum’s CEO and founder, remembers that her father got to know many of the artists who exhibited at the State Fair. It was always important to him to encourage and support local artists, and he did so with gusto! He became such a prolific buyer that he was invited to visit the Fine Arts Exhibition a day early, before it opened to the public. This became an important annual day on his calendar, one he would rearrange his schedule to accommodate. He continued collecting art at the Fair up until 2013, the year he died.

After Gerard’s death, his art collection became a part of the Cafesjian Art Trust. Kathie opened the Museum in 2022 to share the vast and eclectic collection with the public. Although perhaps best known for its holdings in glass art, the Museum’s collection today includes fifty artworks purchased at the State Fair.

Q&A with the Curator: American Studio Glass at the CAT Museum

Two new exhibitions now open at the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum tell the story of American studio glass from its beginnings through today. From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement begins in the mid-1960s when ceramics professor Harvey Littleton hosted a series of workshops to experiment with blowing glass in a small, artist studio setting. The exhibition concludes with work created in the past five years from internationally known glass artists. Midwest Voices in Contemporary Glass, on display in the adjacent Focus Gallery, shows museum guests what artists in our very own region are creating today. In the interview below, Andy Schlauch, the CAT’s executive director and curator of the exhibitions, gives further insight into these exciting projects. From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement, and Midwest Voices in Contemporary Glass are on display at the CAT Museum through October 5^th, 2024.

Q: Why did you want to organize an exhibition about the American Studio Glass Movement?

Andy Schlauch (AS): Since we have such a remarkable and deep collection of glass art, I wanted to develop an exhibition that provides a context for this uniquely American movement. There are so many great artists working in glass, and I hope our guests are intrigued to learn about it.

To learn more and book your visit to the exhibitions, visit us online HERE.

For more on School Programs at the CAT Museum, visit us online HERE.