Washington Post Raves about Laurel's Work

The June 24 Washington Post devoted half a page to the exhibit of art work by the Society's former Executive Director, Laurel Lukaszewski -- and even compared her to America's greatest glass artisan, Dale Chihuly.

The Post said that Laurel's work, featured in an exhibition called Shiroi Kuroi " straddles the divide between craft and high art. Lukaszewski's approach to her material -- she uses hard-fired white porcelain and black stoneware -- gives her work the illusion of transcending its medium. It's as if she transformed hard stone into something entirely more alive and lively. And the matte-surface minimal objects that result speak more to form than to color; about half the works are black, the other half creamy white. "

The Post added, "Many of Lukaszewski's works are made of coiled pieces of fired clay. The coils interlock to form hanging, freestanding or wall-mounted sculptures. The massive, 16-foot-tall hanging piece that commands the gallery's double-height entrance is an impressive sight, its 350 pounds of interlocking porcelain coils coming together in an organic form suggesting a cocoon or Spanish moss. The stone curls hang off central metal supports that are practically invisible. The work itself hangs, almost too simply to be safe, from a single hook. Up close, individual coils are almost magically deceiving. Varying in diameter from a quarter-inch to about a half-inch, the components look as if they're made of anything but fired stone."

"As I moved through the exhibition," the Post art critic said, "I had to remind myself of what I was looking at. Lukaszewski's manipulation is really that good. Some of these pieces -- the 16-footer in particular but a number of other hanging works as well -- suggest the bravado of Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures. These pieces, too, would be comfortable in a hotel or corporate lobby; they're easy on the eyes and have big presence. Yet they are subtle enough in color and demeanor that they subvert some of their own bluster (which means they're not much like Chihuly after all."

Laurel's exhibition continues through July 29 at the Project 4 Gallery, 903 U Street NW, in Washington (tel: 202-232-4340). The gallery's hours are 2-6 pm Wednesday-Friday and noon-6pm on Saturdays.