Archives: News

News and reviews

CGS and SGS members apply for joint exhibition

Would you like the opportunity to show your glass work in Scotland this autumn? If you are a UK-based member of the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) or Scottish Glass Society (SGS), apply now to exhibit in the ‘Balance and Harmony’ exhibition.

The SGS has invited CGS to collaborate on a joint exhibition of contemporary glass art, created by members of both societies. A panel will select the chosen pieces.

The exhibition will be held in the Trades Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, in the Merchant City area. It runs from 18 to 25 September 2024, coinciding with the Glasgow ‘Doors Open’ week. There will be a Private View/Opening on 17 September at 6pm.

The ‘Balance and Harmony’ theme invites artists to explore the interplay between contrasting elements, whether through form, colour, texture or concept, and to express the inherent beauty found in harmonious coexistence.

Artists may choose to interpret this theme in a myriad of ways, addressing not only the balance and unity within their individual artworks, but also reflecting on broader societal, environmental and spiritual notions of harmony and equilibrium.

Artworks could range from serene and contemplative pieces that embody a visual sense of tranquillity, to compositions that ingeniously juxtapose disparate elements to create a cohesive and balanced whole. From the use of complementary colours and textures to the incorporation of symbolic imagery representing harmony and equilibrium, the potential for artistic exploration within this theme is vast.

The aim of the exhibition is to demonstrate the amazing contemporary glass that makers of CGS and SGS create and to let the public appreciate and enjoy its magical colours, textures, use of light and variety of techniques.  It is also an opportunity for the public to not only discover their own local glass artists but to encounter work from other SGS and CGS members. The work displayed will feature as wide a range of techniques as possible.

The entry fee is £40 per application for members, plus an additional £15 if the applicant is unable to invigilate during the exhibition opening. The fee for students is £20. This entitles applicants to include a maximum of three entries.

All work should be for sale. There will be a commission of 30% on sales and you should reflect this in the price of your artefact for sale.

Non-members must join CGS or SGS to participate.  Links for membership:
https://cgs.org.uk/join-today/
https://scottishglasssociety.com/register/

Closing date for submissions is 5pm on Friday 26 July 2024. Apply via Curatorspace.

CGS New Horizons exhibition at Stourbridge Glass Museum this summer

Following on from the Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) successful 25th Anniversary exhibition at the Stourbridge Glass Museum in 2022, we are returning to the Museum with the show ‘New Horizons’ in 2024.

This exhibition will showcase new work that has not been exhibited before, made by over 20 invited artists, using both traditional and modern methods of glass making. This contemporary work challenges and explores the boundaries of glass.

‘Mutualism Triptych’ by Verity Pulford. Photo: Stephen Heaton Photography.

Glassmaking processes including hot glass, casting, kiln formed, pâte de verre, lampworking, neon and stained glass will be represented by the following artists: Anthony Amoako Attam, Emma Baker, Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg, Heike Brachlow, Sarah Brown, Karen Browning, Penny Carter, James Devereux, Catherine Dunstan, Fiaz Elson, Dominic Fonde, Richard Jackson, Verity Pulford, Susan Purser Hope, Laura Quinn, Tim Rawlinson, Opal Seabrook, Ruth Shelley, Angela Thwaites and Brian Waugh.

New Horizons runs for four months from 13 July to 17 November 2024 and coincides with the Stourbridge-based International Festival of Glass and British Glass Biennale, which take place during the summer, so make sure to visit if you are coming to that event. Alongside this stunning display of work, CGS will be running supporting events, including artist talks and an opportunity to meet some of the makers.

Penny Carter’s ‘Totem Vases’. Photo: Thomas Moran Images.

This cornucopia of glass work reflects the dynamism and sheer talent of contemporary glass in this country and demonstrates how glass makers continue to develop and challenge our understanding of glass as an artistic medium.

The Stourbridge Glass Museum is an ideal venue to host this display of exemplary contemporary glass from CGS members. As well as highlighting glass from the present day, the Museum houses over 500 items from the internationally renowned Stourbridge Glass Collection, celebrating the heritage of glassmaking locally and internationally.

Stourbridge Glass Museum is at Stuart Works, High Street, Wordsley DY8 4FB, UK. https://www.stourbridgeglassmuseum.org.uk


Main image: ‘Trewyn Light’ by Tim Rawlinson. Photo: Alick Cotterill.

Exhibit at Blowfish Glass Gallery in Fifteen x Fifteen exhibition

Blowfish Glass Gallery is looking for 30 glass artists to showcase their creations in its ‘Fifteen x Fifteen’ exhibition in Stourbridge as part of the International Festival of Glass (IFoG) celebrations this summer.

The challenge is to create a unique piece of glass art no larger than 15cm cubed.  Submissions are encouraged from all glass processes, from flameworking and hot sculpting to pâte de verre, stained glass and more. This compact format encourages an exciting opportunity to experiment with new ideas and techniques to push the limits of artistic vision.

‘Fifteen x Fifteen’ marks the Gallery’s founding role in the new Glass Legacy Association Stourbridge (GLAS).

Alongside the exhibition, which takes place from 23 August to 23 September 2024, there will be an opening event featuring demonstrations by ten renowned glass artists.

The Gallery is partnering with the IFoG to deliver a programme of events during August 2024.

This exhibition provides successful artists with the opportunity to display their artwork in a historic setting at Blowfish Glass Gallery, located within the Red House Glass Cone units.

Gallery founder Bethany Wood said, “We anticipate a large number of visitors during the opening event, which coincides with the International Festival of Glass 2024. Take this chance to present your artistic vision to a dedicated audience of collectors and glass enthusiasts.”

Deadline for submissions is midnight on Thursday 30 May 2024 (12am BST).

For full details about ‘Fifteen x Fifteen’ and to apply, Click here.

Call for papers for Making Futures conference

Arts University Plymouth is hosting its biennial research platform, Making Futures, in October 2024, and is inviting contributions from designers, artists, makers, educators, scholars, policymakers, scientists and creators.

Convened and curated by Associate Professor Stephanie Owens, Dean of Arts, Design & Media at Arts University Plymouth, this year’s conference will explore creative encounters with current material research and innovation where artists, artisans and designers work across disciplines and communities toward a more equitable, sustainable and resilient world.

The programme of presentations, demonstrations and material masterclasses takes place from 17 to 19 October 2024 at the university campus in Plymouth, UK, and online.

The conference will explore social and material innovations, individual and global fabrication, analogue and digital technologies, knowledge production and exchange, archival and experimental processes, collaborations and partnerships, projects and products, studio pedagogies and practices which will influence the future of craft as a material practice and as a cultural idea.

Making Futures was established in 2009 as a platform for dialogue around contemporary craft and maker movements and how they relate to the creative industries in 21st century society.

Six conference tracks have been selected for 2024:

  • Craftsmanship, Artisanal Knowledge and the Aesthetics of Place
  • Rethinking the Relationship Between Body, Fashion and Ornament
  • Generative Materials? Toward a Convergence of AI and Matter
  • Softsystems – Biology, Networks and Post-natural Frameworks for Co-creativity
  • Optimising Craft Techniques for Sustainable Alternatives to Extractive Practices
  • Futurecraft – Pathways for Art, Design and Materials Science Research Collaborations.

The call for papers is now open online via this link. The deadline for submissions is 15 April 2024 at 5pm (BST).

Keynote speakers and details about registering to attend Making Futures in person or online will be announced in May 2024.

British Glass Biennale and International Bead Biennale artists announced

The International Festival of Glass has announced the 121 artists selected for the 2024 British Glass Biennale exhibition.

The expert judging panel, comprising Candice-Elena Greer (chair), Martin Donlin, Nadania Idriss, Tanya Raabe-Webber and Annie Warburton, selected the very best of this year’s entries from 326 applications, all of which achieved a very high standard.

This final year of the show under the organisation of the Ruskin Mill Trust saw a 31% increase in applications to take part in this showcase of the most interesting, diverse and outstanding glass art made in the UK in the last two years.

Artists selected for the British Glass Biennale (main section) are: Tamsin Abbott, Emma Baker, Vic Bamforth, Carol Bayada, Emily Bellhouse, Heike Brachlow, Steve Brown, Sarah Brown, Karen Browning and Jon Lewis, Charlie Burke, Susan Burne, Nina Casson McGarva, Ian Chadwick, James Cockerill, Katharine Coleman, Keith Cummings, Christopher Day, Sacha Delabre, James Denison-Pender, James Devereux, Celia Dowson, Laura Dutton, Fiaz Elson, Sally Fawkes, Karen Ferrand, Dominic Fonde, Gary Fovargue, Alec Galloway, Hannah Gibson, Stephen Graham, Claire Hall, Kate Henderson, Caz Hildebrand, Madeleine Hughes, Katherine Huskie, Richard Jackson, Kate Jones and Stephen Gillies, Choi Keeryong, Joshua Kerley and Guy Marshall Brown, Oksana Kondratyeva, Isabella Kullmann, Nadia Lammas, Monette Larsen, Peter Layton, Lola Lazaro Hinks, Jessie Lee, James Lethbridge, Julie Light, Jane Littlefield, James Maskrey, Sam Mukumba, Rachel Mulligan, Tracy Nicholls, Marzena Ostromecka, April Owens, Jacque Pavlosky, Rachel Phillips, Jade Pinnell, Richard Platt, Verity Pulford, Laura Quinn, Tim Rawlinson, David Reekie, Colin Reid, Bruno Romanelli, Annie Ross, Penelope Jane Ross, Layne Rowe, Charlotte Savill, Anthony Scala, Opal Seabrook, Sarah Shanahan, Sax Shaw, Ruth Shelley, Tracey Sheppard, Amanda Simmons, Cathryn Shilling, Robyn Smith, Sophie Southgate, Andrea Spencer, Helen Slater-Stokes, Dawid Stroyny, Phoebe Stubbs, Nancy Sutcliffe, Jane Vincent, Elliot Walker, Zac Weinberg, Sarah Wiberley, Colin Wilkes, Neil Wilkin, Bethany Wood, Rachel Woodman, Muna Zuberi.

Garvald Glass: John Newey, Cissie Grieves, Shannon Crosbie, Alison Edwards, Callum Smith, David Willis, Nicole Tait, Lizz McFarlene, Dominic Mather, Christopher Cobb, Michael Mclellan, Joseph Gibney, Marzena Ostromeka, Jane McArthur, Ramon Beascoechea, Michele Raine.

The British Glass Biennale Student Section will be represented by: Joanna Ackroyd, Anthony Amoako Atttah, Yiran An, Beth Colledge, Meimei Cui, Jianyun Ding, Helen Gordon, Brynn Hill, Holly Hooper, Ali Jarvis, Hassina Khan, Aria Kiani, Sophie Longwill, Joanna Manousis, Jason McAnuff, Faith Mercer, Helen Restorick, Polly Thomas-Colquhoun, Ziyu Wang, plus Yixue Yang and Wei Ding.

Invited Artists: Keith Brocklehurst, Martin Donlin, Matt Durran.

International Bead Biennale

There were 42 artists selected for the International Bead Biennale by jury members Will Farmer, Carole Morris and Pam Reekie. They represent the US, Canada, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway, Belgium and the UK.

International Bead Biennale artists selected are: Jeanne-Sophie Aas, Olga Alianova, Laurie Ament, David Bentham, Michele Bevis, Dan Bowran, Michael Bullen, Madeline Bunyan, Helena Castro García, Katharine Coleman, Julie Couch, Pauline Delaney, Sarah Downton, Simon Eccles, Rachel Elliott, Ilsa Fatt, Zoe Garner, Karina Guevin and Cedric Ginart, Brett Gui Xin, April Hilling Ross, Madeleine Hughes, Richard Jones, Joan Keller, Jennie Lamb, Freya Laughton, Ana Llavador, James Lethbridge, Benito Lozano Blanco, Teresa Malcolm, Allister Malcolm, Michaela Maria Moeller, Purnima Patel, Petra Pepper, Maria Popkova, Samantha Sonnefield, Ann Steenkiste, Michi Suzuki, Samantha Sweet, Ayako Tani, Angela Thwaites, Stephanie White and Jolene Wolfe.

Invited Artists

Keith Brocklehurst, Holly Cooper.

There are almost £30,000-worth of awards to be won, with prize winners to be announced at the awards ceremony on 22 August 2024 at the Glasshouse, Stourbridge, UK. Winners of the prizes chosen through public votes will be announced at the closing ceremony on 28 September 2024.

Opening times and venue

The exhibitions are open Tuesday to Saturday from 26 August to 28 September 2024 at the Glasshouse, Wollaston Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge DY8 4HF, UK. The awards ceremony marks the start of the International Festival of Glass, a four-day event celebrating the drama and excitement of glass.

Sunderland University to close glass and ceramics courses

Sunderland University has announced that it is to close its glass and ceramics programme once the current students complete their courses. This means that there will be no recruitment to the undergraduate glass and ceramics course that would have started in September 2024 and current courses will close by summer 2026.

The news follows the January 2023 announcement that the iconic National Glass Centre (NGC) building, where the courses are conducted, would have to close because it needs millions of pounds spent on it to rectify structural issues.

The university said it had been exploring the option of relocating a restructured glass and ceramics programme from the NGC to Priestman Building on City Campus, as part of its work to find alternative locations for activity based in the current NGC building.

It stated, “We commissioned an external project team to produce a feasibility report to assess the scope and viability of relocating, and to provide a high-level cost estimate. The report concluded that moving equipment and undertaking the necessary changes to the building – for example, ventilation and extraction facilities – would cost in the region of £9.4 million.

“Based on this report, and considering the number of glass and ceramics students, the University’s Board of Governors has concluded that relocating glass and ceramics is not financially viable.”

Work to find alternative locations for other activities based at the NGC is ongoing and the university said it remains in active discussion with its key partners, Sunderland Culture and Sunderland City Council, including on the potential to take space in the Culture House.

In the meantime, the NGC building and the activities within it remain open and no decisions have been made regarding the future of the site beyond summer 2026.

A petition the save the NGC has received over 32,000 signatures to date. Jo Howell, who organised it, posted this in response to the latest news: “We stand in solidarity with all of the staff and students. We are distraught to hear that like a thief in the night Sunderland University is taking away our glass and ceramic courses, leading to inevitable loss of highly skilled staff, valued teachers and of course eventually the building itself… We stand with you and we will fight to keep you.”

Open call: UCA Farnham to showcase work by staff, students and AiR

The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Surrey, UK, is inviting students, staff and artists in residence, past and present, to take part in the October Farnham Crafts Month exhibition, ‘Shaping Glass, Shaping Futures’. The event will celebrate the inauguration of the first Farnham Craft Town artist residency.

The show will be held at UCA’s James Hockey Gallery from 1-31 October 2024.

The organisers are seeking proposals for glass works that represent a significant evolution in applicants’ artistic practice and which reflect the influence of their time at UCA. The proposals for work are not limited to glass artworks but can also include physical objects, such as sketch books, experiments and innovative tools, as wells as digital formats. Some ideas for digital submissions may include films, photography, animations, documentaries of the making process, or digital representations of sketchbooks.

The Ceramic and Glass department at UCA hosts workshops that facilitate glass blowing, lamp working, kiln forming and cold working. Works made with any glass technique will be accepted, as will works that combine glass with other materials (at least 50% must be glass).

Up to 25 artists will be selected for the exhibition and the application deadline is 29 April 2024.

For more information and details of how to apply, click this link.

Image: Elliot Walker demonstrating at UCA.

Saxe Emerging Artist awardees announced

Following a rigorous and competitive jurying process with over 30 nominees, the Glass Art Society (GAS) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Saxe Emerging Artist award. They are Priscilla Kar Yee Lo, Sadhbh Mowlds and Abegael Uffelman.

Established by studio glass collectors Dorothy and the late George Saxe, this annual award recognises emerging talent in the glass community. Recipients receive a cash award, lecture at the annual GAS Conference, as well as having their work featured in an online exhibition and catalogue.

Brandi P Clark, executive director at GAS, commented, “Each of this year’s recipients combines new techniques, new ways of thinking, and new ways of working to shed light on important contemporary issues and to advance the medium of glass. Their work represents the very best of the future of glass. We are honoured to recognise these artists at this pivotal moment in their careers and are excited to see how they will use this platform.”

Priscilla Kar Yee Lo has a Bachelor’s degree in Craft and Design from Sheridan College and a Master of Fine Arts from Illinois State University in the US. She is currently the Resident Artist at Rochester Institute of Technology. She stated, ““By employing pop culture icons [like Hello Kitty] that are rooted in systemic patriarchy to highlight the intersectionality of being a minority female, I hope to advance this changing reality. I view this as an act of defiance, taking back a symbol of oppression to create a counter-narrative that serves to empower Asian females. Ultimately, I view my work as a nostalgic and whimsical, yet mischievous way of documenting where women, particularly immigrant women, are placed within a societally-prescribed racial framework.”

Sadhbh Mowlds is a visual artist who was born and raised in Dublin. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland. She worked as a freelance glassblower at Berlin Glas, Germany, before taking a Master of Fine Arts in the US at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She has exhibited internationally and her work is in the permanent collections of Kunstsammulungen Coburg, Germany, and the Museum of American Glass, New Jersey, US. Sadhbh said, “Using the body as an emissary, I probe the delicate boundary between our internal and external self, describing the impact societal perceptions of gender roles, value systems,and class divides have on our suffering consciousness. This investigation culminates in bizarre, bodily sculptures that emphasise the restrictive bond we have with our flesh and the social situations that come along with it.”

Abegael Uffelman earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in the US. Currently, she is the programme coordinator and an instructor at Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Art in Minneapolis, US.In describing her work, Abegael stated, “I strive to understand the relationships and connections between others, both intimate and fleeting. Growing up as a transracial Asian adoptee in a White family has impacted my life in a profound way. My work is a comment on situations my family and I have faced in American society – from personal reflection into adoption records to racial microaggressions.”

Join CGS Discovery Day at Sunderland

The next in the Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) Discovery Day series takes place at Sunderland University and the National Glass Centre this April.

‘Glass Experiences – A Vista of Views’ will feature presentations by four eminent glass makers, along with a tour of the University studios, an exploration of the exhibitions at the National Glass Centre, live glass demonstrations, hands-on experiences of glass artwork, networking and more. It takes place on Saturday 20 April 2024.

The four speakers are Helen Pailing, Jo Mitchell, Liz Waugh McManus and Zac Weinberg.

Helen Pailing’s talk is entitle ‘On Tenterhooks’. She creates sculpture and installations using salvaged and found materials. Reusing materials destined for landfill is her way to bring awareness to seemingly non-precious or redundant ‘waste’ material and to celebrate the value within all matter.

Jo Mitchell will discuss ‘My Inspiration in Glass’. Her work explores the metaphorical qualities of air and glass, often incorporating the human form, combining the use of waterjet cutting and kiln-forming to control the form of air entrapment within the internal space of glass.

Liz Waugh McManus’s talk is called ‘What an “Internet of Glass Things” Can Offer an Artist’. She is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the boundaries between analogue and digital making with an art practice that embraces sculpture, glass, puppetry, video and new media.

Zac Weinberg’s presentation will discuss ‘The Ornament of Functionality/The Functionality of Ornament’. His projects address object value systems with a concentration on utility and mobility, using glass and mixed media to formulate his creations.

As well as a great day out, this event gives attendees the chance to support the National Glass Centre in its fight to remain on its present site.

Venue: The Prospect Building, University of Sunderland, Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, St Peter’s Campus, St Peter’s Way, Sunderland SR6 0DD

 For more information and to book tickets click this link.

Image: Examples of work by the Discovery Day speakers.

Apply for QEST and Heritage Crafts Sustainability Awards

Following the inaugural award in 2023, the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) and Heritage Crafts Sustainability Award 2024 is open for applications.

The two organisations are partnering to highlight craftspeople in the UK who have gone above and beyond to become measurably more sustainable in their practice.

Glass artist Lulu Harrison, a 2023 QEST Johnnie Walker Scholar, won last year’s prize. She was recognised for her sustainable processes in incorporating waste from local fishing industries to create glass pieces.

“Being the first recipient of this award has been a real honour, with the award money going towards future projects, which wouldn’t have otherwise been possible,” she commented.

The award is aimed at those who have made a change to their materials or processes, or innovated in another way, to measurably reduce their impact on the environment within the last 12 months.

It recognises makers working with traditional craft skills or materials who have taken clear and effective steps to improve their environmental sustainability, as well as the long-term viability of their business.

Following its success in 2023, when the award attracted 66 nominations, this year’s prize will be split into two categories: Material Innovation and Improving Processes.

Each winner will receive £1,000 and will be recognised at a Winners’ Reception at the Vicar’s Hall, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, in November 2024.

Applications close on Friday 24 May at 5pm.

Find out more information here and apply via this link.

Image: Lulu Harrison, who won the first sustainability award in 2023.