FORWARD: Issue #4: Redefining Sustainable Design in Indian Country

The Glass Craftsmen of Mayer & Co. | Made in Germany. Video courtesy Franz Mayer of Munich.

Mayer of Munich Studio. Photo: Mayer of Munich / Sammy Hart.

Partner We Love

Mayer of Munich

Locations: Germany, New York

Established: 1847

Known for overseeing highly successful and unique translations in stained glass, float glass painting, and mosaic, Mayer of Munich pushes the boundaries of what is possible for artists to envision and execute.

Recent vision: Collaborating with artist Nick Cave and producing his massive mosaic commission for MTA Arts & Design at the 42 St Connector, an in-system walking transfer between the 42 St Shuttle at Times Square and Bryant Park stations. Nick, being new to the classic mosaic materials, was intrigued by its potential and how Mayer of Munich could translate his dynamic, flowing Soundsuits into a static image of mosaic.

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Founded in 1847, Franz Mayer of Munich remains an owner-managed company, specializing in the development and production of international projects, spanning traditional to avant-garde artworks and techniques. We work to the highest quality standards when developing the innovative approaches demanded of expressing the artistic and architectonic visions unique to each project and artist. We excel in collaborating with diverse artistic visions to develop unexpected, exciting, and successful translations into the unique and vibrant materials of stained glass, float glass painting, and mosaic.

Joseph Gabriel Mayer, founder of Mayer of Munich, created ateliers and workshops specializing in statues, altars, and paintings in service of Christian artworks and church interiors. By 1876 there were international sales branches in London, New York, Paris, and Dublin, and our New York office continues through to today. Mayer of Munich’s second generation forged a leading legacy in the international golden age of stained glass through worldwide distribution of nondenominational sacred art, especially in the Americas, and including churches and cathedrals such as St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome and its "Holy Spirit window" above the Bernini Altar, which is the only leaded glass present within the entirety of the cathedral. Mayer of Munich has also completed works in synagogues and mosques in collaboration with the most renowned artists of the time and into the present age.

It's not just about conveying an artistic idea on flat glass, stone, or mosaic, but also about capturing the necessary engineering work. We want to be the workshop that provides support for the artists.
— Michael C. Mayer, 5th generation

Mayer of Munich, the Munich studio. Photo by Sammy Hart, courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Michael C. Mayer (5th generation) and Petra W. Mayer with their sons Samuel and Joshua (6th generation). Photo by Matze Ziegler, courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Today, the fifth generation–led family business is dedicated to restoring the historic while creating innovative and unique contemporary projects for artists and architects worldwide. Over the many years, we have cultivated a studio environment where the craftsperson and the artist work in close collaboration. This makes the fabrication process accessible to artists creating permanent, large-scale, architecturally integrated art in public spaces, using the most cutting-edge approaches available. Fusing together traditional materials and techniques with contemporary creative practices has earned Mayer of Munich a worldwide reputation for excellence in the field of public art production. Known for overseeing highly successful and unique translations in stained glass, float glass painting, and mosaic, Mayer of Munich pushes the boundaries of what is possible for artists to envision and execute, as they entrust our specialized team of artisans and project management experts in collaborative development of their artistic vision.

One recent vision came from artist Nick Cave in collaborating and producing his massive mosaic commission for MTA Arts & Design at the 42 St Connector, an in-system walking transfer between the 42 St Shuttle at Times Square and Bryant Park stations. Nick, being new to the classic mosaic materials, was intrigued by its potential and how we could translate his dynamic, flowing Soundsuits into a static image of mosaic. Simultaneously we were invited by MTA Arts & Design to independently produce our interpretation of a section of his drafts. We decided on a mask with human eyes behind it. That was the beginning of our journey with Nick.

We first had to develop a language for this completely new type of translation, namely of capturing the movement of flowing material into a mosaic. This process took several months and was skillfully achieved through very detailed mosaic cutting, a Mayer signature. As Nick's Soundsuits imagery comes from dance performances, we started with a very large color palette with hundreds of custom fused glass pieces and several hundred more nuanced details. Nick then came to our studio for two weeks to define and refine these interpretive material combinations into the vision of his own mosaic “fabric.”

Mayer of Munich has a vast stock of special materials accumulated over 170 years and intimate connections to the finest contemporary materials from Italy and Mexico. These materials were further combined to create unique mosaic pieces and elements to make up the “tailor-made” suits for Nick. This development is always experimental, and every artist’s artwork approach must be carefully considered and developed. Over several months the mosaic is set in our Munich workshops and then shipped to the US, where weeks of assembly are needed onsite by our mosaicists to complete the installation. In September 2021, part 1 of Nick Cave’s Every One, the monumental mosaic at Times Square, opened to great public interest and success.

Each One, Every One, Equal All (2022) © Nick Cave, NYCT Times Sq-42 St Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Image: Every One mosaic in 42 St Connector. Photo by Cheryl Hageman, courtesy MTA Arts & Design.

I felt like I was in the middle of a performance, up close and personal.
— Nick Cave

Michael C. Mayer, Petra W. Mayer, Nick Cave, and Bob Faust in our Munich studio. Photo by Sammy Hart, courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Each One, Every One, Equal All (2022) © Nick Cave, NYCT Times Sq-42 St Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Image: Every One mosaic in 42 St Connector. Photo by Robert Fischer, courtesy MTA Arts & Design.

Through thousands of hours of work, our team of about 20 succeeded in capturing the dancers’ movements as well as the materiality and dimensionality of the Soundsuits onto the walls of the Times Square station with unprecedented vibrancy. Such monumental public art projects need many committed and enthusiastic supporters, evidenced in our passion as a traditional family business, as well as the complete confidence of the artist to place their work in our hands.

We were able to implement three other mosaics for MTA Arts & Design during the pandemic: Katherine Bradford’s Queens of the Night and Superhero Responds at NYCT 1 Avenue Station, Marcel Dzama's dreamy images in No Less Than Everything Comes Together at NYCT Bedford Avenue Station, and Amy Pryor´s Day Into Night Into Day at NYCT 138th St—Grand Concourse. Katherine visited us in the studio shortly after Nick Cave, and she also discovered a passion for painting on glass while exploring our studios. The title of Marcel’s work describes an enchanting combination of his artworks as mosaic.

No Less Than Everything Comes Together (2021) © Marcel Dzama, NYCT Bedford Avenue Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo by Kris Graves.

Queens of the Night (2021) © Katherine Bradford, NYCT 1 Avenue Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo by Jason Mandella.

A completely different approach took place with Kerstin Brätsch´s mosaic installation for the Parc des Ateliers at LUMA Arles in Arles, France. In this case, the artist focused directly on working with our studio, convincing the client, LUMA Foundation president Maja Hoffmann, that only Mayer of Munich could translate her work according to her needs, thanks to our old and new material treasures and experience. Kerstin Brätsch´s Memory is a vibrant mix of rough and raw natural stone materials and solid-colored glass, which emerges first as a psychedelic expression in the Café du Parc and continues to flow out into the front courtyard to become an important contemporary artistic statement that will last, thanks to its artistic strength and material weight.

Due to the pandemic, we had to rely on photo exchanges and video conferencing to stay connected with the artists. Fortunately, all the artists had paid us very intensive visits shortly before, so we had a personal and energetic picture of their ideas and vision. The difficulty, of course, was to incorporate changes or new ideas on such a massive scale. To confirm the color authenticity, which is difficult to convey from photos, we often sent small samples of material in the mail. Through this experience we have learned to appreciate real meetings and exchanges even more.

Michael C. Mayer and Kerstin Brätsch in our Munich studio. Photo by Robert Fischer, courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Memory (2021) © Kerstin Brätsch. Commissioned by LUMA Foundation. Photo courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Memory (2021) © Kerstin Brätsch. Commissioned by LUMA Foundation. Photo courtesy Mayer of Munich.

Our permanent employees, some of whom have been with us for decades, have been calling us "The Island" since the pandemic. With a lot of discipline and adherence to our values and with mutual tolerance and empathy, we have so far managed to remain a sanctuary that can give artists, employees, and our family support, security, and joy. We are grateful and humble to cultivate, preserve, and send the wonderful works of art and the precious trust of all these extraordinary people in our house into the world, especially in public places like subways and parks around the world. We have maintained “normality” as much as monks in their monasteries have always done.

Our world is in a state of flux, transition, transformation, and traditions, just like our handcrafts. We need a right to exist in the new world that is being formed. Public art including subway murals like Nick Cave’s Every One or Ellsworth Kelly´s Austin at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, leave our house carrying this hope and our core values into the world. We look for the depth, the shadows, and the light.

As long as there's light, we've got a chance.
— Poe Dameron

Mayer of Munich

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FORWARD: Issue #4

Redefining Sustainable Design in Indian Country

© COPYRIGHT 2022 FORECAST PUBLIC ART ISSN 2768-4113