Richard Harned
Encyclopedia
Richard Harned is a contemporary kinetic sculptor
and glass art
ist. Harned trained under Dale Chihuly
in the 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design
(RISD) with other artists of the American Glass Movement, including Bruce Chao and Tom Kreager. In 1974, he established the Abstract Glass studio in Providence, Rhode Island
. After graduating from and teaching at RISD, he also taught glass art at Arkansas State University
in Jonesboro
and the University of Tennessee
. He joined the faculty of Ohio State University
in 1982.
built to explore the use of light, movement, and technology in art. His message is about the connection of ideas to the dynamism
of the physical world. His sculpture combines the aesthetic beauty of glass with the drama of complex moving constructions, embellished with decorative and symbolic elements. His pieces are often presented with a humorous post-modern warning about technology’s impact on nature.
The kinematic works of the 1980s and 1990s were built with elements of welded steel, often combined with neon lighting
and glass, rotating television monitors, computers, and globes. He floated neon and fluorescent light sculptures in water, combining the natural reflection of water with the glow of artificial light, and the unnatural mix of electricity and water.
. He served as president of the Glass Art Society (1987–1988), an international professional association. He has worked at the Pilchuck School
in Washington, which was established by Dale Chihuly
as an international school for glass artists. He has also been a visiting artist in the Netherlands
, Japan
, and Germany
.
Kinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
and glass art
Glass art
Studio glass or glass sculpture is the modern use of glass as an artistic medium to produce sculptures or three-dimensional artworks. Specific approaches include working glass at room temperature cold working, stained glass, working glass in a torch flame , glass beadmaking, glass casting, glass...
ist. Harned trained under Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
in the 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
(RISD) with other artists of the American Glass Movement, including Bruce Chao and Tom Kreager. In 1974, he established the Abstract Glass studio in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. After graduating from and teaching at RISD, he also taught glass art at Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
and the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. He joined the faculty of Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1982.
Artwork
Harned’s work has evolved from small utilitarian pieces and abstract glass objects to room-sized kinetic sculpturesKinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
built to explore the use of light, movement, and technology in art. His message is about the connection of ideas to the dynamism
Dynamism
Dynamism is a concept that has several meanings.*Dynamism , a cosmological explanation of the material world in the vein of process philosophy.*Dynamism , a Japanese retailer specializing in exports....
of the physical world. His sculpture combines the aesthetic beauty of glass with the drama of complex moving constructions, embellished with decorative and symbolic elements. His pieces are often presented with a humorous post-modern warning about technology’s impact on nature.
The kinematic works of the 1980s and 1990s were built with elements of welded steel, often combined with neon lighting
Neon lighting
Neon lighting is created by brightly glowing, electrified glass tubes or bulbs that contain rarefied neon or other gases. Georges Claude, a French engineer and inventor, presented neon tube lighting in essentially its modern form at the Paris Motor Show from December 3–18, 1910...
and glass, rotating television monitors, computers, and globes. He floated neon and fluorescent light sculptures in water, combining the natural reflection of water with the glow of artificial light, and the unnatural mix of electricity and water.
Affiliations
Harned has been an important artist of American Glass movement starting in the 1970s. He founded and directed the Glass Axis workshop, an organization to promote glass art in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. He served as president of the Glass Art Society (1987–1988), an international professional association. He has worked at the Pilchuck School
Pilchuck Glass School
Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg , Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. The name "Pilchuck" comes from the local Native American language and translates to "red river"...
in Washington, which was established by Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
as an international school for glass artists. He has also been a visiting artist in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Chronology of major works and events
- 1982: “Being of Light” — Fluorescent lights, plastic, wood. Kerr LakeKerr LakeKerr Lake is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia created by the John H. Kerr Dam...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. - 1985: “Purple Room” — Colored glass sheets, neon, blown glass, and steel.
- 1986: “Treadmill” — Ultraviolet lamps, motor, steel and mirrors. Visual Art Association, Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. 12 ft (3.7 m). height, 9 ft (2.7 m). wide, 9 ft (2.7 m). depth. - 1987: “Wink-O-Matic Deluxe” (with Tom Kreager) — Steel, neon, and animation. Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester Institute of TechnologyThe Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
. 12 ft (3.7 m). height, 64 ft (19.5 m). length, 6 ft (1.8 m). depth. - 1987: “Drum/Sphere” — motorized steel and neon, Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester Institute of TechnologyThe Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
. 12 ft (3.7 m). height, 22 ft (6.7 m). width, 12 ft (3.7 m). depth - 1988: “Kinesthetic Refuge” — neon lights, electric motors, steel. Akron Art MuseumAkron Art MuseumThe Akron Art Museum is an art museum in Akron, Ohio, USA.The museum first opened its doors on February 1, 1922, as the Akron Art Institute. It was located in two borrowed rooms in the basement of the public library...
. 9 ft (2.7 m). height, 34 ft (10.4 m). width, 6 ft (1.8 m). depth. - 1988: “Cube” — neon, plastic. Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. - 1989: “Red Axis” — Blown glass, painted steel wall relief sculpture.
- 1989: “God’s Eye” — Neon and colored sheet glass.
- 1990: “Ghosts of Japan” — light sculpture for the theatrical production, Dallas Children's Theater in Dallas.
- 1990: “Night Sky—Sun in Taurus” — Steel, bowling balls, solar cells, lights. Heritage Village Sculpture on the Riverfront Arts Festival, State Department Building, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. - 1991: “Eccentric Vision” — Steel gazebo, globes, video monitors, light bulbs. Glassworks, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art MuseumRenwick GalleryThe Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located in Washington, D.C., and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century...
, Washington, DC. - 1991: “Oracle” — Painted steel, glass, mirror, magnets, TV cameras, visual telephone, speakers. Wexner Center for the ArtsWexner Center for the ArtsThe Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art...
, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. - 1991: “Glass Eats Light” — Steel, globes, TV Monitors, NSOGW Gallery, New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. - 1996: “Three Phoites of Light” — University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. - 1998: Seto, JapanSeto, Aichiis a city located in Aichi, Japan. It is located about 35 minutes from Nagoya by way of the Meitetsu Seto Line.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 133,121, with a household number of 53,253, and the density of 1,192.63 persons per km². The total area is 111.62 km².-...
, sculpture and workshop. Aichi University, Glass Art Society. - 1998: Haystack Mountain School of CraftsHaystack Mountain School of CraftsHaystack Mountain School of Crafts, commonly called "Haystack," is a craft school located on the coast of Deer Isle, Maine.Haystack was founded in 1950. It took its name from its original location near Haystack Mountain, in Montville, Maine...
, teaching appointment. Deer Isle, MaineDeer Isle, MaineDeer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2000 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the town's many art galleries.-History:...
. - 2001: “Expansions I” — Wexner Center for the ArtsWexner Center for the ArtsThe Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art...
, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. - 2004: “ How Nature Works” (with Xan PalayXan PalayXan Palay is an installation art sculptor based in Columbus, Ohio.Xan Palay was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She produces art in a number of media, including sculpture, sound, video, installation art, and fiber...
) Steel globes, bowling balls.