Artists selected for the 2009 BIGG: Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass are:

Artist Statement
My life and work are inspired by the rich culture and natural environment of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  I choose to reflect on this with a concentrated effort, using forms found in nature, personal observations and experiences, articulating my visual voice through the medium of glass and mixed media.  Simple and unpretentious natural elements seem to hold the most potential to engender fresh discoveries within my work, and I continue to search for their significance and merit. There is something to be said for the wonder in bearing witness to the process of kiln-formed glass, its solid form positioned into a mold, ultimately transforming into a fluid, filling into fingerprints, folds and fissures. In the depths of the heated kiln, the work takes on a life of its own outside the grasp of my intervention.  Once removed and free from its shell of plaster and silica, I am astonished to greet its arrival. For me, it is that cyclical process, so ingrained in the natural environment, with which I find that endless inspiration for my work.

Biography
Karen Reid is a studio artist and a life long resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has been involved with sculpture and kiln cast glass for over seven years. Receiving her MA in sculpture in 2008, she continues to be active in exhibitions, commissions and gallery work. In 2006, Karen’s work was selected for e-merge, sponsored by Bullseye Glass Co., for emerging talent in studio glass. Most recently, Karen received notification that her piece Creek will be included in New Glass Review 30, scheduled for publication May 2009. Karen is comfortable working with mold making and glass casting on a significant scale as well as the development of miniature glass components used in large-scale assemblages. She seeks projects that take extended time for reflection, planning and execution.

Resume
Education        
2008    MA Studio Art, Sculpture, Marywood University, Scranton, PA
2002    BFA Studio Art, Sculpture, Marywood University, Scranton, PA

Solo Exhibitions
2004    Karen Reid: what autumn brings    , One-Person Exhibition Award, Linder Gallery, Keystone College, La Plume, PA    

Selected Group Exhibitions
2008    Art of the Land, Maslow Galleries, Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA
2007 - 2008    Celebrating Connections: Contemporary Glass by Mid Atlantic ArtistsInvitational Exhibition, Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ
2006    e-merge 2006, Bullseye Resource Center Gallery, Portland, OR
2006 - 2007    PA Craft Inaugural Juried Craft Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA    
2006    2006 Biennial Exhibition of North American Glass, Guilford Art Center, Guilford, CT
2005    Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2005, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA    
2004    Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2004, Harrisburg, PA    
2002    Amalgamate East Tennessee State University’s Metals Invitational, Slocumb Galleries, Johnson City, TN
2001    Lean On Me, a National Juried Exhibition of Walking Sticks, The Wharton Esherick Museum, Paoli, PA

Commissions    
2007    Mount Airy Resort and Casino, 44 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono, PA    
2005    Southern Union Company, Corporate Headquarters, Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, PA

Awards and Honors
2009         New Glass Review 30, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
    Neues Glas/New Glass, Germany
2006        Finalist, e-merge 2006 Biennial Juried Kiln-Glass Exhibition
    Bullseye Glass Co., Portland, OR                
2006 – 2008    Graduate Assistantship, Marywood University, Scranton, PA
2006            Awarded First Place, 2006 Biennial Exhibition of North American Glass, Guilford Arts Center, Guilford, CT                
2005    Awarded First Place in Sculpture “Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2005”, The State Museum of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA            
2004        Awarded One-Person Exhibition, Linder Gallery at Keystone College, La Plume, PA

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