If you have had the chance to see the current exhibition of contemporary studio glass, "Contemporary Directions," on view in the Heinz galleries at the Carnegie Museum of Art, then you have undoubtedly seen the traveling exhibition, "William Morris: Man Adorned," which is on display in conjunction with it. On Sunday, William Morris will visit the museum to discuss the works and his working methods along with James Yood, an art critic and professor at Northwestern University who has written extensively on Morris' work. Morris is an internationally recognized artist who is known for his blown glass sculptures that simulate fragments of prehistoric cultures like the remains of animal skulls, prehistoric vessels and ancient bones. He says the "Man Adorned" series, which depicts human forms and artifacts inspired by the aboriginal cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, is not so much an exact representation of ancient peoples and their adornments but more of a loose interpretation. "I'm not trying to really replicate anything," Morris says. "They are all personal interpretations of cultural aspects and impressions and, like any interpretation, it's all subjective." He says the series grew out of an initial focus on the accoutrements worn by indigenous peoples as opposed to the people themselves, but that the focus changed when he and his assistants attempted to make a head by sculpting molten glass with hand tools. "We tried a head with flesh and were very surprised with the result," Morris says. "We started to get insight into the potential of the techniques that could be developed to refine the features, and it just grew and grew into its own concept as 'Man Adorned.' " Except for the wire on which beads are strung and the steel armatures that hold up the pieces, Morris says every part of each piece is made of glass. "Every aspect is glass that we made. We made the beads and everything," he says. "We worked for three months before we got (the first) piece done, but the entire series was done in less than a year." Amazingly, Morris and his team of 13 assistants made all 62 of the pieces that make up the "Man Adorned" series over the winter spanning 2000 and 2001. Despite being one of the preeminent glass artists working today, Morris says he doesn't own his own studio, preferring to rent the Pilchuck Glass School north of Seattle from October through April as he has for the past 20 years. "I don't own my own hot shop. I have never had my own studio," Morris says. "I realized that I didn't want an empire. It's just too much to keep track of, and I don't want a rocket ship in my back yard burning fossil fuels day in, day out." The exhibition of 11 works from the "Man Adorned" series will run through July 7.

'William Morris: Man Adorned'

Through July 7. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; Thursdays until 9 p.m.; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. 1 p.m. Sunday: Morris and James Yood of Northwestern University will discuss Morris' art and methods and the relationship between humankind, nature and history in the Carnegie Museum of Art Theater. Free with museum admission. $8; $5 for senior citizens, children and students; free to members. Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (412) 622-3131 or www.cmoa.org .

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