Vicki Halper
Published: 2019-10
Total Pages: 128
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Richard (Dick) Marquis (b. 1945, Arizona; resides in the Pacific Northwest) is a towering figure in the Studio Glass movement. For fifty years he has been invigorating the art world with works embodying a rare combination of finesse, intellect, and whimsy. The recipient of four NEA fellowships and numerous other national and international awards, he embodies, according to curator and author Vicki Halper, the sacred and the profane.Marquis has been a lifelong collector of mostly odd objects. Among them are bowling balls, tin coffeepots, anvils, and ceramic dogs. It is no surprise, then, that he also amassed his own work- Marquis calls this private stash his "keepers." It is from his idiosyncratic collection, which represents all periods in his career, that the selection of objects for Richard Marquis: Keepers is drawn. Halper worked with Marquis to select works for this retrospective project, then invited a miscellany of his friends, family members, artists, and art historians-including Suzanne Frantz, Dante Marioni, Josiah McElheny, Tina Oldknow, Laura deSantillana, Lino Tagliapietra, and many others-to choose pieces to discuss. Their highly varied commentaries form the body of the book. Also included is an extensive chronology written by Marquis that gives his perspective on a prolific career and well-lived life. Richard Marquis: Keepers serves as the catalog to an exhibition of the same name that will open at Museum of Glass, Tacoma, in September 2019, then travel to Wichita Art Museum and other venues. The exhibition is originated by Museum of Glass and Wichita Art Museum.