The Currier Museum of Art debuts 'Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit'
Dan Dailey, Brilliant, 2012. From the Individuals series. Blown glass, anodized aluminum. 23¾ x 17 x 14 inches. Photo by Bill Truslow.
MANCHESTER, NH.—
New Hampshire is home to the remarkable Dan Dailey (b. 1947), whose creative ideas and innovations in glass have expanded the canon of art. Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit, the first comprehensive museum retrospective in New England, will offer an extensive exploration of the renowned artist’s extraordinary work, spanning more than five decades, from 1972 to the present. The exhibition features more than 75 carefully selected objects from Dailey’s many whimsical and ingenious creations.
“Dailey’s meticulously crafted forms reveal Dailey as an acute observer of life,” says Jordana Pomeroy, Director of the Currier Museum of Art. “Each of his works brings a narrative to life, communicating the complexity of human emotion in glass. The Currier is privileged to work with Dailey on this important retrospective of his remarkable body of work.”
Dailey’s artistic roots may be traced back to the vibrant and experimental San Francisco art scene of the 1960s, where he was part of a generation that boldly rejected the constraints of Abstract Expressionism. Embracing a Dada-inspired, anything-goes mentality, Dailey focused on the figure and found inspiration in everyday life. His education during this era coincided with a resurgence in traditional crafts—such as ceramics and weaving—as fine art, as well as the birth of the Studio Glass Movement. While the movement began with a focus on exploring the technical possibilities of glass as an artistic medium, Dailey's work pushed its expressive boundaries, drawing on comics, pop art, art deco, and 1960s pinup posters, as elements of his irrepressible sense of humor.
Impressions of the Human Spirit focuses on the commonalities and defining characteristics of his work, starting with three major forms – lamp forms, vase forms, and sculptural forms – that Dailey has explored over the years, often simultaneously. The Artist as Observer illustrates Dailey’s interest in nature (its flora and fauna) and the fabricated world suspended between high and popular culture. The Artist as Interpreter explores the intricate relationships between humans and nature, offering a profound commentary on the complexities of the human condition.
On October 6th, exhibition curator Dr. Kurt Sundstrom will join Dan Dailey in the Currier Auditorium to discuss Dailey’s craft and career highlights followed by a public tour of the exhibition.
Dan Dailey Impressions of the Human Spirit is on view September 26, 2024 through February 2, 2025. This exhibition has been generously funded by Pamela A. Harvey. Additional support is provided by the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Patricia L. Wentworth and Mark Fagan.
Dailey was born in 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Philadelphia College of Art. Dailey received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he was Dale Chihuly’s first graduate student. He is Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where he founded the Glass Department in 1973. He has taught at numerous schools including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Pilchuck Glass School and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and he has given lectures and workshops throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Dailey's emphasis on the individual development of his students' sculptural concepts has defined his approach to teaching. He now works in his New Hampshire studio with the help of a staff of assistants.
