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Carol Glass

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  • Community of Residence:  Newton Center
  • Email:      seaglass1453@gmail.com                               
  • Phone:     617-558-1404        
                 ​
  • Artist Biography: I grew up in West Hartford, CT. When I was a child, my family and I spent incredible summers either boating in and beyond Long Island Sound or camping in many parts of the US with a tent-trailer. Being in nature had a magical effect on me; it demanded curiosity, absorbed my attention, and made me feel like I was not alone in her presence. As a pre-teen I started spending summers at Camp Ramah, first as a camper, and later on staff. At camp I began to connect my spirituality to my connection with nature. At the same time, I soaked up all the Jewish experiences that I could.
​     
          
Growing up, all my grandparents lived within walking distance of my house, and most of my first cousins’
          families lived within a 2-hour drive. That proximity made it easy to celebrate Jewish holidays together at
          one of our homes. In retrospect, I realize that these two childhood ‘backdrops’--- joyful experiences
          while immersed in nature, and spirited, meaningful Jewish time with family---were  formative in my
          journey  to the rabbinate, and in the formation of my personal spirituality.
 
          It was when I went to college and eventually rabbinical school, both in New York City, that I truly
          began to appreciate the advantages of urban life as much as I already appreciated a big back yard and
          easy access to undisturbed natural habitats. In the city I persisted in connecting with nature through
          birdwatching and frequent escapes to the beach, but I also frequented the city’s great art museums, and I
          took courses in architecture and art history. In those classes I discovered my love of Impressionist paint-
          ing and Gothic architecture. Those activities, however, were the extent of any formal foray into the world
          of art. I never took art lessons nor did I attempt to create what I would have considered works of art. 
 
          Jumping to the early years of my marriage and professional life, my husband Mike (aka Rabbi Michael  
          Swartz) and I moved from Washington, DC to a rental in Needham. A year later, about twen
ty-eight
          years ago, we bought the home in Newton Center where we still live, and where we raised our
          now grown sons, Nadav and Barak. I’ve held a variety of rabbinic positions including solo rabbi of a con-
          gregation, Hillel rabbi, hospice/hospital chaplain, co-rabbi with Mike, and advocate for Jews affected by 
          addiction. Currently my professional focus is on writing, facilitating Mussar groups and working as a
​          Spiritual Director with private clients and students at Hebrew College. 


  •  Artist Statement:  From a young age I picked up stones, leaves, driftwood, shells—just about anything I noticed on a hike or family outing, that fit in my pockets. And I’m still that person today. When on walks, wherever I happen to be, I still stop to pick up unusual shapes of wood, beautiful pieces of bark, and small distinctive stones that I notice. When vacationing, I frequently bury such ‘finds’ in my return suitcase so they will not be damaged. For me, these ‘treasures,’ like those of my childhood, serve as evidence of the beauty, diversity, complexity, resilience, and audacity of Creation itself, even as they remind me of the wonder within the places I’ve been.​
​
           About 5 years ago, when there was a very noticeable increase in invasive vines that were choking out
           trees in our region, I 
started taking small pruning clippers with me on walks, particularly when taking out
           our beloved dog. Despite a leash in hand, I often ended up carrying home long branches of wood that
           appealed to me, as  well as   complex, tangled  strands  of  the  vines. Afterwards, I hung the vines in our
           basement, sometimes wrapping 
them around one another in a wreath-like fashion. Other times I just
           bunched many vines together and hung them that way, to dry. I piled the long branches in our garage
           where many remained until early in the pandemic, when I started imagining what I might do with them.

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  • Title of Artwork:   Dry Bones & Fresh Life: Mi Dor L’Dor
  • Medium: This is a functional sculpture made from dried wood and dried vines. The other material is wire. 
  • Dimensions: 58"h x 37"w
  • This artwork is NOT for sale    
  • Description: I arranged my longest pieces of wood into a teepee shape with assistance from a friend who held them in place. Then I wrapped fine wire around the section where all the branches intersected. The second step was to select one of the sturdier, plainer vine ‘wreaths’ I had made. Once I found one I wanted to use, I slipped it over the teepee structure and let it slide down to where it would serve well as a rung for a plant to climb on. I fixed the hoop in place with more wire.  It took some juggling until I was finally able to get the piece to stand on its own. I then carefully lifted it over a young clematis plant that was already in my garden. Originally there was only one hoop around the trellis—as shown in the photo on the left. As the clematis plant grew however, I realized that I needed to add a second hoop. ​As you can see on the right, the plant circled that hoop too and is now taking over the fence!
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  • Title:  See the Ocean for the Fish 
  • Medium: Dried vines, leaves, birch bark, cactus; copper spray paint; silver spray paint; wire; glue; invisible
                          thread
  • Dimensions:  47"l x 33"w x 17"h
  • This artwork is for sale     
  • Description: See the Ocean for the Fish began as a grouping of vines drying in my basement that stood out to me as some sort of fish. I decided to get to work! Not being someone who spends time at being an artist however, I did not have a workspace--- at least not one where I could hang the vines with space around them on all sides, and where I could turn on music, let wood and bark fall, and not worry about paint or glue or a mess bothering anyone. So I fashioned a workspace with a hanging bar on our screened-in porch. I gathered materials I had at home which I thought might be useful in transforming the grouping into an ‘art piece’. Once I heard about the TBZ online exhibit I decided to make a go of it.  The rest is history. My numerous unsuccessful attempts to force strands of vine to do things they did not have the tensile strength or flexibility to do, taught me humility, admiration, and awareness of the need to be flexible myself.  
​         
         
See the Ocean for the Fish is a reminder to me of the need to take seriously both the larger and smaller picture-
         both the details and the background-regarding our environment particularly, but the idea works well for many
         other aspects of life too. While making this piece I was often humbled by the reoccurring realization that I can
         push my will on nature only so far, before the pieces begin to resist or break. Additionally, a poignant irony
         emerges: the vines that comprise this piece are from harmful, highly invasive, potentially treacherous species
         that, left to their own devices, will strangle the trees they climb. Yet the objects they may become are often
         graceful, beautiful, and hopeful. That irony is not wasted on me. Vines teach me that even something  threat-
         ening, harmful, and ugly can, when given proper attention, positive regard and a supportive environment, shift
         from being seen as a menace to being an object of beauty and character that add to our surroundings. 




 
 
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  • HOME
  • OUR TBZ ARTISTS
  • ARTISTS GALLERIES
    • LIORA BLOUWOLFF
    • AURORA KESNER
    • DANIELLE MORGENBESSER
    • LINK RIBNER
    • LEAH ABRAHAMS
    • RICK BANKHEAD
    • JOEL BERENBAUM
    • SHEILA BERENSON
    • MEL BROWN
    • JAMES COHEN
    • MIRIAM ROSALYN DIAMOND
    • ELLEN FOUST
    • LAUREN GARLICK
    • LOUIS GIPPETTI
    • CAROL GLASS
    • DAN KIRSCHNER
    • JUDY KUMMER
    • MISIA LANDAU
    • NAOMI RIBNER
    • SUSAN SCHNEIDER
    • JULIE SEEGER
    • BETSY SHOWSTACK
    • BEVERLY SKY
    • ALLEN M. SPIVACK
    • DAVID STRAUSS
  • CONTACT US