Marlene Rose

Marlene Rose, born in New York, is a visionary artist whose cast glass sculptures blend modernity with cultural references from around the world. Her work transcends time, seamlessly connecting the past with the present. With a profound mastery of glass,  each piece is hand cast from molten glass in a spectacular process of heat and light. They celebrate the unique properties of glass, of transparency, shine and reflection. Because these are cast objects, they hold in their form the memory of the shapes and textures of the images they were molded from. They are fine-grained, rugged or smooth, transparent or translucent, colored or clear. Having traveled extensively, her global experiences greatly influence her artistic vision, infusing her creations with a rich tapestry of cultural influences. From the Buddha, Chinese Bells, African masks, horses, sunbursts and goddesses to monumental outdoor sculptures, Marlene Rose's sculptures are unique and captivating.

Marlene Rose was born in New York with art all around her. Her mother was a painter and her father a sculptor of found objects. Educated at Promfret School in Connecticut, she continued her exploration of visual mediums at Tulane University in New Orleans. Here she came into her own as an artist, developing her unique style. She went on to graduate school at California College of the Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. She even found time for a Summer Program at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington, the birthplace and epicenter of the Art Glass Movement. She has since traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa and the Caribbean gaining even more influences and ideas for her work.

Marlene Rose's sculptures in glass are modern works of art that resonate with references and allusions to other cultures and civilizations. Rose is one of those rare artists who has discovered a profound way to connect the past and the present. Her work has an immediacy that transcends time and space. To be in the presence of her work is to feel connected to a continuum that started thousands of years ago on earth and millions of light years ago in the universe.

Her sculptures are endowed with an inner light that is a function of not only how they are made but also of her particular affinity for the medium of glass. Over time Rose has developed a vocabulary that is referential as well as abstract and the combination allows viewers access to a language that becomes their own.

 Marlene Rose’s glass tells us of a creative spirit that is ancient in heritage and contemporary in outlook. Using the early Egyptian sand-cast process, the artist sculpts works out of molten glass that relate to our own times – the need for permanence and serenity in an ever-transforming world.

“Glass holds ancient light close inside, the light that is always inside, the light of its ancestors, the light of its conception, the light of its making. It is an inseparable part of its being…. The light of “now” awakens this ancient light. The glass sculptures on the floor and on the wall come alive with light, and the light of our gaze wakes the spirit inside." —M. Rose

Her goal as an artist is to create life in what ever she makes. In simple terms, she makes the pieces come alive revealing the true and unique source of life energy in each creation. Each piece is hand cast from molten glass in a spectacular process of heat and light. The energy of this "Dangerous Dance of Creation" reflects in the finished work. In the end, the work has a quality of timelessness reflecting both ancient and modern. They celebrate the unique properties of glass, of transparency, and shine and reflection. And because these are cast objects, they hold in their form the memory of the shapes and textures of the materials that formed them; they are fine-grained, rugged or smooth, transparent or translucent, colored or clear.

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Artwork

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selected Collections and Exhibitions

Selected Permanent Collections

Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
Leepa-Rattner Museum of the Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
Metro General Hospital, Cleveland, OH
National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
Maclean Collection of Asian Art, Chicago, IL
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
Museum of Contemporary Art, Yerevan, Armenia
Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
Seven Bridges, Greenwich, CT
University of Tampa, Tampa, FL

Selected Museum Exhibitions

Imagine Museum,  St. Pete, FL (2020) *Solo Show
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, IN (2019) *Solo Show
Imagine Museum, St. Pete, FL (2019)
Backus Museum,  Fort Pierce, FL (2018) *Solo Show
Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities,  Denver, CO (2015)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Museum, Phoenix, AZ (2014-2015)
Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette, IL (2014)
Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Sarasota, FL (2014) *Solo Show
Morean Art Center, St. Petersburg, FL(2014)
National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA  (2013)
Second Biennial International Festival of Glass, Sofia, Bulgaria, (2012)
Krasl Museum, Saint Joseph, MI (2012)
Museum of Fine Art, St. Petersburg, FL  (2012)
Kalamazoo Museum of Artslins, Co (2012)
Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI (2011)
Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, FL (2010)
Florida International Museum, St. Petersburg, FL  (2009)
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL (2008)
New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM (2008)
Gulf Coast Museum of Art, Largo, FL. (2007) *Solo Show

Press

interviews