A new work of art recently installed in Wolfe Hall honors Dr. Max Funk, a Distinguished University Professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“Elements of Life,” an 18-by-18-inch glass cast work depicting a tree with curled branches and gnarled roots, hangs in the northeast atrium of Wolfe Hall adjacent to Room 1201. The work is created and presented by the celebrated artist Baker O’Brien, who learned to mix, melt and blow vividly colored glass under Dominick Labino, a late founding figure in the studio glass movement that originated in Toledo in the 1960s.
Artist Baker O’Brien, left, and Distinguished University Professor emeritus Dr. Max Funk attend the dedication of the artwork ‘Elements of Life’ in Wolfe Hall.
Labino developed and honed his interest in studio glass while working in the glass and fiber glass industry in Toledo. He took on O’Brien, also a jewelry artist, as his only apprentice and later successor at Labino Studio in Grand Rapids, Ohio.
O’Brien is now retiring from glass work after a nearly five-decade career. In addition to “Elements of Life,” she bequeathed some of the inorganic chemicals she and her mentor used to create their distinctive colored glass to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“Max Funk has been a supporter of the arts and a supporter of mine throughout my career,” O’Brien said. “I thought this piece would be a nice way to honor him.”
Funk is a long-time instructor and researcher at UToledo, where he arrived as an assistant professor in 1978. He dedicated 35 years to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and later also the Department of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences before he accepted the title professor emeritus in 2013.
“Dr. Funk received the College of Natural Science and Mathematics’ Excellence in Professional Service Award in 2012,” said Dr. Steven Sucheck, a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We’re pleased to again recognize his excellence in scholarship and commitment to community with this work of art that students, faculty and staff will appreciate for years to come in Wolfe Hall.”
