Carol Milne (born 1962) is an American artist, best known for her unique technique of "knitted glass," which combines elements of traditional knitting with cast glass sculpture. Based in Seattle, Washington, Milne has exhibited her work internationally[ 2 Honorable Mentions, Cheongju International Craft Juried Competition, Cheongju, Republic of Korea][ Honorable Mention purchase award, Art of Our Century, UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT ] and is recognized for her contributions to contemporary glass art.
Education
Carol Milne was born in Canada and spent her first 18 years at 18 different addresses. She received a degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph, but realized in her senior year that she was more interested in sculpture than landscape. Her senior thesis, “Landscape as Art/Art as Landscape,” drew her into the realm of sculpture and the dye was cast. She attended two years of graduate school in sculpture at the University of Iowa, where she learned about metal casting and experimented with glass. She has been working as a sculptor ever since.
Knitted Glass
In 2006, Milne created "Knitted Glass", incorporating the techniques of
knitting,
lost-wax casting, mold-making, and kiln-casting. As Milne describes in, "Knitting wasn't yet cool...":
[ Fiberarts Magazine Summer Issue 2011 ] The process involves (A) knitting the original art piece using wax strands, (B) surrounding the wax with a heat-tolerant refractory material, (C ) then removing the wax by melting it out, thus creating a mold; (D) the mold is placed in a kiln where lead crystal "frit" heated to 1,530 Fahrenheit melts into the mold; (E) after the mold has cooled, the mold material is removed to reveal the finished piece within.
"Carol Milne has blazed a new artistic path with her work in knitted
glass. Bringing the visual illusion of softness and drape to a
material that is fixed in its final form, her work has a wow factor
that encourages you to take a closer look at the nuances of her
designs."
Licton Springs Park
From 1993 to 1996, Milne re-designed the Licton Springs, Seattle Playground in Seattle,
[ DPD – Northgate Public Art Plan – City of Seattle ] Washington.
Working with ceramicist Lisa Halverson, and community volunteers, they worked with local school children to make urban wildlife tiles that were incorporated into the park design.
Since 2000, Milne has worked primarily in glass, although knitting also plays a major part in her non-glass sculptures. See, for example, "Grow Lights".
Recognition
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Amazon Artist in Residence, Amazon Headquarters, Seattle, WA, 2019
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Juror's award, “All Things Considered 9: Basketry in the 21st Century”, NBO; 2017
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1 Special Citation & 1 Honorable Mention, 9th Cheongju International Craft Juried Competition, Cheongju, Republic of Korea, 2015
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Joan Eliot Sappington Award, “On the Fringe: Today’s Twist on Fiber Art”, Lake Oswego Fest.of the Arts, 2015
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2 Honorable Mentions, Cheongju International Craft Juried Competition, Cheongju, Republic of Korea, 2011
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Honorable Mention purchase award, Art of Our Century, UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT
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Silver Prize, International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa, Japan, 2010
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Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) Award, Artist's Trust, Seattle, WA, 2007
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Ripley's Believe It or Not! – Glass Knitting, 2015
Permanent Collections
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Amazon Headquarters, Seattle, WA
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Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC
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Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
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Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
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Glasmuseum Lette, Coesfeld, Germany
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Glass Museum of Charleroi, Belgium
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The Glass Furnace, Istanbul, Turkey
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Gustav Selter GmbH & Co KG, Germany
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The Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC
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MusVerre Nord, Sars Poteries, France
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Notojima Glass Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan
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UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT all above
Articles and interviews
Woven Glass: Artist Carol Milne knits delicate sculptures
Artbeat NW 10-08-19 Glass Artist Carol Milne Artbeat Northwest Arts and Culture Podcast
Seattle Magazine Arts and Culture. Amazon Studios: Inside the Tech Giant's Employee Art Programs
Books
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In the Name of Love by Carol Milne (E-book)
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Knitted Glass: Kiln-cast lead crystal bowls by Carol Milne (E-book)
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Glass Slippers by Carol Milne (E-book)
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Carol Milne Knitted Glass by Steve Isaacson (E-book)
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Carol Milne Knitted Glass: How Does She Do That? by Steve Isaacson (Paperback)
Notable exhibitions
- 2010
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The International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa 2010, Design Center Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Japan and Notojima Glass Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan
- 2011
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7th Cheongju International Craft Juried Competition, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- 2017
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Carol Milne: Knitting Glass, Schiepers Gallery, Hasselt, Belgium
- 2019
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Carol Milne: Knit Wit, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
- 2022
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To Knit or Knot, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC
- 2023
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Knotty & Nice, Culture Object Gallery, NY, NY
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Sur Le Fil, MusVerre le Nord, Sars Poteries, France
- 2024
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Toyama International Glass Exhibition, Toyama Glass Art Museum, Toyama, Japan
External links
