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Darren Goodman’s Trial by Fire blowing minds at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Trial by Fire, a brilliant blown glass exhibition on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum, is yet another stunning explosion of powerful colors to enjoy during the season of lights this year. The incredibly talented artist, Darren Goodman, is CAM’s most recent winner of its prestigious 4th Floor Award for regional contemporary artists, and it literally blowing up Cincinnati!

Ever since Goodman was born in Cincinnati in 1981, he has been incorporating his love of nature, specifically the magnificent array of hues and patterns that are found in the natural world, into the development of incredible blown vessels, fused panels, sculptures, and chandeliers. After earning his bachelors degree in Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University in 2003, he traveled all over the United States, completing workshops with renowned artists such as David Salvadore, Nancy Callen, and Lino Tagliapietra. Goodman has been so focused on his exploration, even visiting Venice, Italy to study the history of Murano glass. 2005 was a special year for him, as he began teaching glass blowing to high school students and he also opened his own studio in Waynesville, but in 2007, Goodman began to create his own stunning works of art.

The works then seemed to take on a life of their own, providing Goodman with opportunities to explore the concepts that were behind these masterpieces and how they symbolized different aspects of his life. While Rising Leaves was about using recycled glass to create something beautiful and more representational about his growth as a glass artist, sometimes his work takes an even more idiosyncratic approach.

Ner Tamid, which means “ eternal flame” was also vey personal as Goodman was commissioned by the Issac M. Wise Temple, a temple he attended every Sunday as a child, to complete what would become an inspiring renewed interest and dedication to his Jewish heritage.

Tears of Joy reminds Goodman to appreciate the decisions he has made in his life and he explains it further, “I’ve come to embrace the good with the bad openly, and its this awakening that I feel has brought me to where I am today, a place where I have begun shedding new tears of my own, tears of joy.”

Goodman also made history in 2009 when he designed and created the first ever exclusive glass trophies, named Vetro Bottles, for the Ferrari Challenge in the International Challenge Races!

Trial by Fire, a collection which includes both Tears of Joy and the Ferrari Challenge, is his first large scale installation and can be experienced at the  Vance- Waddell Gallery of the Cincinnati Art Museum through January 1, 2012.

To see Goodman with his exhibit, check out this video from his website!