The Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA) is celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2023. Its annual conference this year is entitled ‘Forging New Paths’ and takes place from 27 September to 1 October in Buffalo, New York.
The SGAA will be joining forces with the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) for the second time, bringing together artists and studios to exchange ideas and take part in educational and creative sessions. Alongside the conference there will be an exhibition, trade stalls, plus opportunities to take part in workshops and tours.
In addition, throughout the meeting, a collaborative mosaic artwork will be created around the clock in a Mosaic Marathon. This will be led by an artist and a local non-profit organisation, The Care Management Coalition, which will have the mosaic permanently installed at its premises in Buffalo.
SGAA executive director MeganMcElfresh commented, “We are thrilled to be celebrating our trade organisation’s 120th anniversary this year! After five years of transformation and fresh challenges, this anniversary provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments we have achieved since architectural art glass studios first incorporated the Association in the Summer of 1903. However, it is also a reminder that we cannot rest on our laurels, and we must continue to Forge New Paths to serve the next generation.”
‘Forging New Paths’ takes place at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel and Conference Center,
Two Foundation Plaza, Buffalo, New York, US, 14202.
Tracy Nicholls is fascinated by the process of decay and chooses opaque glass to depict her ideas, mostly using fusing and slumping techniques. Linda Banks finds out more.
What led you to start working with glass?
I was introduced to kiln-formed glass by a friend at work who had a glass studio. She used to bring in bits she had made. Fascinated, I enrolled on a taster course at the local adult college and was hooked. I then enrolled in an evening class progressing to the HNC and HND before moving on to UCA Farnham to do an MA in Contemporary Craft – Glass.
What glass techniques have you used and which do you prefer?
I have explored the various techniques within kiln-formed glass, starting with casting, but now I mostly fuse and slump. Recently I have been working with pate de verre. Occasionally I want to cast a piece, but I’m enjoying fusing different shapes and forms at the moment.
‘Riven’ features Tracy’s preferred opaque glass. Photo: Amanda Rose.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
I’m not much of a sketcher, so I either go straight in with the materials or plot out the design on thin fire paper and assemble in the kiln. I work organically, so nothing is set in stone before I start and opening the kiln is always a surprise!
What inspires your work?
Much comes from microscopic images of disease, decay and erosion. The interplay with light within the forms is an important element, which can add another layer.
I shy away from ‘glassy’ glass, using opaque black and white to express my ideas. I use layers and textures to bring interest and depth to each piece.
‘Glow’ contrasts a rich, bright interior with a matt, black exterior. Photo: Amanda Rose.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
Using a muted colourway that fits easily into any interior, I hope my pieces invite contemplation. They change with the light and offer something new each time they are viewed. I want the viewers to forge their own connection with the work and I do not wish to impose the ideas that are personal to me.
‘Erosion #3’. Photo: Ester Segarra.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
Probably my sandblaster is my favourite. It can transform my pieces instantly with a beautiful satin finish. I don’t think any piece escapes the sandblaster, each being either fully sandblasted or contrasting the sandblasted satin finish with the shine of kiln polish. Sandblasting adds an extra dimension and interest to the pieces without introducing extra elements or colour. Taking away the properties that glass is most recognised for and presenting it as matt and opaque can confuse people. My work is often mistaken for ceramic or metal.
‘Serendipity’. Photo: Ester Segarra.
Do you have a favourite piece you have made? Why is it your favourite?
Usually the piece I am working on is my favourite, as it is new and exciting. If it becomes mundane, it’s time to try something new. I have a couple of very early pieces displayed in my house. One is the first lacy piece I made in evening classes, which I have returned to and which informs much of my current work. The other is a cast piece everyone told me would never work. They remind me where I started and what I have achieved.
‘Fragile lace series II’. Photo: Amanda Rose.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I am currently showing with Contemporary Applied Arts in Marylebone, London, the Pyramid Gallery in York, as well as the Camp Gallery in Florida and Connecticut. I also have pieces in several museum collections in the UK and Europe and undertake commissions.
I also sell online through enquiries via my website and art sites, which has proved surprisingly successful.
Tracy Nicholls at work in her studio refining ‘Glow’ pieces.
What advice would you give to someone starting out on a career in glass?
Don’t give up. It can be the most infuriating of materials, but, when everything works and surpasses all expectations, it has all been worth it.
Do you have a career highlight?
It must be when I won the Best in Show title at the British Glass Biennale in 2008. I was still at UCA Farnham doing my MA and it was so unexpected.
‘Erosion #4’ is 100cm x 100cm x 100cm. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.
Where is your glass practice heading next?
Alongside my current practice and making new work I have just finished exhibiting at Collect in London and I am following up some opportunities from that. There is also a collaborative project in the pipeline for this year, which I am very excited about.
‘Orphica Tryptich’. Photo: Ester Segarra.
Is the global energy crisis affecting your practice?
I think it’s affecting everyone and glass making is particularly heavy in its energy consumption. I’m making sure the kiln is full before firing, plus planning the largest chunk of the firing to go on overnight, when my electricity tariff is lower.
About the artist
Tracy Nicholls with some pieces from her ‘Glow’ series. Photo: Jad Oakes.
Tracy Nicholls is a British artist working in kiln-formed glass. She currently works from her studio in Surrey using predominantly opaque glass and a simple monochrome colour palette to create her intricate, sculptural pieces. She is fascinated by erosion, wherein solid forms disintegrate over time, becoming ever more delicate and fragile while transforming into lace-like structures.
She exhibits extensively in the UK and Europe. In 2014 and 2022 her work was included in Europe’s prestigious Coburg Glass Prize in Germany. Her pieces can be found in private and public collections worldwide, including the National Museum of Scotland, the Marinha Grande Museum of Glass in Portugal, the Turner Museum of Glass in Sheffield, and the Lette Glass Museum in Germany.
Find out more about Tracy Nicholls on her website.
Main image: ‘Aulisca’ by Tracy Nicholls. Photo: Amanda Rose.
The Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) next online exhibition has a botanical theme. CGS members are invited to apply for ‘Bordering on the Herbaceous’ between 3 April and the deadline of 21 April 2023, which will focus on art and sculptures made for outdoor settings.
Summer is coming! Think of those long days of sunshine and flowers when we spend so much time out and about. Imagine those beautiful sculpture garden visits, those ornate structures peeking out from herbaceous borders, or glass works positioned among the flowers and trees.
This online exhibition is an invitation to share the gorgeous work that you have created for decorating garden borders or acting as a sculptural focal point. We want to celebrate works that are designed and made specifically for the great outdoors. Let us know if your submitted work is for sale and maybe it will soon brighten up someone else’s garden!
The ‘Bordering on the Herbaceous’ exhibition will go live on 1 May 2023.
Upload your image via the members’ section of the CGS website from 3 April 2023.
This exhibition is for CGS members only, but if you would like to take part and are not yet a member, why not sign up via this link?
The Ireland Glass Biennale (IGB) 2023 opens on 28 April and features work by some of the world’s most innovative glass artists, designers and craft practitioners.
Glass practitioners from Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia are among those selected by the international panel of jurors.
Exhibitors include: Jude Abu Zaineh; Róisín de Buitléár & Alisa Shakor collaborative; Inguna Audere; Kalina Bańka – Kulka; Sergei Belaoki; Emma Bourke; Thérèse Bouwens; Sinéad Brennan; Fiona Byrne; Joseph Cavalieri; Rayleen Clancy; Hilde de Rooij; Piret Ellamaa; Carrie Fertig; Karin Forslund; Noa Hagiladi; Helen Hancock; Alli Hoag; Luke Holden; Krista Israel
Antonina Joszczuk-Brzozowska; Kevin Killen; JeoungHee KIM; Morten Klitgaard; Karen Lise Krabbe; Marzena Krzemińska-Baluch; Gayle Matthias; Anna Mlasowsky; Sadhbh Mowlds; Yoshiko Okada; Birgit Pählapuu; Morgan Peterson; Laura Quinn; Eva Reddy; Valérie Rey; Gerhard Ribka; Michael Rogers; Anthony Scala; Perla Segovia; Chuchen Song; Andrea Spencer; Michaela Spružinová; Pavlína Šváchová; Matthew Szösz; Kazue Taguchi; Rebecca Tanda; Disha Trivedi; Sarah Wiberley, and Peter Young.
The selection panel included: Kim Mawhinney, Senior Curator of Art at National Museums Northern Ireland; Katya Heller, Director of Heller Gallery in New York; Zhang Lin, Founder, Director and President of the Shanghai Museum of Glass, and Karen Donnellan, artist and educator. The exhibition is curated by Dr Caroline Madden of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin.
The Ireland Glass Biennale (IGB) exhibition will be on show in the Coach House Gallery at Dublin Castle, Ireland, from 28 April to 20 August 2023 (10am–5pm daily. Closed for Lunch 1.15pm-1.45pm. Free admission).
It is organised by Ireland’s National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in association with the Office of Public Works.
The show is co-funded by the NCAD and Creative Europe as part of a Creative Europe project: Imagining Sustainable Glass Network Europe (ISGNE).
From 24 March to 25 June 2023, Manuela Castro Martins will be exhibiting her glass art at Museo de Arte do Vidrio de Alcorcón (MAVA) in Madrid, Spain.
The ‘Corazón Salvaje’ (meaning Wild at Heart) exhibition comprises 17 glass works, dating from 2013 to the present, grouped into different series. ‘Rosáceas’, are six pieces inspired by the rose windows of Gothic architecture. They are made from brightly coloured fused glass, described by the artist as ‘fragile and beautiful, like lace’.
The ‘Impossible Jars’ series is made with metallic mesh and strung glass fragments, creating objects reminiscent of jars that have lost their main function as containers.
‘Don’t touch me’ are works made with metal and glass, aggressive and hostile to the touch but with great plastic power.
The piece ‘Wild at heart’ dates from 2016 and is inspired by the David Lynch film ‘Wild at Heart’.
Manuela’s studio is in the Portuguese town of Caminha, in Viana do Castelo, at the mouth of the Miño river in northern Portugal.
If you are graduating from a British or Irish accredited course in 2023 and you work with glass, make a note to apply for this year’s Glass Sellers’ and Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) Prize.
From 5 June 2023 you will be able to apply for this exciting opportunity, offering prizes of cash, vouchers, books and CGS membership, plus a subscription to Neues Glass – New Glass: Art & Architecture magazine.
In addition, the winner, second prize winner, two runners up and commended works will appear in the annual CGS New Graduate Review – a 16-page publication that is circulated globally by CGS and Neues Glass – New Glass: Art & Architecture, providing invaluable publicity.
A panel of experts will select the prize winners.
So make a note of the application period, which runs from 5 June to 17 July 2023. Application forms will be available via the CGS website.
Denmark’s Glasmuseet Ebeltoft will launch a major solo exhibition, ‘Evolutions’, featuring work co-created with nature, this April. The works have been developed by the Danish-Australian artist duo, Mikkel Dahlin Bojesen and Rhoda Ting, of Studio ThinkingHand.
The ‘Evolutions’ works explore methods of co-creating with other creatures, such as fungi, bacteria, ecosystems and synthetic life. In recent years, glass has played a more significant role in their practice as a material through which nature can be viewed and explored – as containers for living mushrooms and carriers of futuristic life forms, as alternative habitats for marine species and as prisms for looking back in time to the development of the planet.
The Studio ThinkingHand team, Mikkel Dahlin Bojesen (left) and Rhoda Tin.
“Our practice starts with a deep fascination with nature’s diversity and complexity,” they state. “We revolve around questions such as: What can we learn from the way fungi reproduce? Is plastic a species of rock? Are our actions actually controlled by bacterial flora? Is the internet a fungus? How do we learn to co-create with nature as intelligence? Can the microbes help us to create new social structures?
“Our works are thus a series of investigations showing how we, as a species, shape new horizons for a future we have only just begun to imagine.”
‘Evolutions’ includes several new works, created in close collaboration with the museum’s glass studio. These include the installation ‘Deep Time’, consisting of a series of glass columns embedded with 12,000-year-old organic material from the seabed in the Arctic, and ‘Habitats’, which investigates how seahorses and other species interact with human-made environments in glass. This was a collaborative project with marine biologists from the Kattegat Centre in Grenaa, Denmark.
The exhibition also includes fungi from Novozymes, which the artists grew in petri dishes, live algae, ‘soft robots’ and glass brains with growing microorganisms.
The exhibition features organic artworks that work with nature, like this detail of a glass brain.
The exhibition title is also appropriate to mark an evolution in the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft itself, which is launching an ambitious, strategic development plan to carry it into the future, spearheaded by museum director Mikkel Hammer Elming.
Among its many ambitions, the museum will develop the international glass art scene, create sustainable museum practices and glass production methods, collaborate with artists in new ways, introduce glass to new artists, create a bridge between glass art and contemporary art, digitise the museum’s collection, create a wildlife garden, plus contribute to developing Ebeltoft’s cultural life and public spaces.
As a starting point, the museum will be rebranded, with a change of name to be revealed in April 2023. Mikkel states, “We are sharpening the museum’s profile. We are already among the most significant museums in the world within contemporary glass art. We are now creating the platform to develop one of the most interesting art museums in Denmark. With the changes that will soon be announced, we are laying the foundations for developing the museum further. There are many dreams for the museum, and Studio ThinkingHand’s upcoming exhibition will be a perfect example of how we want to explore glass as an artistic material in the future.”
‘Evolutions’ will be shown in the museum’s modern wing and on the ground floor of the old building. It will be open to the public from 29 April 2023 to 7 January 2024. The exhibition is supported by Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Augustinus Fonden, Axel Muusfeldts Fond, CAC Fonden, Det Obelske Familiefond, Knud Højgaards Fond and Statens Kunstfond.
Glasmuseet Ebeltoft is an international museum of glass art. With over 1,600 works from over 40 countries, it holds Denmark’s largest collection of contemporary glass art. It opened in 1986 in Ebeltoft’s former customs house. In 2006, it expanded with a modern extension and glass studio. Find out more via the website.
Main image: Still of seahorses interacting with glass from the video ‘Habitats’ by Studio ThinkingHand.
Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) members will shortly be receiving their copies of the May edition of our print magazine, Glass Network. As our usual editor, Kirsteen Aubrey, has decided to step away for the time being for health reasons, I have taken on the editorship alongside my duties as editor of Glass Network digital. She hopes to return to the role in the future and we wish her a speedy recovery.
This edition has the theme of ‘resilience’. It is not easy to forge a successful career in the creative industries and the past few years have been particularly tough for everyone, with the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we face further challenges, with high energy costs hitting glassblowing particularly hard, along with high inflation.
However, creative people are hardy and adaptable. As the articles in this issue demonstrate, the path to maintaining a career as a glass artist or manufacturer is not always straightforward or easy. Determination and the support of the glass community help us to keep going and believe in our work.
I hope reading the stories of the contributors in this issue will show that even glass artists at the pinnacle of the industry have had many setbacks along the way – both physical and mental – and continue to adapt to survive and thrive.
We feature articles by no less than two people with MBEs – glass engraver Alison Kinnaird and stained glass practitioner John Reyntiens. Both are widely admired, but they provide honest and open accounts of their trials and tribulations.
Thank you to all the contributors for sharing their experiences so willingly.
Glass Network itself is also evolving; we now produce a digital edition of each print magazine, which members can find in the Resources section of the CGS website. When logged in on the Resources page, click on the ‘Members’ Area’ tab on the right and below that you’ll find ‘CGS Glass Network Magazines’, where you can click the link or scan the QR code to take you to each of the last few editions.
Our tireless Administrator Pam Reekie also requests that any member who hasn’t been receiving at least one email each week from CGS to contact her on admin@cgs.org.uk, as we have been having problems with some email accounts.
If you have an idea for an article for the next edition of Glass Network (November 2023 issue, publishing in October) – or for the rolling online news of Glass Network digital – please contact me on linda@wordbanks.uk.
Linda Banks
Image: ‘Leopard Lady’ by Alison Kinnaird MBE, who features in the May issue of CGS’s Glass Network magazine.
A large sculpture by Bibi Smit, called ‘Whirl of Life’, has been installed at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Netherlands. It was commissioned to celebrate the museum’s 200th anniversary.
It comprises two organic spirals that reach towards each other at the centre. The upper spiral moves from outwards to inwards and the lower flows in the opposite direction. Suspended from the ceiling at eight points, the work appears to be floating in space, requiring the audience to look up and move around.The artwork embodies the soft, strong and fluid characteristic of hot glass.
The installation features blossoms and leaves, which, Bibi says, radiate the energy of nature’s circularity and the transience of time.
“In nature, wilting is considered to be a sign of the plants’ circle of life towards the end. Here it is transformed into the central element and acquires a newfound beauty in all its possibilities. The petals are just past their prime, becoming translucent, and, as they fall off and curl up, they become alluring,” she explains.
The work draws inspiration from 17th century flower paintings and contains humorous elements, such as hidden creatures.
The sculpture was commissioned by the Friends of the Mauritshuis.
The museum is known for being the home to the painting ‘Girl with Pearl Earring’, by the artist Vermeer.
The sculpture is on permanent show in the exhibition hall following its installation in February 2023.
The Mauritshuis Museum is at: Plein 29, 2511 CS Den Haag, The Netherlands. Website: https://www.mauritshuis.nl
‘Whirl of Life’ hangs in the museum’s exhibition hall and can be viewed from different floors, giving the viewer a new perspective on the work. Photo: Annemarie Sabelis.
Top image: Detail of ‘Whirl of Life’. Photo: Annemarie Sabelis.
A new book investigates the history and production of the Bryce Glass Company, one of the most successful designers and producers of pattern glass tableware, novelties and lamps in the US in the 19th century.
Written by Debra M Coulson and Harley N Trice, Bryce Glass – Art and Novelty in Nineteenth Century Pittsburgh, tells the story of Scottish-born James Bryce (1812–1893), who emigrated to America and began his glassmaking career at the age of 10 as a child labourer at a Pittsburgh glasshouse.
In 1850 he founded his own glassware company at a time when pressed glass was increasing in popularity. Pressed glass transformed the lives of everyday people by making beautiful tableware widely available to those who could not afford the expensive blown and cut crystal enjoyed by their wealthy neighbours.
Bryce became one of the largest producers of pattern glass in America and, by 1871, was shipping its products all over the world. The company continued operations for 113 years, guided by second- and then third-generation family members.
The book celebrates the beauty and artistry of the naturalistic designs, colourful tableware, and whimsical novelties Bryce produced between 1850 and 1891. At its heart, this book is a highly illustrated work with 190 newly commissioned colour plates. It concludes with a compendium of authenticated Bryce products illustrated primarily with period line drawings – a valuable tool for both glass scholars and casual collectors.
Debra Coulson is a life-long Pittsburgher, retired environmental attorney, and long- time collector of American antiques, with a particular interest in early Pittsburgh history. Harley Trice is a great-great-grandson of company founder James Bryce. He is actively engaged in the antiques and art community, with a special interest in glass. Editor Gerald W R Ward is the Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture Emeritus at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The book is available in hardback for £49.95. ISBN: 978-1-913875-33-6. 256pp. Illustrations: 222 colour and 170 black and white. Publisher: D Giles Limited, London. Order via www.gilesltd.com
Main image: Novelty shoes and boots made by Bryce Glass. Photo: Gavin Ashworth
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The book is available in hardback for £49.95. ISBN: 978-1-913875-33-6. 256pp. Illustrations: 222 colour and 170 black and white. Publisher: D Giles Limited, London. Order via