Members of the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) are invited to apply to exhibit at the prestigious London Glassblowing in June 2025. This curated exhibition will be on the theme ‘Mirage’ and will celebrate glass’s 4th dimension.
CGS is delighted to collaborate with London Glassblowing once again. Peter Layton of London Glassblowing was one of the founding members of CGS and is still a guiding light and one of the foremost promoters of contemporary glass in the UK.
CGS glass artists from across the UK are invited to submit their most captivating and innovative pieces, which push the boundaries of the visual illusions that can be achieved through the incredible medium of glass. We want to showcase the magic and mystery that glass can embody with craft pieces that manipulate form, colour and light to challenge the viewer’s perceptions. We aim to show a cross-section of glassmaking techniques.
Overseas CGS members can apply for inclusion in the Gallery’s online exhibition catalogue at a reduced fee, but will not be included in the physical exhibition. However, work included in the online catalogue will be for sale and seen as part of the overall Mirage exhibition.
The work of the selected UK CGS glass artists will be displayed in the gallery from 6-29 June 2025 and included in the gallery’s online catalogue.
Work should have been made since January, 2023 or can be made especially in response to the exhibition’s theme. Up to two pieces of work can be submitted, or a group of small pieces. Work must comprise at least 50% glass. Maximum size of an individual piece of work or group of related pieces is:
Freestanding: 40 x 40 x 40cm
Wall hung: 60 x 60cm
Submissions must be made via CuratorSpace. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2025.
A panel comprising Peter Layton, Sarah Brown (CGS Chair) and an independent artist will make the selection in early April 2025. If your work is chosen, the Gallery will contact you and send you its own contract to complete. You should be notified by 21 April 2025.
Selected artists’ work will be showcased at London Glassblowing alongside established names in the glass art community, including Peter Layton, Anthony Scala, Layne Rowe, Tim Rawlinson and Sila Yucel.
Applications are invited from glass artists for the 2025 Venice Glass Week, the ninth annual international glass festival taking place across the city of Venice and Murano, Italy, from 13–21 September.
Individuals and organisations can submit proposals for exhibitions and installations as well as conferences, lectures, demonstrations and more. Applicants can either propose their own event venue or apply to exhibit at one of The Venice Glass Week HUBs (or request support in sourcing another venue elsewhere in the city).
There will be a HUB Under35 exhibition space for artists and designers aged 18-35 at the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Galleria di Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), in the heart of Venice. Up to three artworks per artist can be displayed here.
For artists and designers aged 36 and over, HUB – Campo Santo Stefano will be hosted in the Palazzo Loredan, home of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Campo Santo Stefano, one of the most popular squares in the city. Again, artists can apply to show up to three artworks in the ground floor and first floor galleries of this historic space.
It is free to apply to take part in The Venice Glass Week 2025, and there is no Festival participation fee. However, with the exception of The Venice Glass Week HUBs, participants are entirely and independently responsible for all costs and administration relating to the planning, organisation and running of their individual events.
For more information about the festival, click here to view a Festival Presentation PDF (which includes further details of how to apply with links to the conditions of participation and application forms for the HUBs and other events) or visit www.theveniceglassweek.com and go to the Applications tab.
Note the application deadline is Wednesday, 16 April 2025.
Fresh from her successful exhibition at Collect 2025 in London, Rebecca Tanda explains how she combines pâte-de-verre and flameworking techniques to create unique art and wearable pieces. Linda Banks finds out more.
What led you to start working with glass?
I was educated in sculpture and print making, but not in a specific medium. However, this gave me confidence with making and casting moulds. Glass had always fascinated me and I gradually developed ways of working with it outside of a hot shop context. For a while, this meant embedding glass into liquid silicone and then sewing this rubbery-sharp matter together to arrive at dimensional forms.
Several years later, I am based in Zwiesel in Bavaria, Germany, with my studio in the neighbouring Frauenau. Both towns are historically well known for their glass production and critical role in the development of the studio glass movement in Europe. I am lucky to be part of a new generation of glassmakers, both local and farther afield, who are settling and setting up studios in this region.
‘A Scaffold that is a Shackle that is a Shell’ collection (2024). Photo: Taja Spasskova.
What glass techniques have you used, and which do you prefer?
I work with pâte-de-verre and flameworking, finding ways of combining these two processes to create work that is wearable and for the wall. I feel really close to both approaches, because of the direct, tactile relationship with the glass that they offer the maker. I also really enjoy the physicality and concentration that go into the process of model and mould making, and then, ultimately, the pâte-de-verre process itself. I combine these two methods primarily by weaving and shaping borosilicate glass rods through holes in the delicate pâte-de-verre to arrive at a finished work that is fragile but mutually reinforcing.
‘Mollusca’ wearable art held by Barbora Pospíšilová, part of ‘Scaffold that is a Shackle that is a Shell’ collection. Photo: Taja Spasskova.
Please tell us more about your creative approach. Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
I dedicate time to sketching and model making. It is usually a basic drawing that I combine with collages to solidify ideas about texture, proportions and colour palette. This will eventually crystalize into a nearly to-scale cardboard model or drawing. As I work a lot with negative space and have to think about how and where things join and link up, armature wire also plays a pretty important role. I also keep a physical collection of textures and moulds, which may make little cameo appearances in pieces.
‘Moonfish Interlude: elevate’ is made from soda-lime and borosilicate glass. Photo: Iona Wolff.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
I seek to show glass as something that is resilient and unexpected and hope to challenge all preconceptions that a viewer may have. Formally exploring the boundaries between object, ornament and sculpture, is something that continues to motivate me and guides how I think about abstraction at large. Fragility as a theme is also a quiet presence, from which my interest in negative space and opening up a form, or making it as porose as possible, stems, followed by working back into it and reinforcing it with the torch work. The history of pâte-de-verre as a medium in and of itself also plays role.
Where the French revivalists and Art Noveau were glorifying and beautifying nature, I am more interested in pushing it in the direction of the surreal or sci-fi but still heavily referencing organic forms. Fantasy, geology and folk art also influence my aesthetic greatly.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
For a while it has been a pack (five in total) of ‘third-hand’ angled and adjustable tweezers on a base. I had seen goldsmiths using these to hold small pieces of metal while they are being soldered. I have adapted the tweezers for glass rods and use them to hold the rods in place while I connect them with a hand torch through the pâte-de-verre.
Rebecca Tanda at work in her studio in Bavaria, using the ‘third hand’ tweezers. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Do you have a favourite piece or collection you have made? Why is it your favourite?
It is not necessarily my favourite, but I am really excited by the ‘Suture’ pieces. They are fused borosilicate frit and rod, which is then brought out of the kiln and manipulated directly by the torch. Extra rod is then hot-joined to the frame of the fused piece and stitched back into itself to create these tapestry-like pieces. Working with borosilicate frit in this way was a big leap for me in my practice.
Rebecca Tanda is excited by these ‘Sutures’ pieces made from borosilicate glass. Photo: Iona Wolff.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I aim to present at exhibitions and fairs in Europe that are glass relevant, but also at those for sculpture and jewellery more generally. This is important, especially as I am
located in a rural setting. Recently, with funding from the Alexander-Tutsek Foundation, I had the opportunity to show my newest body of work at Collect in London with Collect Open, the fair’s platform for pioneering and thought-provoking craft installations by individual artists. This was my first time exhibiting not only in London, but in the UK (and I hope that it won’t be the last time).
Soon I will be showing some new wearable pieces at Pistachios Gallery in Chicago, USA, which I am incredibly excited (and nervous) about. I also have a web shop and take commissions for wall pieces, but also more generally for projects that are kiln or flameworking related.
Rebecca Tanda wearing a piece of her art and holding one of her ‘Sutures’ pieces. Photo: Iona Wolff.
Where is your creative practice heading next?
I am interested in scaling up the borosilicate ‘Suture’ pieces and working with interior designers and lighting designers on more commercial or site-specific projects.
Find out more about Rebecca Tanda and her work via her website and follow her on Instagram.
‘Moonfish Interlude: extended play’ (2025), is made from soda-lime and borosilicate glass and measures 42 x 20 x 6cm. Photo: Iona Wolff.
Main featureimage: ‘Embellish/overbear’ (2025) uses borosilicate and soda-lime glass. Techniques employed include pâte-de-verre, slumping and flame working and the piece measures 50 x 27 x 10cm. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Alexander Goodger, Director of Stourbridge Glass Museum, discusses the benefits of membership for glass artists, including a new festival showcasing glass and exclusive networking opportunities.
Nestled in the heart of the Midlands, Stourbridge Glass Museum stands as a beacon of glassmaking heritage, the home of glass art, showcasing centuries of craftsmanship, innovation, and artistry and a whole floor of studio glass exhibitions. I am thrilled to invite you to join us as a member and become an integral part of preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of glass.
Why become a member?
Membership of Stourbridge Glass Museum is more than just a ticket to explore our stunning exhibitions; it’s an opportunity to support a vital cultural institution and immerse yourself in the world of glass. Whether you’re a glass artist, a glass collector, a history buff, or simply someone who appreciates beauty and craftsmanship, your membership helps us continue our mission to inspire, educate, and preserve.
As a member, from only £15, you’ll enjoy exclusive benefits, including:
Unlimited free entry to the museum for a year*
Invitations to exhibition openings and special events
10 per cent discount on most items in our shop
Regular e-newsletters with behind-the-scenes insights and updates.
*Excludes activities included in museum admission
Supporting vital projects
Your membership directly supports the museum’s collection and initiatives. From funding rotating exhibitions and restoration projects to acquiring important pieces for our world-renowned collection, your contribution ensures that the legacy of glassmaking continues to thrive.
A new era for contemporary glass artists
In the wake of the International Festival of Glass’s departure from Stourbridge in 2024, Stourbridge Glass Museum is stepping up to fill the void in this region by launching a new glass festival and expanding our exhibition programming. This is an exciting opportunity for contemporary glass artists to shine and shape this new festival.
As a member, you’ll be among the first to know about upcoming opportunities for artists, including:
Exhibition callouts: Contemporary artists will receive first callouts when we curate new exhibitions, providing a platform to showcase their work to a global audience
Glass festival participation: Our new glass festival will celebrate innovation and creativity in glassmaking, offering artists the chance to exhibit, demonstrate, and connect with collectors and enthusiasts
Networking and collaboration: Members will gain access to exclusive events where they can meet fellow artists, collectors, patrons and industry leaders, fostering collaboration and inspiration.
Membership options to suit everyone
We offer a range of membership options to suit individuals, families, and organisations:
Single Membership (£15/year): Perfect for individuals who want unlimited access to the museum and exclusive event invitations
Joint Membership (£30/year): Ideal for two adults at the same address who wish to explore the museum together
Family Membership (£32/year): Designed for two adults and up to two children, offering a year of discovery for the whole family
Patron Membership (£200/year): Enjoy enhanced benefits, including event tickets and an annual invite to our birthday celebration with wine and canapés
Crystal Corporate Membership (£250/year): Tailored for businesses, offering discounts on events and venue hire
Cameo Corporate Membership (£1,000/year): Includes free museum entry for up to 20 people and a wine-tasting event
Lifetime Membership (£5,000): The ultimate commitment to glass heritage, featuring a bespoke piece of glass art, a plaque on the museum wall, and lifelong access for you and five guests.
Join today and make a difference
By becoming a member, you’re not just gaining access to one of the world’s most significant glass collections – you’re helping to preserve and promote this extraordinary art form for future generations. Your support enables us to continue hosting exhibitions, educational programmes, and live glassmaking demonstrations that captivate and inspire visitors from around the globe.
For contemporary artists, your membership opens doors to new opportunities, ensuring that your work is seen and celebrated. Together, we can build a vibrant future for glass art in Stourbridge and beyond.
Visit us
Located at Stuart Works, High Street, Wordsley, Stourbridge, DY8 4FB, Stourbridge Glass Museum is a must-visit destination for anyone passionate about glass. For satnav, please use DY8 4AZ. You can reach us at +44 (0)1384 900447 or email info@stourbridgeglassmuseum.org.ukhttps://www.stourbridgeglassmuseum.org.uk
Stay connected
Follow us on social media @glassmuseumuk to stay updated on our latest exhibitions, events and news.
A final note
Stourbridge Glass Museum relies on the generosity of our members and donors to continue operating. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. We receive £0 from national or local government. Together, we can ensure that the art and history of glassmaking remain vibrant and accessible for years to come.
Join us today and become a part of glass history. Charity number: 1139252.
Germany’s Bild-Werk Frauenau, a hub for glass and art learning based in the Bavarian region, has launched an exciting programme of stained glass-focused summer academy courses, a masterclass, plus a one-day symposium.
Designed for glass artists of varying abilities, and artists in general, there will be three international stained glass courses in the summer, followed by an autumn masterclass and the one-day symposium, entitled ‘Risk and Resonance’. Students will be taken on a tour of discovery in traditional and new pathways in this artistic medium.
Then, from 27-31 October 2025, Mark Angus and Julia Kastler will present [course 35] ‘Risk and Resonance: Stained Glass Masterclass’. This class is for those with a working knowledge of glass painting and staining who want to aim higher and work with mouth-blown coloured glass (some flashed glass kindly supplied by Lamberts Glass Factory) in new, unexpected and unique ways. It is hoped that course participants will stay on for the Risk and Resonance symposium on 1 November 2025.
Risk and Resonance symposium
Artists and makers, manufacturers and institutions in education, studio glass, public art and architecture are invited to the symposium on 1 November 2025.
The event will review the experiences of a summer in stained glass; expert lectures and discussions will address the contemporary issues of maintaining heritage, public recognition and visibility, promotion of young talent, and border-crossing networking and exchange. More details will follow in due course.
Risk and Resonance aims to explore new futures for stained glass and glass painting in their many facets, making Frauenau a forum and hotspot for stained glass and glass painting. The project is a collaboration with the Lamberts Glass Factory in Waldsassen,
Bavaria, which pushed for the inclusion of hand glass making, and especially mouth-blown sheet glass, as intangible cultural heritage on the German national UNESCO list.
European art and glass schools may be able to send participants via funding from the Erasmus+ learning mobility programme. The UK is not a participant of the Erasmus+ scheme.
See the full range of Summer Academy classes offered at Bild-Werk Frauenau via this link.
This talented artist and educator, originally from South Korea, is captivated by microorganisms and highlights them through his painstaking coldworking processes
What led you to start working with glass?
I first encountered glass artworks by studio artists in American art magazines in the early 1990s, when studio glass was virtually unknown in South Korea. Before working with glass, I spent several years working with clay, primarily focusing on creating functional works. Wanting to take a break from utilitarian pieces, I began exploring different materials and sculptural forms. I was particularly drawn to glass because of its unique transparency and vibrant colours – qualities I hadn’t found in any other medium I had worked with before.
‘Green Tetrahedron Diatom’ glass sculpture made from hot-formed, cut, colour-laminated, carved glass. Photo by the artist.
What glass techniques have you used, and which do you prefer?
I began with glass casting, as it was a natural transition from my experience with mould making in ceramics. During graduate school, I experimented with various techniques, but, after I graduated, I started experimenting with new works that primarily employed coldworking. My ‘Segmentation’ series mainly utilizes coldworking, and I’ve found that this meticulous and precise process suits my personality.
‘Mitosis’ features cut, colour-laminated, carved glass. Photo by the artist.
Please tell us more about your creative approach. Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
I begin by sketching my ideas and searching for microscopic images, before ordering the optic glass or coordinating with gaffers and the hot shop to create the forms. My process always starts with clear, solid glass blanks, whether they are optic glass blocks or hot-formed glass. Most of the time, I work from specific and detailed designs, but, like all creative processes, adjustments occasionally occur along the way.
‘Green Parallelepiped Segmentation’ features cut, colour-laminated, carved glass and is 15 inches wide. Photo by the artist.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
I’m fascinated by cells, pollen, diatoms, bacteria, and other microorganisms; their forms, behaviours and ecology captivate me. Though they often appear alien or otherworldly, they have existed far longer than humans and play essential roles in maintaining ecological balance. Natural ecosystems thrive on intricate interconnections and symbiotic relationships among organisms, species, and colonies. Though invisible to the naked eye, I see these microorganisms as a microcosm of ourselves – living beings with diverse characteristics, roles, similarities, and differences. Through my art, I explore these hidden worlds and reflect on the interconnectedness of all life.
‘Grey Segmentation Construction’ is made from cut, colour-laminated, carved glass. Photo by the artist.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
I use a few power tools and machines, but I spend most of my time hand-lapping. I cut small pieces of glass to hold in my hand and apply silicon carbide slurry to the glass surface that I need to grind. This method allows me to hear the natural sound of grinding without the noise of heavy machinery. I can also feel the gradual transformation of the glass as it becomes smoother. It is a tactile experience that deepens my connection to the material and process.
‘White Green Diatom Segmentation’ comprises hot-formed, cut, colour-laminated, carved glass. Photo: Ben Lerman.
Do you have a favourite piece or collection you have made? Why is it your favourite?
My ‘White Drosophila Embryo Segmentation’, from 2013, is one of my favourites because it was one of the first works that I created with clear and white glasses. In my work, I’ve explored a range of colours, from monochromatic to vibrant compositions. However, white conveys a sense of purity and innocence, much like the potential of an embryo. In contrast, the use of multiple colours in my other works represents the diverse aspects and characteristics of life.
This ‘White Drosophila Embryo Segmentation’ sculpture conveys a sense of purity and innocence. Photo by the artist.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I have been exhibiting with Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, since 2008. Some of my work is also shown at Traver Gallery in Seattle, Washington, USA.
‘Green Cone Diatom’ glass sculpture measures 10 x 9 x 9 inches and is made from hot-formed, cut, colour-laminated, carved glass. Photo by the artist.
Where is your creative practice heading next?
I plan to continue developing my ‘Segmentation’ series. I’m also looking forward to moving my studio to a new space soon. In addition to the ‘Segmentation’ series, I’ve been working on other projects that I’m excited to keep exploring.
About the artist
Jiyong Lee working on glass art pieces in his campus studio.
Jiyong Lee is a studio artist and educator based in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. As a professor of art at Southern Illinois University (SIU), he has led the university’s glass programme since 2005. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Lee earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, where he also taught prior to his tenure at SIU.
His extensive teaching career has taken him to some of the world’s most renowned art institutions, including The Studio at Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, Domaine de Boisbuchet in France, Canberra Glassworks in Australia, and Fire Station Artists’ Studios in Dublin, Ireland, among many others.
From 2009 to 2015, he was a board member of the Glass Art Society. His accolades include being a finalist for the 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, winning the 2017 Bavarian State Prize at the International Trade Fair in Munich, and receiving the Emerging Artist Award from the Glass Art Society.
His art has been showcased in prestigious exhibitions worldwide, with recent highlights including Thoughts on Thickness in Milan, Italy, the Translucency exhibition at the Tallinn Applied Art Triennial in Estonia, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition, and KOREA NOW at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. His works are part of prominent public and private collections, including those of the Barry Art Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Chanel in France, and Samsung Corporation in Korea.
Three artists who work with glass have been selected as finalists in the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2025.
Among the 30 finalists selected are Australian glass artist Scott Chaseling, for his colourful piece, ‘Beyond a Slippery Grip’ (pictured top left), Rei Chikaoka from Japan, for his work ‘Release Clear #3’ (pictured top right), and Caroline Broadhead from the UK, whose ‘Hollow Stripe Chain’ necklace is woven using thousands of tiny Japanese glass beads.
Caroline Broadhead’s ‘Hollow Stripe Chain’ necklace made using tiny Japanese glass beads.
The annual Craft Prize was launched by the Loewe Foundation in 2016 and conceived by LOEWE creative director Jonathan Anderson to celebrate excellence, artistic merit, and innovation in modern craftsmanship.
This year’s finalists were chosen by a panel of experts from over 4,000 submissions by artisans from all over the world. Many of the finalists, representing 18 countries and regions, innovatively transpose ancient craft techniques from their traditional medium to new materials, such as basketry to clay and weaving on the loom to metal, while, elsewhere, traditional motifs have been reimagined and reinterpreted.
The works will be exhibited at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, Spain, from 30 May to 29 June 2025. The winner will be chosen on May 29 and announced at the opening ceremony. The prize is 50,000 Euros in cash.
“Year on year, it gives me such pleasure to see the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize provide a platform for extraordinary talent and change the perception of craft internationally,” says Sheila Loewe, president of the Foundation. “Over the past decade, we have seen the Prize transform lives, careers, and build a global community. It is my great privilege to continue my family’s legacy.”
Find out more and see all the finalists’ entries via this link.
Six years of development have resulted in Gail Turbutt’s unique kiln sandcasting method of creating glass sculptures, in a practice that aims to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Linda Banks finds out more.
What led you to start working with glass?
A handy suggestion from my art college tutor brought glass as a medium into my world. I had no idea at that point of the possibilities that glass had to offer an artist. I am very grateful to Hereford Art College for the introduction to this mercurial material. I can’t imagine expressing my artwork in any other medium.
Having gained a BA(hons) in 3-Dimensional Design in Glass at Wolverhampton University, I embarked on a number of ventures, all looking to advance mould making and glass casting using machine processes in Wolverhampton and Oxfordshire.
I joined forces with Amanda Brisbane at her glass studio in Ludlow between 2003 and 2017. In this partnership my love of problem solving was used to the full, and our process of sandcasting glass was pushed to its very limits, with Amanda Brisbane Glass Ltd duly becoming a recognised name worldwide.
‘Green Iris’ was made using a deep slump.
What glass techniques have you used, and which do you prefer?
I have worked with machine processed glass, blown glass, architectural glass, kiln-formed glass and sandcast glass. It’s hard to choose one and I am still exploring how to combine skills garnered through all of these processes to create my sculptures and push my technique forward.
I love the immediacy provided by sandcasting molten glass and being hands-on with the manipulation of the sheet material as it cools. I miss this interaction, but I have not ruled out ways of introducing that into my work in the future. Glass allows you so many ways to play; nothing seems to be off the table.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
Most of the time, it’s not about a message for me. I like to take my observations of nature and the world around me to create sculptures that explore form and colour, and that is as complex as I need it to be. I am fascinated by the structure and beauty of nature and wildlife, and explore this most fully when I try to capture nature’s skill in my sculptures. I observe more intently as I try to recreate how leaves join stems, how scales change across a body, or how birds’ wings behave in flight. I love being able to translate this exploration of form into a sculpture, exploiting the unique, fundamental qualities of glass in the process. Utilising both textured and flat surfaces, and their interaction with natural light, I am able to create sculptures that almost come to life. I embrace that wonderful inner world unique to the properties of glass.
‘Honey Bee’ is fully 3D and made in two halves with the open box casting method, then fused together. The wings are fused into the body during the box casting phase.
Occasionally, there is a deeper message that I want to investigate and the work is my exploration of that theme. For example, currently I am working on a collection that conveys the effect of depression in the eyes of the sufferer, having witnessed a flatness appear in the eyes of my partner going through depression. This collection may bring some awareness of the wonder of eyes and how they can be a ‘portal to the soul’, expressing someone’s innermost feelings to the world if the viewer really looks. Hopefully this work will promote discussions around this illness. I am undertaking some wonderful explorations of new colouring techniques, and I am looking forward to seeing how I can bring both light and dark to the collection.
‘Blue Iris’ sculpture. This is the first in Gail’s collection exploring the theme of depression. It features a shallow slump as she explores the best form for the piece.‘Blue Iris’ sculpture using a deep slump, showing quite a difference in light interaction between the two forms.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
I think it is my own mould mix of pottery plaster/diatomaceous earth/water/ludo (ground up refractory from a mould that has been fired), as it gives me a finish that needs no polishing, and is reusable, either as ludo or a sieved bed of infinitely reusable media in which to mark make and kiln sandcast. It is tricky to handle wet, but I understand it. I love the qualities and challenging limitations it brings to my work – and I especially like the reduced impact on the environment.
Do you have a favourite piece or collection you have made? Why is it your favourite?
My Lotus leaf collection is my favourite. It is organic in form – both in terms of the creation of the loose bed of media with the open flat form enabling me to explore colouring behaviours as the glass melts and fuses, moving into the voids, and the slumping in and then over formers that allows me to harness large, undulating forms in sometimes as few as two firings. This makes every piece unique, which is wonderful and allows the glass to be as it should be – the other member of the team – creating serendipitous effects that you hope may occur but don’t have complete control over.
Clay former for the ‘Golden Lotus’.‘Golden Lotus’ being slumped. The flat form rests over the compacted, sieved ludo, creating a deep, undulating void to slump into.‘Golden Lotus’ sculpture after slumping into the deep form.The finished ‘Golden Lotus’ sculpture.
Where do you show and sell your work?
Mostly I undertake private commissions, but I have work at Majlis Gallery, Dubai, as well as Stourbridge Glass Museum, in the UK. I am working on expanding this list; it has taken me six years to develop the process and rediscover my artistic style, so now my focus is to get it known more widely.
Where is your creative practice heading next?
Currently I am working with one pottery kiln dating from the 1980s, but the goal is to increase capacity in due course. However, that will only happen when the business has solar or wind generation to create the power needed to run the existing, and any future, kilns.
Another long-term consideration bubbling in the background, when solar is in the mix, is to look at using recycling waste glass. However, as we all know, because glass is a fussy beast, this requires a lot more science than I have at my disposal now. It also requires a lot more heat to make it behave in the molten fashion I require, which negates any environmental benefits unless a studio is off-grid.
There is a lot to be explored, but, as a first foot on the ladder of environmentally conscious creation, I am happy with the starting point, and looking forward to exploring its wonderful effects and pushing it to the limit.
Gail Turbutt in the ‘shedudio’.
Find out more about Gail Turbutt and her work via her website and follow her on Instagram.
Main feature image: ‘Turn of the Tide’. This open box cast salmon was sculpted in clay and then a master was made in Gelflex hot melt reusable vinyl. All images by the artist.
Over 50 established and emerging glass artists will be exhibiting their contemporary glass art as part of the ‘Just Glass’ show at the Morley Gallery in London, UK.
The exhibition takes place from 26 February until 8 March 2025 and features the fused and cast glass work of members of the Just Glass Society.
This organisation was founded in 2003 to showcase the glass work created by adult education students and tutors through high quality exhibitions and seminars. Today, membership has risen to over 80 emerging and international artists working with kiln-formed glass.
‘Bed of Roses’ by Alison Allum. Photo: A. Allum.
Artists taking part include: Alison Allum; Alex Archbold; Frances Arkle; Carol Bayada; Pippa Beveridge; Malvinka Bitelli; Isobel Brunsdon; Phillipa Candy; Teresa Chlapowski; Anuradha Cook; Rachel Craig; Matt Durran; Rachel Elliott; Miranda Ellis; Maria Fagan; Kay Ford; Lynn Foster; Gary Fovargue; Pamela Fyvie; Celia Goodman; Cheryl Gould; Belinda Salmon Harding; Carla Harris-Marsh; Julia Hayward; Su Herbert; Dot Hill; Max Jacquard; Tlws Johnson; Sharon Korek; Sharon Lappo; Jessie Lee; Julie Light; Joanna Lloyd; Jane Lyons; Deborah Martin; Luisa Carmen Martin Lopez; Catherine Morgan Thomas; Linda Morley; Wendy Newhofer; Tracy Nicholls; Kate Pasvol; Purnima Patel; Caroline Reed; Helen Restorick; Annie Ross; Cathryn Shilling; Helen Slater-Stokes; Angela Thwaites; Deborah Timperley; Sue Tinkler; Jane Vincent; Joanna Waddy; Myra Wishart, and Maria Zulueta.
Alongside the main exhibition, ‘Just Glass’ will feature a specially commissioned Morley Tile installation, celebrating the local areas of Lambeth and Southwark, where the Morley Gallery is located.
All works will be for sale, offering visitors the opportunity to acquire unique and beautiful glass pieces.
Morley Gallery is at 61 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HT.
Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 12 noon to 5 pm; Saturday: 1pm to 5pm; Sunday: closed. https://www.morleygallery.com
‘Silent Stories’, a powerful sculptural artwork that explores the profound emotional experience of living with cancer, from diagnosis to treatment to life after the disease, is now on permanent display in Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries at the Science Museum in London. It was unveiled on World Cancer Day (4 February 2025).
Created by artist Katharine Dowson, the work features five glass busts cast from radiotherapy masks of patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer at Southend University Hospital in 2010. The plaster casts were used to create bespoke radiotherapy shell masks used to position the patients during their treatment. The sculpture is accompanied by an original soundscape of voices taken from participating individuals.
Katharine Dowson commented, “The glass creates the impression of suspended time, a snapshot memory of the moment. I use glass as a metaphor for the imperfection and fragility of life; the casts incidentally capture the patient’s portrait in a moment of vulnerability – echoes of which can be heard in the soundscape. To see through the glass encourages the viewer to ask questions about a person’s inner self, intensified by the intimate soundscape, where individuals describe their thoughts and feelings of then and now.”
Katharine Dowson studied sculpture at Camberwell College of Art before taking an MA at the Royal College of Art, where she won the 1900 Princess of Wales Scholarship. Her work is in numerous collections, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft Museum Seattle, The Wellcome Trust, The Arts Council Collection, and more.
Located in the Faith, Hope and Fear section of Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries, Silent Stories joins the museum’s art collection and other artworks on free public display, including bronze sculptures by Eleanor Crook and Marc Quinn, a ceramic pharmacy jar by Grayson Perry, a disease-transmission-inspired aerial installation by Studio Roso, and a photographic portrait series by Siân Davey.
Silent Stories is a part of the museum’s Collecting Experiences of Cancer project, which focuses on adding objects related to cancer, and the experience of living with it, to the collection.
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