A new exhibit exploring over 50 years of art created by a pioneer in the kiln-formed glass art movement will soon be on display in Ocala.
The month-long exhibit, Newy Fagan: A Retrospective, will open at the Marion Cultural Alliance’s Brick City Center for the Arts (23 SW Broadway Street in Ocala) on Friday, December 1.
Artist Newy Fagan’s paintings, wood cut prints, clay sculptures, and kiln-formed glass are included in the exhibit, reflecting her personal journey through various artistic mediums and her love of horses.
Fagan states that a majority of her artwork is “equine-oriented,” and she uses horse imagery as a metaphor for freedom.
“To me, there is a spiritual connection between the horse and the human condition that is far older than the discovery of glass,” said Fagan.
Growing up on a small farm in Connecticut, Fagan taught art to children, gave riding lessons, and boarded horses to help cover the cost of her own art supplies and lessons.
Fagan studied fine arts at Southern Connecticut State University, earning a B.S. in Art Education. After several years of teaching elementary school art, her artistic journey intersected with the rising stained-glass movement.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” said Fagan. “I was able to incorporate all of my other experiences I’ve had as an artist into my work with glass.”
Fagan transitioned from stained glass to kiln formed glass, which allowed her to achieve one of her goals of creating a three-dimensional glass horse.
“It took me two years and 600 horses to figure out the right amount for bending them by gloved hands outside the kiln, then quickly transferring them to the annealer,” stated Fagan. “Once I mastered that, I was rolling.”
Today, Fagan has signed over 8,400 horses in her manipulated series and created other pieces of art utilizing compatible glass used in the fusing process.
As one of the forerunners of the kiln-formed glass movement, Fagan has traveled across the country while sharing her knowledge via creative workshops.
Over the years, Fagan has won numerous awards on both the national and international scene, including “Best of Show” at the International Glass Craft Expo in Arlington, Texas in 1991. Her work is on display at several galleries nationwide, and she often credits her one-woman show at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala as a highlight of her career.
Newy Fagan: A Retrospective will remain on display at the Brick City Center for the Arts through Thursday, December 28, during regular gallery hours: Tuesday through Friday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
To learn more about the featured artist, visit Newy Fagan’s website.
For more information, visit the Marion Cultural Alliance website or follow them on Facebook.