Emmy Palmer on new tv show for aspiring makers

Artists and craftspeople have been tuning in to watch the BBC tv series ‘Make It at Market’, where hobby makers are mentored to help them move their passion into a business. Allister Malcolm, who is based at the Stourbridge Glass Museum, was the mentor for the four budding glass artists on the show. Here we hear from one of his protegees, Emmy Palmer, whose ‘Pip’ blown glass dishes and knitted wire and glass pieces impressed Allister and presenter Dom Chinea, of ‘The Repair Shop’ fame.

Emmy says, “‘Make It at Market’ came around at the right time for me. I’d just started back in the hot glass studio a few months before applying for the show and I knew then that I wanted to pursue glass again!

“Teign Valley Glass studios are the unsung heroes for me behind the scenes of the show. They supported me for months in the run-up to filming and throughout the whole process. They helped me to rebuild my skills and reminded me of all the things I had forgotten in my years away! I love making my glass there with Richard Glass and team.

“‘Make It at Market’ has been just the best experience. The production team and everyone involved made it a joy to be part of the show. I loved working with the Minimelt team, using their outside glass studio. The setup was amazing! Allister Malcolm was such an inspiring and hard-working mentor. His dedication to his role on the show was clear from the get-go and he had really thought about each of us glass makers and our individual needs. He came up with bespoke plans to help us to build a successful business and he put in so many hours behind the scenes with all of us.

“The show has opened a positive way forward for me, set me up to take opportunities, and guided me through the best way to go forward. Even before my episode had aired, I had the pleasure of making bespoke orders for Braybrook and Britten and A Heart of Glass Gallery, plus numerous exhibition opportunities and enough Christmas orders to keep me going all season.

“The response after my episode aired has been wonderfully overwhelming. I’ve received so many kind messages. I’m still trying to catch up with orders, messages and plan my forthcoming months!

“Stourbridge Glass Museum and Allister Malcolm Glass are putting on an event at the Museum on 4 February 2023. This will feature all four glass makers from the series – Belinda King, Alison Vincent, John Mark Fenn, and me. It will start with a meet and greet, then an unveiling of Belinda King’s work which is being given a place in the permanent collection at the Museum. After that there will be demonstrations by each glass maker.”

For anyone wanting to go along, the event is included with the usual Stourbridge Glass Museum entry fee. The meet-and-greet is at 10.30am. At 12pm is the unveiling of the work by Belinda King, and between 1pm and 4pm will be the glassblowing demonstrations. The museum also has some of Emmy’s work for sale in the shop.

Find out more about Stourbridge Glass Museum here.

Reserve you space to meet the artists via this link.

Find out more about Emmy Palmer via her website.

Main image: Emmy Palmer during the filming of ‘Make It at Market’.