Internationally known artist to speak at the Hunter Museum

Artist Karen LaMonte's sculpture, "Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery," uses the reclining female form and the dress form as a metaphor for portraiture, gender, identity and the human body, curator Nandini Makrandi said. (Photo: Contributed)

Internationally known sculptor Karen LaMonte will discuss her work and ideas about art at The Glass Dress, a public program beginning at 6 p.m. March 1.

LaMonte's life-size, cast glass sculpture, "Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery," is one of the most popular works in the Hunter's contemporary collection.

"LaMonte's work draws inspiration from classical Greek and Roman sculpture," Nandini Makrandi, Hunter Museum curator of contemporary art, said. "Using the ancient technique of lost wax casting, she challenges the inherent qualities of glass, pushing it to the edge of its technical limits."

LaMonte has received numerous awards for her pieces, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, an NEA Fellowship and the Virginia A. Groot Foundation Award.

Her work is included in several public collections, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Corning Museum of Glass and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Virginia. It has also recently been acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In addition to the LaMonte program, visitors to the Hunter's glass galleries will find a new gallery guide that will highlight some of the museum's finest pieces.

Visitors can also select from several "guide by cell" audio stations to hear more about the glass from the voices of the artists and curators.