“On Aug 12, 2023, the Toledo Museum of Art will be unveiling ‘ReGift: Beth Lipman’, an impressive room-sized glass installation crafted entirely of glass to honor Florence Scott Libbey and the Libbey Glass Company.” This work undergoes the celebration of Florence’s contribution to TMA and marks the 53rd Guest Artist Pavilion Project. Created by American artist Beth Lipman, ‘ReGift: Beth Lipman’ mirrors the unique bookplate image providing a stunning glimpse into the mansion the Libbeys had built. Through this project, the Toledo Museum of Art hopes to bridge the past with the present in its iconic glass studio.
Beth Lipman, an American artist based in Wisconsin, was chosen as the 53rd Guest Artist Pavilion Project (GAPP) Artist in Residence for TMA in December 2022 and has created this remarkable work to honor Florence Scott Libbey’s passion and curiosity. This installation celebrates Florence’s contribution to TMA’s history and is made possible by the generous donation of glass presses from the Libbey Glass Company.
Through this project, the Toledo Museum of Art continues to encourage experimentation and creativity in the glass studio, connecting the past to the present. Diane Wright, TMA’s Senior Curator of Glass and Contemporary Craft, praised the project for its “reinvigoration of the Libbeys’ impact on the Toledo community”.
Lipman draws inspiration for her sculptural practice from the still lifes of the late 1500s and early 1600s. These works showcase moments of splendor and excess that have a human impact on the natural world. With her sculptural processes, Lipman can create analogies for life cycles, highlighting the importance of both natural and human systems adapting to survive. Additionally, she works with colorless glass to encourage viewers to focus on the details and appreciate the ever-changing appearance of an object as light and reflections shift. Drawing further inspiration from decorative arts, Lipman has used the image of furniture in the bookplate as a visual guide for “ReGift”, symbolically returning the Libbeys’ legacy to the community.
Toledo has a proud history of being The Glass City since 1888 when Edward Drummond Libbey moved his father’s New England Glass Company to the city with the help of his wife Florence Scott. Drawing on their extensive travels, the couple founded the Toledo Museum of Art in 1901, with Edward serving as President until 1925 and providing generous funding for its construction.
With Florence’s donation of her collection to the Museum in 1912 and her later contributions, such as endowing a portion of her estate in an endowment fund and financing the east and west wings of the Museum, TMA remains forever grateful for her devotion to the institution until she died in 1938.
Through “ReGift: Beth Lipman”, the Toledo Museum of Art celebrates Florence Libbey’s commitment to building the Museum’s legacy and the Libbey family’s lasting impact on the city of Toledo. The exhibition is organized by the Toledo Museum of Art and curated by Diane C. Wright, senior curator of glass and contemporary craft.
Glass Artwork by Beth Lipman
Beth Lipman (American, b. 1971) is an acclaimed artist whose work has been featured in renowned institutions such as the Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota, Florida), RISD Museum (Providence, Rhode Island), Gustavsbergs Konsthall (Gustavsberg, Sweden) and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.). Working with glass, she creates everyday items such as plates, food, and pitchers that capture a fleeting moment in time. Her artwork is highly sought after, with many of her pieces gracing the permanent collections of museums across the country.
Lipman has achieved a great deal of recognition for her work, including awards from the USA Berman Bloch Fellowship, Pollock Krasner Grant, Virginia Groot Foundation Grant, and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant. She has also been an Artist in Residence at the Alturas Foundation, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s Arts/Industry Program, and the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. Most recently, she was commissioned to create “Living History”, a large-scale site-specific piece for the Wichita Art Museum (Wichita, Kansas) that examines the nature of time and place, and Belonging(s), a sculptural response to the life of Abigail Levy Franks for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, Arkansas). Beth Lipman is truly an artist to be proud of! Learn more about her at www.bethlipman.com.
The Toledo Museum of Art’s ReGift: Beth Lipman installation is a one-of-a-kind tribute to the Libbey families’ legacy of innovation and vision. Its intricate beauty affords all viewers a unique opportunity to bear witness to Florence Scott Libbedy’s passions and perspectives. As decades move by, works like this will stand going beyond reality and providing connections between culture, society, and art. This exceptional footage allows us to celebrate an important life that managed to impact tens of thousands within her city as well as within the gorgeous outer reaches of the glass mantle ReGift: Beth Lipman has created.
