EVERETT — For a quarter century, glass artists Jenny Pohlman and Sabrina Knowles have collaborated on a project that tells the stories of the indigenous Himba people in Namibia and Angola.
Their work — the Himba Portrait Series — is a result of numerous trips to southwest Africa to view the power of the human spirit, especially as it relates to women. The narrative of the glass objects they create is derived from the artists’ impressions of ancient culture and what they see as the magic of African life. The intention is to create works that speak of our common humanity.
A number of these portraits — a collection called Lodestar — will be shown through Nov. 4 in the main gallery at the Schack Art Center in Everett. The exhibit opens at 5 p.m. today with a reception.
To create portraits from their photos, the artists incorporate a screen-printing technique and fire glass enamels to make the image appear on the base of a glass sculpture, which incorporates metal.
In a statement on their website, www.pohlmanknowles.com, the artists offer the following description:
“From our earliest collaborative efforts we have explored the feminine fluidity, curvature, strength and plasticity inherent in glass. The innate three-dimensionality of molten glass assists with our design visions and we often see new forms emerging from the forms we are working on in the hot shop. These glimpses into the next possibility fuel our enthusiasm and the direction of our designs.”
Knowles and Pohlman are connected with the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle and the Pilchuck Glass School, located northeast of Stanwood.
Knowles’ and Pohlman’s work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Connor, Edmonds Museum, Larsen Museum in Yakima and the Pratt Gallery at the Center on Contemporary Art. Their work has been included in group exhibitions at Allentown Art Museum, Pennsylvania; Bellevue Arts Museum; Coos Art Museum, Oregon; Museum of American Glass, New Jersey; Museum of Glass, Tacoma; Muskegon Museum of Art, Michigan; Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin; and the Tacoma Art Museum.
Knowles and Pohlman plan to speak during a free tour of the exhibit at 2 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Schack.
Also opening at the Schack
An exhibit by the 2016 Pilchuck Emerging Artists in Residence is displayed through Nov. 4 in the mezzanine gallery. See glass art by Julia Chamberlain, Jennifer Crescuillo, Karin Forslund, Bryan Kekst Brown, Josefina Muñoz and Nate Ricciuto.
If you go
Schack Art Center, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett. Free admission. For more information, go to www.schack.org.
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