Australia-based New Zealand artist Wendy Fairclough will be showing her ‘Landfall’ collection at Sabbia Galleryin Australia in September 2023.
Wendy draws from her background in printmaking and sculpture, using processes that include glassblowing, engraving, sand carving and casting. She is adept at moving between three-dimensional and two-dimensional fields. Her ongoing interest in what we have in common as human beings, regardless of culture and religion, has led her to artist residencies in China, New Zealand and India.
Wendy has exhibited internationally throughout Asia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Australia. Her work is represented in private and public collections, including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Gallery of Australia, Australian National Art Glass Collection, Australian National University Collection,and the Museum of Australian Democracy.
The exhibition starts on 2 September and runs until 23 September. There will be an afternoon opening launch from 2 to 4pm on 2 September (registration required), with artist Clare Belfrage as the opening speaker.
The show will run in conjunction with the solo exhibition ‘Entangled Anatomy’, featuring work by emerging ceramic artist Michele Edinger.
Sabbia Gallery is at 609 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, Sydney, NSW, 2016, Australia. Website: https://sabbiagallery.com/
A total of 35 artists from different countries will be showing work at Mosaic and Glass Arts International 2023 exhibition in New York this September.
The event is a collaboration between the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) and the Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA). It takes place at the CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, New York, from 1-30 September 2023.
The exhibition comprises two segments: Fine Art and Site-Specific & Architectural Art. It includes a special exhibit by Oregon-based artist, Kate Kerrigan. The exhibition elevates new perspectives of mosaic art, stained glass and architectural art in numerous contexts and celebrates established, as well as emerging, artists working in these traditional mediums today. The artists showing their work come from throughout the US, Canada, the UK and South Africa.
SAMA and SGAA began partnering in early 2022 to expand outreach, enrich programming and share resources to more effectively serve both the stained glass and mosaic art communities.
After a three-year hiatus from presenting the annual exhibition in-person, SAMA Executive Director, Dawnmarie Zimmerman commented on the endurance of the artists who kept creating during the COVID-19 pandemic: “This exhibition is truly a celebration of perseverance. Some of the community and architectural installations endured countless delays and resource challenges, yet the artists and fabricating studios found a way to complete these monumental works and infuse art into public places and engage communities.”
The entries were juried by a distinguished panel, including; Claudia Carballada, manager of community engagement, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Lindsy R Parrott, executive director and curator, The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass and Lillian Sizemore, researcher, maker and educator. They selected 38 works from over 120 submitted.
The jurors were also tasked with selecting 11 awards from the work chosen for the exhibition. Best in Show – Stained Glass was awarded to Anika Van Der Merwe for ‘The Woman and the Red Dragon’ (main image) and Best in Show – Mosaic went to Kathleen Crocetti for ‘Watsonville Brilliante’.
The CEPA Gallery is at: 617 Main St #201, Buffalo, NY 14203, US. Gallery hours: Wednesday: 12-4pm. Thursday: 4-7pm, Friday: 12-4pm, Saturday: 12-4pm, or by appointment.
Main image: Anika Van Der Merwe’s ‘The Woman and the Red Dragon’.
Four winners, five highly commended and 10 commended graduates have been selected by an esteemed judging panel for awards in the 2023 Glass Sellers’ and Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) Graduate Glass Prize. They and their work will also be featured in the glossy New Graduate Review publication, which will be circulated with the next print edition of the CGS Glass Network magazine and the prestigious Neues Glas/New Glass: Art & Architecture magazine.
First prize went to Beth Colledge, who studied for a BA at De Montfort University, Leicester. Her entry, ‘Equilibrium’ (main image), came top out of 47 applications from 15 colleges and universities across the UK and Ireland.
Second prize was awarded to Roos Peeters, who studied a BA at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey, for the work ‘Pebble II’.
‘Pebble II’ by Roos Peeters was awarded second prize.
The two runners up were Georgina Fuller, who graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art, London, and Zeynep Korun, who achieved a BA at Arts University Plymouth.
Georgina Fuller’s work was awarded one of two runners up prizes.Zeynep Korun was also rewarded with a runners up prize.
Prize bundles included cash, vouchers, CGS memberships, glass books, subscriptions to Neues Glasmagazine and features in New Graduate Review magazine.
Other noted entries were:
Highly Commended Jacqui Fowler – University of Wales Trinity St. David, Swansea (MA) Nuala Torp – Manchester School of Art (BA) Meng Sun – Royal College of Art, London (MA Jewellery) Sophie Southgate – Royal College of Art, London (MA) Leonora Lockhart – Royal College of Art, London (MA)
Commended Lucy Richards – Arts University Plymouth (BA) Susan Pitt – University of Wolverhampton (MA) Lynn O’ Donovan – Crawford College of Art and Design part of MTU University, Cork, Ireland (BA) Alix Costin – De Montfort University, Leicester (BA) Hannah Masi – University of Sunderland (BA) Donna Brown – Arts University Plymouth (BA) Keisha Brittle – De Montfort University, Leicester (BA) Thomas Radburn – Manchester Metropolitan (BA) Zihao Xiong – Royal College of Art, London (MA) Ali Jarvis – University for the Creative Arts, Farnham (MA)
CGS and the judges recognised that many of this year’s graduates had to navigate through COVID-19 restrictions and all the barriers that followed, so they were especially impressed with the number of submissions and standards of work. The glass prize and inclusion in New Graduate Review provide valuable publicity for the winners and aim to help them embark on their glass journeys.
The judges had a long and arduous task in selecting the winners and all those to be included in the New Graduate Review 2023. The selection panel comprised Tracy Nicholls (artist), Professor Michael Barnes (glass collector/CGS Trustee), Sarah L Brown (glass artist/CGS Trustee) and Leigh Baildham from the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity Fund.
In order to support emerging graduates at the beginning of long careers in glass making, CGS offers the annual Graduate Prize and produces the accompanying New Graduate Review magazine, featuring the work of some of the best of the UK’s glass art graduates emerging from British and Irish universities and colleges. To do this, CGS is grateful to receive funding and support from sponsors the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity Fund, Professor Michael Barnes MC FRCP, Creative Glass, Pearsons Glass, Warm Glass, Neues Glas and Alan J Poole.
Judge Leigh Baildham commented, “There was an excellent standard of work submitted once again this year. It seems the judges have a harder task each time we meet to agree on the submissions that merit particular note. So good to see, as the work was being reviewed, that all of the universities and colleges that offer glass education were represented. Congratulations to the students who submitted pieces, and particularly to those who received prizes and special recognition.”
Main image: ‘Equilibrium’ by first prize winner Beth Colledge, who graduated with a BA from De Montfort University, Leicester.
Architectural glass artist Sasha Ward has worked on over 100 commissions for buildings across the UK, but her repertoire includes art on a smaller scale. Linda Banks finds out more.
What led you to start working with glass?
I started saying I wanted to do stained glass when I was at school and was being encouraged to choose a career. I thought it represented a good combination of my interests – pattern, colour, architecture, craft – and I thought it was an original choice as stained glass was not in fashion at the time (this was the mid-1970s). I had a set of postcards of the windows of Chartres Cathedral; it was these images that I remember as the deciding factor. When I went to art school I chose to do my foundation course at The Central School of Art because it had a stained glass department that I could use.
Staircase fin at the University of Winchester (2000). It measures 52 sq.m.
What glass techniques have you used and which do you prefer?
The aspect of stained glass that I have always been most interested in is glass painting. As I continued my studies in art school, I desperately wanted to paint with transparent colours on glass and to get rid of the lead lines. This led to me working with transparent enamels and to try and find different ways of joining glass pieces together. When I started making work for buildings – which were mostly modern ones – this problem disappeared as the glazing bars around large windows of float glass did the job for me. However, the joining problem comes back when I’m making something that is not for a building. I’ve started using lead again and am loving it for its versatility and longevity.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
I think my strength is in my sense of design as much as my use of materials. I do pages of drawing to work out a design, and lots of glass samples to check colours and textures against each other. Then I work to a detailed plan for the making stage, I don’t deviate from the plan at all although this doesn’t stop the unexpected happening to enamels in the kiln.
Entrance screen (detail), The State Hospital, Carstairs (2011), measuring 6 x 3.2m.
You have undertaken many architectural commissions. How do you approach these large-scale designs?
I use pattern and repetition in large-scale designs, echoing the shapes and proportions in the architecture. I always make models while I work out my approach to a design that is site specific, if I’m working with a manufacturer, this is the only hands-on work I get to do during the process. With experience, I can work on a small scale and visualise the work as it will be in the building; when you’re working to commission, no one wants any surprises.
Corner window, Premier Inn, Hanover Street, Liverpool, (2012), measuring 80sq.m.
Sometimes you work with materials like acrylic, adhesive vinyl and window film. Why is this?
I have used other materials for commissions either because of the low budget, the short lifespan of the project or reasons connected to health and safety in the built environment. Although these considerations sound like constraints rather than exciting opportunities, I have embraced the way that working to commission in unexpected places has led me to doing things I wouldn’t have chosen to do, learning new skills along the way. As I consider design to be the most important aspect, I’m happy to see my work translated into a variety of different materials.
Vinyl wallpaper in corridor, vinyl door panels, Paediatric Mortuary, Manchester Children’s Hospital (2019). Dimensions: 2.6 x 6.8m.
You have collaborated with Ray Ward to create stained glass pieces based on his drawings. How did this come about?
I have shared a studio with Ray Ward since we met as art students over 40 years ago. It goes without saying that I really like his work. Ray’s drawings remind me of the characters and details in medieval stained glass that drew me to the medium in the first place. Over the years people have suggested that we should collaborate. Then the COVID-19 lockdown and an exhibition at Norwich Cathedral provided us with the perfect opportunity. However, we don’t really collaborate; a drawing of Ray’s is chosen, then I photocopy it, choose a colour scheme and paint directly from the copy.
‘These People are Intellectuals, They Live in Houses Full of Books and Have Nothing Worth Stealing’ is a collaborative panel with Ray Ward (2020). Dimensions: 700 x 540mm.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
All I need, apart from hand tools, are my massive kiln and my sandblaster. I couldn’t do anything without a sandblaster. Roughing up the surface of the glass, or removing fired enamel, is as important to my process as putting it on.
Do you have a favourite piece you have made? Why is it your favourite?
One of my favourite pieces is a window I made in 1998 for Frimley Park Hospital, which is about to be demolished as the hospital is being redeveloped. It is a very successful translation of my original black and white drawing. It looks a bit like a quilt and is my version of the cliched subject matter stipulated in the brief, which was sunrise (the window faces east). This window marked a turning point in my thinking, as I realised how I could make quite large windows myself during the manufacturing process. As a result I ordered my big kiln so I could carry out these projects.
The window at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey (1998). 2.4 x 1.8 m.
What advice would you give to someone starting out on a career in glass?
I think that it is important for anyone starting out in glass to stick to their own path, rather than worry about what everyone else is doing. There are no rules when you choose a career in art, so the advantage should be that you can do things in your own way. This doesn’t mean taking the easy path. I think you need to focus on getting your work made in the best way, rather than on enjoying yourself during the process.
Studio view with work in progress on the lightbox, walls and windows (2020).
Where is your glass practice heading next?
I’m at the stage where I’m thinking about what I want to leave behind. I have realised that a lot of the technologies used in my commissioned work, for example double glazed units, have a limited life span in buildings that may not themselves last. Rather than looking for commission opportunities, I am concentrating on making pieces of work that I actually want to make, drawing on my stack of accumulated materials and my archive of unrealised design ideas.
About the artist
Sasha Ward installing exhibition in The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral. 2020 Photo: Kate Gadsby.
Sasha Ward is an architectural glass artist who has designed, and sometimes made, over 100 commissions for buildings throughout the UK. She has a degree in fine art from Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham, and a Masters degree in glass from The Royal College of Art, London.
A tour of the Carnival Glass Society’s exhibition at Stourbridge Glass Museum and a talk at the historic Himley Hall in Dudley, West Midlands, will be highlights at the Society’s upcoming annual weekend this Autumn.
Taking place from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October 2023, the event is for Carnival Glass Society members only, for whom attendance is free. Anyone interested in joining the Society can do so online and then they can sign up for the weekend.
The programme begins on the Friday evening with a drinks reception and tour at Stourbridge Glass Museum, where there are over 300 items of carnival glass on display, including rarities never exhibited before. Participants will hear the fascinating story of carnival glass, which spans more than 150 years from its early inspirations through to the current day. They will also be able to browse the Museum’s other exhibits.
On the Saturday (9.30am to 4.30pm) the event moves to Himley Hall, where there will be carnival glass for sale at prices to suit all budgets, as well as an afternoon filmed presentation by author and historian, James Measell, on the Stourbridge glassmaking pioneers Thomas Dugan and Harry Northwood.
There will be a raffle to win a rare, 3-inch high carnival glass ‘Rex’ vase made by Eda Glasbruk in Sweden in the 1920s and a ‘straw draw’ where every even number wins a piece of carnival glass.
An optional buffet is available on the Friday evening (£10 a head) and an optional meal will be available at Himley Hall (£25 for two courses or £30 for three courses).
On Sunday 1 October members can enjoy a canal boat trip from the historic Bonded Warehouse along the Stourbridge canal (£9 per person).
Email autyt@aol.com or call Trudy on 0759 526 1735 for further details and information on how to register.
For anyone interested in joining the Carnival Glass Society, there is a special membership offer of £14 for electronic membership (up to two names per membership) which runs to 31 October 2024 and includes eight 40-page newsletters. Find out more and join via this link.
Emma Butler-Cole Aiken’s monumental stained glass sculpture is aptly named ‘Phoenix’, as it is a reworking and resurrection of one she created during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
The new work evolved from the piece named ‘Sails’, which was a simple, triangular structure she was able to make herself from components ordered online. Sails was shown at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022 on the Glass Garden stand organised by fellow Contemporary Glass Society member, Gabrielle Argent.
However, Emma was disappointed by how it looked at that event. Despite its three-metre height, the vibrant colours looked dull as the stand was located in a shadowy area.
Later, she had the notion that the whole thing would work much better upside down – and preferably curvy!
A maquette made of paper and wire produced a surprising, bird-like form. It was a Phoenix rising from the ashes of disappointment.
Emma applied for, and received, a Creative Scotland Individual Award, which enabled her to employ expert assistance. James Maybury understood the vision and created an elegant, curved structure into which the original, stained glass sections were fitted.
James met the challenge of creating something sufficiently strong to hold the weight of the glass, but which could also be broken down into smaller components for economical shipping.
Interestingly, when Emma originally made Sails, she arranged it on the glass easel to see both sides of it in relation to the other as she was working. This meant that, when set up, one half of the sculpture would have the glass paint on the inside and the other on the outside. Usually, stained glass is painted on the inside surface to protect paint from the weather. Despite this, when making Sails, it was more important for her to work this way to see what she was doing.
Detail of ‘Phoenix’ showing the beauty of the stained glass.
Now, as Phoenix, all the paint is on an inside surface – as if it was always meant to be that way.
Phoenix is currently on show in Belgium at The Enchanted Garden sculpture exhibition, until 15 October 2023.
Image: The new ‘Phoenix’ sculpture by Emma Butler-Cole Aiken.
Following a call from the organisers of the International Festival of Glass (IFoG) and the British Glass Biennale for someone new to run these two-yearly events from 2026, the Glass Art Society (GAS) has been chosen to take on the role.
In May 2023, Ruskin Mill Land Trust, which has managed the IFoG for the past 20 years, announced that 2024 would be the last year it would oversee the event, which sits at the heart of the UK’s contemporary glass calendar.
IFoG Director Janine Christley said, “The GAS conferences have always been an inspiration to the Festival team. We are constantly impressed by the air of colleagueship and excitement, as well as the skill and professionalism in hosting such complex events. I am personally excited by the way GAS is expanding outside of the US to become a global network for the glass community and am thrilled that the Festival will benefit from these connections. The alternative Festival structure will also give GAS an opportunity to explore interacting with the general public and how to develop new audiences. There are going to be exciting times ahead.”
GAS will work with the Ruskin Mill Land Trust team on the 2024 festival, before officially taking the reins for 2026.
While the GAS conference focuses on bringing glass artists together and creating educational and networking opportunities to help further their careers and practices, the Festival is designed to showcase the artists, techniques and history of the dynamic glass community to the public.
Over the past few years, GAS has moved to make itself more global, through initiatives such as adding more board members outside North America, hosting conferences in Europe, and partnering with other glass organisations to highlight the work already being done to promote the glass community globally.
GAS Executive Director Brandi P Clark stated, “We plan to honour the history of the Festival while adding a GAS spin to it, and you can expect to see many new partnerships and opportunities emerge as we get closer to 2026!”
The GAS team and Ruskin Mill Land Trust are already working together on the 2024 Festival, which takes place from 23-26 August 2024.
The Contemporary Glass Society has always had a close affiliation with the IFoG and British Glass Biennale and looks forward to continuing this relationship in 2024 and beyond.
If you are a maker looking for free studio space and business mentoring in London, make a note to apply for the next round of Cockpit Awards this Autumn.
Opening for applications on 1 September 2023, Cockpit awards provide free or subsidised studio space at one of their London studios, plus one-to-one business coaching and a place on Cockpit’s business training programme. Successful applicants also join a thriving creative community of world-leading craftspeople.
Cockpit makers are selected for excellence in skill, originality of ideas, drive to grow their business or practice and ambition to contribute to the Cockpit community.
There is a variety of awards available, some of which are specific to a particular material or discipline, while others are open to all makers.
This time, there are eight awards open for entry. These include: the Arts Society GLA Award, for craftspeople using traditional skills – including those at risk of dying out; the new Bagri Craft Award, for a maker of Asian heritage working in any craft discipline; the Make It award, open to London-based makers aged under 26, which provides a two-year programme of support; the Newby Trust Award, for makers working in any craft discipline who are at a turning point in their skill development, plus the Grant-Turnstone Award, a new award offering a one-year programme funded by two Cockpit makers.
Those successful in the Autumn round will start in January 2024.
Applications open on 1 September 2023, with closing dates of 2 October and 6 November, depending on the award.
If you have any questions, or are unsure whether this is for you, get in touch with Cockpit via the contact form on their website. You are also invited to attend the Cockpit Awards Open Evening on 7 September 2023 (5.30pm-7pm) at Cockpit Bloomsbury, Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London WC1N 2NP. This is an informal session where you can ask questions and learn more about the Cockpit Awards. Register to attend free here.
Image: Glass maker Lulu Harrison is a past recipient of the Cockpit Glass Sellers’ Bursary, who makes glass from waste materials found in and around the River Thames. Photo: Cockpit.
An 18-month, £1.5 million restoration of the West Midlands’ historic Red House Glass Cone has started. The cone is one of only four left in the UK and is a grade II* listed, scheduled ancient monument.
Dudley Council’s investment will cover the cost of the restoration and ongoing maintenance. It has worked with an accredited historic architect and Historic England to secure the appropriate permission to begin the works. The cone must be restored using authentic techniques and materials.
Work will include internal and external repointing of the entire structure from top to bottom with lime mortar. Vegetation sprouting from the cone will be carefully removed on a phased basis. Bricks surrounding each growth will be taken out, the vegetation and root growth removed, then the bricks will be replaced and re-mortared.
There will also be new drainage around the building and there will be access to the tunnels.
Inside the cone, the internal gantry and lift will be removed to create a more open, accessible space. A new lift will be installed by the visitor centre to allow wheelchair access to the upper level, where a viewing platform will allow people to see into the cone and hot glass studio.
The hot glass studio will be shielded during the works, allowing it to be safely reopened to the public while the work takes place. The studio will be updated with a more eco-friendly kiln. It will also be accessible from inside the cone once all works are complete.
Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, commented, “We know that people feel very passionately about the cone as it’s such an iconic part of the skyline and is a striking backdrop to people’s everyday lives as they walk to school, take the dog for a walk or just stroll along the canal. We’re so pleased to be delivering this ambitious project and restoring the cone to its former glory.”
While fencing and scaffolding will be going up over the coming weeks and months, the shop, visitor centre, coffee house and craft studios all remain open.
The Red House Glass Cone is 100 feet high and 60 feet wide at its base. It was built between 1788 and 1794 and operated for more than 150 years in the historic Stourbridge Glass Quarter. It is located near the Stourbridge Glass Museum, so there are plenty of glass-orientated attractions to see if you are visiting the area.
The Red House Glass Cone is at High Street, Wordsley, Stourbridge DY8 4AZ, UK.
Image: Adele Lavender (left), deputy site manager at the cone with Councillor Paul Bradley. Photo courtesy of Dudley Council.
Take part in the next Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) online exhibition – this time featuring architectural glass.
We live in glass buildings – both commercial and residential. We are surrounded by glass as a building material. Typically, it is used as transparent glazing within the building envelope, but we know what else it can be used for!
Windows, wall panels, ceilings, bar fascias, feature sculptures – all can transform their surroundings with colour, light, pattern, texture and design! A building is given personality, gravitas, exuberance or comfort by the inspired use of decorative glass.
So in the next CGS online exhibition, CGS members have the opportunity to flaunt your glorious architectural glass projects. What have you got to show us?
This is a CGS members-only exhibition. If you are not yet a member, why not sign up today so you can take part?
For existing members, the deadline is 25 August 2023 and the show will go live on 4 September 2023. Simply log in to your account and go to the Submit to Exhibitions tab on the left, find High and Mighty in the dropdown menu and upload your image and details.
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