Tessa Papas and I had a very enlightening conversation the other day about art, glass and her work as curator for this hotel’s art collection. Like I mentioned the other day, Tessa literally circled the globe looking for pieces to include in the collection. “I ended up with a list of about 300 artists that I wanted to include. From there, I winnowed the list down to about 70.” At last count, that number was dialed in at 44 artists from Japan, Scotland, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic and many other countries. It’s a truly international collection. When asked if she had an overarching theme or concept, she said, “Not really. I went with my gut feeling when I decided which artists and their work to choose.” As it stands, the Hotel Murano collection reflects Tessa’s personal vision. But, clearly, the appeal is universal.

Dale

Hotel Murano’s Art Curator Tessa Papas has long been a fixture in the Northwest art scene. For years, she was part owner of Portland’s Chetwynd Stapylton gallery – once one of the city’s most prestigious galleries. No kidding, she’s been around the block – and around the world. In fact, her curatorial vision is stamped on Portland’s Hotel deLuxe and Seattle’s Hotel Max – also part of the Provenance Hotel family. When I talked with her the other day, it was clear that the work she is doing on behalf of the Murano is another highlight for her. “Before I started the Murano project,” she says, “I knew many of the world-class names in the art world.” But to prepare for this project, she says, “I spent about three months glued to the computer screen” surfing the Internet to learn as much about glass art as possible. But when it comes right down to it, photography doesn’t do justice to glass art, which works so intimately with lighting, its environment and the viewer’s perspective. In order to assemble this collection, Tessa traveled to Venice (Murano), Prague, Denmark and points beyond, meeting with artists and personally viewing their work before adding their work to this collection. Tessa immersed herself in a world of glass. Stop back to hear some of her stories about her world travels.

Dale

From my vantage point here on the ground, I can tell you that my hotel (yes, that’s the right pronoun) is shaping up to be a world class landmark. The design world is sitting up to take notice as well. Prestigious Interior Design magazine took notice of work just the other day. Check out what they had to say.

Dale

This just in: Although I’d heard rumors about the magnitude of our commitment to glass art, it’s just been confirmed that we will have dozens of world class glass sculptures on display from about 44 artists from around the world. Some of the pieces are small enough to fit on a coffee table. Others, such as the massive plate glass installation by Greece’s Costas Varotsos, will be visible from the I-5 freeway, a quarter mile to the East! About a third of the pieces will be blown glass (what I usually imagine when I think of art glass), while others will have been produced in a kiln. The result is a first-rate private collection on public display. I’m telling you, staying at this hotel will be like our own version of “A Night at the Museum.” But I promise you’ll get a better night’s sleep.

Dale

“Drawing is the most delicate link to memory; it is intuition, it is breath, a pathway between ourselves and our world.” So says glass artist Maurizio Donzelli. When I read his artist’s statement, I was surprised by the philosophical underpinnings of his work. And then I realized he was not a product of the American education system. Donzelli likes to explore the edge between perception, reality and representation. Schopenhauer, anyone? Ultimately, he feels, no one can know the world with exactitude (apparently, he hasn’t been to my parents’ church) and his works touch on just that impossibility. Okay. Fair enough. At the end of the day, though, his work is just plain fun. Who cares about the rest? Take a look at this artist’s work, which will be on permanent display at the Hotel Murano. In a phrase? Beguilingly childlike.

Josh

As a metal sculptor, I spend my days thinking about large chunks of metal. These works are concerned with gravity. Opacity. The immovable object that scoffs at irresistible forces. My diametric opposite, then, might be found in Narcissus Quagliata’s flat panels that seem to have been inspired by the stained glass of 16th century cathedrals. His “Dreamer,” which will have a permanent home at Hotel Murano, is an expression of the dream state, featuring a dancing female, willowy and serene, who wears a hat festooned with candles and surrounded by birds, ala Snow White. I think Quagliata would smile at the reference to cathedrals. He chose to work with glass because, he says, it is “the perfect material to articulate how the essential soul, light, merges with the corporeal body, the glass.”

Josh

As I promised you a few days ago, I took advantage of an opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new artwork at Portland’s ironically named Bullseye Gallery that will be on display here at the Hotel Murano. In keeping with their mission to eschew blown glass, most of the artwork they feature is flat glass panels that have been formed in a kiln. Even though they were closed that day, the gallery’s Event Coordinator, Ryan Watson, opened the doors and gave me a very knowledgeable tour of the show pieces. Here he is standing by my favorite piece.

Gotta love these camera phones. Check back over the next couple of days. I’ll be serving you up samples of the artwork that you’ll be able to chow down on when you get to Tacoma.

Josh

In the mid-1800s, most of South Tacoma’s residents could be found underground – six feet under, to be exact. That’s because the area was largely cemeteries. This historical curiosity and others are revealed in a new book by Darlyne A. Reiter, simply titled “South Tacoma.” Find out why this “small city within a big city” has maintained its unique identity with an abundance of fourth- and fifth-generation families and family-owned businesses. Pick up a copy for yourself here.

Brian

Thanks for the recommendation, Dale. In his novel Winter Tale, author Mark Helprin writes about a fantastical bridge-building effort that, when completed, would stretch from New York City into the eternal cosmos. All I can say is, if you want to drive on the thing, try to beat rush hour. Bridges, it seems, have always meant more to their communities than the simple utility of giving people a convenient way to cross a river. Bridges are symbols, metaphors even, of the human impulse to connect with that which is greater or beyond or otherwise inaccessible. They are so freighted with metaphoric value that metaphors themselves have been called the bridge between a concept and its meaning.

As I see it, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge works the same way. Linking two key areas of the Puget Sound, it is a symbol of both economic prosperity and mutual dependence. The new extension that was christened this summer symbolizes the value we place on history. Rather than destroying the old bridge and replacing it with something new, a twin was built at its side and the two bridges are now yoked like a pair of oxen, each supporting the other. It’s hard not to drive across the bridge and contemplate the story of Tacoma that began long before I got here and will continue long after I’m gone. As such, this twin bridge does more than span two landmasses; it is also a vital link between the region’s past and future. All right. I’m through waxing poetic. I have to get my rear on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge before I’m late for work.

Josh

A few days ago we devoted some ink to the gluten-free diners who drop by this blog. Since we’re an inclusive bunch here, today’s blog will be dedicated to all things vegetarian. Well, two things anyway. This one comes to us by way of the Weekly Volcano, which describes Quickie Too and Marlene’s Market and Deli (haven’t we heard that name before?) as veggie “Zions” so good that meat eaters ought to visit as well — although the risk of giving up Mickey D’s or that cedar plank salmon is high.

Quickie Too, 1324 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.572.4549
Marlene’s Market and Deli, 2951 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253.472.4080

For a comprehensive list of all things veggie that you might be able to add to yourself, check out VegGuide.com.

Dale