The Corning Museum of Glass selected New Zealand based artist Te Rongo Kirkwood as the winner of the 38th Rakow Commission. Kirkwood is known for her vibrant and evocative works of kiln-formed glass that explore themes of her Māori, English, and Scottish heritage and identity.
The commissioned installation, The Seer, the Seen, the Seeing, is comprised of three main elements: a kākahu (cloak), made of kiln-formed glass and woven fibers; a puru hau (sacred ritual vessel) in blown glass; and a film. The cloak and vessel are key components of a filmed ceremony centering Kirkwood and her father, set against the backdrop of their ancestral lands at Piha Beach on New Zealand’s west coast.
“I find it difficult to express my internal experience through words, so I turn to art to explore the layers of complexity of being alive, seeing, and perceiving,” said Kirkwood. “Recently, I’ve been using imagery and film to engage more directly with my work, I want to express nuance and connect on a deeper level. I love how each viewer resonates with art in their own way, bringing their unique lens of perceptions and life experiences.”
Now on view in the museum’s Contemporary Art + Design Gallery, The Seer, the Seen, the Seeing is a multi-dimensional installation representing Kirkwood’s most personal series in glass to date. In November 2024, the museum hosted the artist as she installed the piece for a public unveiling, which was accompanied by an artist talk and a screening of a documentary about the making process produced by the museum’s in-house digital video team. The recorded artist talk is now available on the Corning Museum of Glass YouTube channel.
The Rakow Commission is one of the most prestigious annual awards for artists working in glass. It supports the creation of new work by encouraging artists to venture into technical or conceptual projects that they would have been unable to explore due to financial limitations. The annual program was endowed by the late Dr. and Mrs. Leonard S. Rakow, who were fellows, benefactors, and dear friends of the museum. Now in its 38th year, the award was first presented in 1986. Recipients include both emerging and established artists such as Charisse Pearlina Weston, Leo Tecosky, Preston Singletary, Silvia Levenson, Klaus Moje, and Lino Tagliapietra.