It’s also easy to get sentimental with Cowan’s work—and not only for those who remember the pieces from childhood, though that is a common experience. “I am interested in the history of the material and like to tell those stories with the pieces,” Cowan says. “I don’t necessarily think the viewer needs to know the backstory of the pieces to enjoy the work but that keeps me more interested as the maker and adds a historical component that I find interesting. The U.S. had a very unique history of glassmaking, and pressed glass in particular fueled the economy of a lot of American cities. This history—as well as the amazingly unique handcrafted moulds—are being lost.”
The “Grotto of the Chocolate Nymph” offers an example of how Cowan keeps stoking these conversations and reflections. The work was recently acquired and is now in the permanent collection at the Toledo Museum of Art. In a recent show, it is displayed alongside other pieces “showcasing the advancement of glass in the U.S. and Europe through works ranging from nineteenth-century and mid-century modernism through studio and contemporary glass.”
“This is such an amazing setting for this piece because it can be enjoyed in a contemporary setting and also tells the story of the historical advancement of glass in the U.S. and why the pressed glass industry was an extremely important technological advancement,” she says. “They even have a full-scale side-lever press in the exhibition which is the machine on which the glass that I use was created. The visitors can connect the dots and understand the history as well as how that history was created.”
Even other glassmakers sometimes can’t figure out how they are made. I am okay with that.”
The reality of doing this type of work is that you must confront the heartache of a dissipating industry. Even the moulds used to created these beloved pressed pieces, Cowan says, are “rusting and being destroyed.” These moulds were crafted by the hands of artisans, and each has its own story of labor, being forged through human hands with a story. When a factory in West Virginia shut down recently, Cowan attended an auction and purchased a press that had been used for several decades. The stories contained within each tool make saving even one a joyous affair. “There were over ten thousand moulds in the catalogue
and it broke my heart to not be able to save all of them,” Cowan says, adding that she also “tried to save the cute animals” in the process. “There are a few factories in the U.S. still using this process and melting colors in the historic tradition,” she says. “I am starting to work with one of these … and hopefully a new and interesting body of work can come from our collaboration.”
There are multiple paths for an old piece of glass to make its way into a work by Cowan, aside from foraging abandoned or active factories. “I do a lot of flea market and thrift store shopping and if I am looking for something in particular, I spend a lot of time on eBay,” she says. “Strangers who hear about my work also send me boxes on a regular basis. It is usually old or broken glass that they don’t want to keep, but feel sad throwing away. They give it to me to see if I can find a second life for it in a sculpture.”
A second life, but one that contains many more within it.*
This article first appeared in Hi-Fructose issue 51, which is sold out. Support what we do and get a new print subscription to Hi-Fructose here and thanks for reading us!
