The Solar System is Glass

Free Fine Arts Lecture Series Every Other Friday at Concordia

Fringe ArtsElysha del Giusto-Enos — Published February 1, 2013

Concordia’s Fine Arts department has been inviting artists to speak in free events for years, but with their new lecture series, Conversations in Contemporary Art, it’s a bi-weekly affair.

Friday’s lecture will feature Jana Sterbak, a Montreal-based visual artist whose claim to fame is ambitious projects involving glass.

“She’s a towering figure in the arts and has been active for a number of decades,” said Emily Jan, a masters of Fine Arts student who is coordinating the event. “[Sterbak] has an interesting perspective and a historical perspective on the art world in general.”

Sterbak’s career has spanned 30 years. Born in Prague and earning her BFA from Concordia in the late ‘70s, she has produced sculptures, videos and performances.

Her lecture springboards off of years spent working on projects at the Centre international de recherche sur le verre et les arts plastiques (CIRVA) in Marseille, France, one of the world’s major glass-blowing centres. Her focus has been pushing the limits of the difficult medium and that include creating extremely large-scale pieces. Which is fitting, since she is inspired by the connection between glass blowing and the solar system.

Beyond that, Jan admits that exactly what Sterbak will be discussing in her lecture is still a mystery.

Conversations in Contemporary Art began in the fall and invites different artists to speak at Concordia every two weeks. Coming up in the next few weeks are print media artist Erika Adams and Los Angeles-based installation artist Margaret Haines.

“We try to bring in a range of people every semester. I think there’s something of interest for everybody in each of the talks.”

The talks are roughly two hours and include time for questions.

More Info

Conversations in Contemporary Art – The Miriam Roland Lecture: Jana Sterbak in the Visual Arts Building, VA 114 (1395 René Lévesque Blvd. W.) / Feb. 1 / 5:30 p.m. / Free