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Alison Vincent gains business boost in tv programme for craftspeople

Alison Vincent, an artist in hot glass from South Buckinghamshire, was one of four glass artists featured in the new BBC tv series ‘Make it at Market’, hosted by Dom Chinea.

The programme helps aspiring artists and crafters, including glassblowers, blacksmiths, potters and woodworkers, as they team up with an expert mentor who provides guidance on how to make a successful business from their craft. Dom works alongside the business and craft experts to help the entrepreneurs on their journey.

Alison says, “The filming process and challenges were intense, coinciding with an extremely busy time of 14 concurrent exhibitions including a premium craft market, showing at three locations during Buckinghamshire’s biggest craft maker event, and new gallery openings. During this period, I also visited the GAS Tacoma 2023 global glass conference in the USA.”

 

Alison’s ‘Waves’ piece was critiqued on the show. Photo: Alison Vincent.

“It was such a fantastic experience and I’m so lucky to have been a part of it. The ability to get specific advice from my mentor, Allister Malcolm, a top professional glass artist, was priceless. The other crafters are all very talented and supportive and Dom and the production team were so helpful and approachable.

“I was very excited to see my episode, but also quite nervous as I had no idea how it would be edited and couldn’t see it until it was on air!”

Alison is a self-taught, relative newcomer to glass. After an experience day in 2012 she was instantly hooked, but had only 100 blowing days under her belt. She’s often told that “it takes glass blowers seven years of daily practice to be considered a master!”

A passion for glassblowing

Alison explains, “My passion for hot glass and glassblowing first came from seeing a hot glass studio in action with the furnace, hot glass, adrenaline and ‘danger’!  I knew I had to have a go and when I did, I was instantly addicted!

“I love making beautiful art with hot glass, although it can be difficult and frustrating at times.

“I also have a passion for wild, remote places, such as Antarctica and the Arctic, where I am lucky to have sailed and dived on several occasions.

“I blend my two passions in my glass art, where I recreate my experiences in these remote wildernesses and I hope to raise awareness of their fragile existence, so others care for them as well.”

 

The ‘Svalbard Icy Mountains’ were created following feedback from mentor Allister Malcolm. Photo: Andy Smith.

Talent scouts for the show initially saw Alison on social media and contacted her about taking part. She had to go through a multiple-step application process. “Then it all went quiet, and I assumed I had been unlucky,” Alison states. However, three months later she was contacted to say that the show was on, and she was in it. She had just three weeks from then until the start of filming.

“I was asked to make and bring specific pieces for the first filming. I didn’t believe it when I got the call because so much time had passed. I was over the moon, but also rather nervous!”


The experience

“The whole experience of being on ‘Make it at Market’ was fantastic. It was very intense and quite stressful for me at the time, mainly because I didn’t have my own studio available and I could only hire a studio – which was four hours’ drive from home – for four days during the whole eight weeks of filming the challenges. Plus I hadn’t blown glass for seven months beforehand, so I felt very out of practice and straight into making on film! It was also happening at a very busy time for me.

“But at the same time, it was very enjoyable. I can definitely see progress from where I started. The ability to gain targeted advice from my mentor, Allister Malcolm, was priceless and I received not just one, but two, fabulous business boosts, which was amazing!

“Dom was lovely, and the whole production team was so helpful and approachable. The other makers and artists are so talented and very supportive, and I think I’ve made some friends for life.

“I feel very grateful and privileged to be part of this programme and this amazing journey.”

 What doors have been opened by the show?

“It’s very early days – I’m writing this just a week after my episode was aired – but already the response has been tremendous!

“I am exhibiting in Pyramid Gallery York and Artifex Gallery, Sutton Coldfield as a result of the business boosts, and I also secured listings in two other galleries.  Since the TV show, other galleries have approached me too.

“I also had the opportunity to exhibit at Olympia, London, and to have a photo shoot in the offices of a large corporate, as well as to create a short-run book in the future about my expeditions and glass blowing.

“The exposure has been amazing and I am grateful for everything!”

The series was filmed in the grounds of Stoneywell, Leicestershire, an Arts and Crafts home designed by Ernest Gimson, now owned by the National Trust.

Alison is now busy setting up a glass studio in South Buckinghamshire, which should be operational in early 2023. Before turning to glass, Alison owned and ran a consumer packaging design, development and project management consultancy for almost 20 years.

 

Her episode is available to watch now on iPlayer.

For more on Alison and her work visit her website or @AlisonVincentGlass on Instagram and Facebook.

 

All four glassblowers from the series will be at Stourbridge Glass Museum, where Allister Malcolm Glass is based, for an event on 4 February 2023. It will start with a meet and greet, then an unveiling of Belinda King’s work which is being given a place in the permanent collection at the Museum. After that there will be demonstrations by each glass maker.

For anyone wanting to go along, the event is included with the usual Stourbridge Glass Museum entry fee. The meet-and-greet is at 10.30am. At 12pm is the unveiling of the work by Belinda King, and between 1pm and 4pm will be the glassblowing demonstrations.

Find out more about Stourbridge Glass Museum here.

Reserve you space to meet the artists via this link.

 

Main image: Alison creating her glass on location at Stoneywell, with Allister Malcolm (centre) looking on. Photo: KT Yun.

 

S12 Gallery open call for graduates for Young & Loving exhibition

Norway’s S12 Gallery is inviting artists who have graduated within the last five years to apply for the ‘Young & Loving!’ exhibition.

The show has been held annually since the gallery opened in 2007, up to 2019, but had to be suspended in the last few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relaunching in 2023, the exhibition will present the work of artists who have graduated in the last five years, of any age, from all over the world.

‘Young & Loving!’ is a tongue-in-cheek translation of ‘ung og lovende/young and promising’, where the gallery’s definition of being young and promising is anyone who has graduated from a university programme within the last five years and who shows their love for the material by exploring the many ways of working with glass. The show aims to shed new light on how people perceive the medium of glass. This exploratory approach to glass as an artistic expression is an important feature of the exhibition concept.

Artists working with glass alone, or in combination with other materials, can apply.

Proposals must be submitted by 15 February 2023.

The show will take place between May and August 2023.

More details about the open call via this link.

S12 Gallery is at Botelabo 2, 5003 Bergen, Norway.

Image: Work in progress by Tone Linghult (2019).

Book tickets to see Collect 2023

The annual Collect art fair takes place at the beginning of March 2023 at Somerset House in London, with over 400 artist makers represented. Tickets are available now.

Collect showcases exceptional work made in the last five years by living artists and designers. The work is presented by participating galleries, which curate their own displays and commission new pieces or bodies of work especially for the fair.

Works span many craft disciplines, including ceramics, glass, lacquer, art jewellery, precious metalwork, textiles and fibre, wood and paper, as well as pieces made using non-traditional materials, including resin and bone.

The fair’s aim is to introduce and cultivate purchasing audiences to develop and grow the financial and intellectual value of craft at this level.

Organised by the Crafts Council, Collect is well-regarded for its credibility, sector authority and leadership with a warm-hearted openness and shared experience that the Crafts Council prides itself in delivering.

The fair provides art consultants, interiors specialists, collectors, museum curators, design practitioners and wider enthusiasts with an unrivalled opportunity to discover and invest in contemporary craft that is designed to surprise, delight and endure.

Browse and buy artworks from almost 40 specialist galleries, representing hundreds of artist makers from around the globe.

Collect also offers the chance to hear from leading experts in contemporary craft, art and design in a three-day talks programme, held at Somerset House, and also streamed online.

To make a booking, please visit the Somerset House website. Book before 31 January 2023 to get early bird rates.

Following exclusive preview days, Collect opens to the public from Friday 3 to Sunday 5 March (11.00-18.00 daily). It is also live on Artsy.net for all to view from 1-12 March 2023.

Somerset House is at the Strand, London WC2R 1LA.

Image: Somerset House hosts the annual Collect fair.

Glass makers honoured with MBEs

Two people with close connections to glass have been awarded MBEs in the first New Year’s Honours list of King Charles III, recognising their public service. They are John Reyntiens and Barbara Beadman.

Glassblower John Reyntiens, of Reyntiens Glass Studio, received his award for services to art and heritage. John is most well-known for the bespoke stained-glass window at the North End of Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster, which was gifted to Her Majesty the Queen for her 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

Speaking at the time of the installation, Michael Ellis MP commented, “John’s work has received universal acclaim and as well as a great talent and skill in the ancient traditions of stained glass, John dealt expertly with the complexities of working at a World Heritage site.”

More recently John’s team replaced the North Dial clock face of the iconic tower housing Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Another recipient of an MBE is Barbara Beadman who has been awarded an MBE for her services to the glass industry.

Barbara Beadman received an MBE for services to the glass industry.

She is Immediate Past Master 2022 of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London and, while she has now retired from glass making after 25 years in the sector, she remains involved in the industry through Board membership of the British Glass Manufacturers Confederation and being a Court Member of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London. Until the closure of the Broadfield House Glass Museum in 2017 she was Chairman of the Friends of the Museum for 20 years.

Barbara’s achievements include reintroducing the teaching of glass beadmaking to the UK in the 1990s, for which she was made a Founder Honorary member of Glass Beadmakers UK.

Main image: John Reyntiens in 2012 with one of the Westminster Hall panels made for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

 

 

Emmy Palmer on new tv show for aspiring makers

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

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

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

Emmy Palmer’s K.O.P.O (knit one purl one) bowls combine her love of knitting and glassblowing. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.

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

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

Emmy’s ‘Del Mar’ vessels sandwich knitted wire. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.

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

Emmy’s glass ‘Pips’ were admired by Allister and Dom. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.

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

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

Find out more about Stourbridge Glass Museum here.

Reserve you space to meet the artists via this link.

Find out more about Emmy Palmer via her website.

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

An emotional response

Tali Grinshpan’s delicate glass work is inspired by both nature and her life experiences. She particularly draws on her own feelings as an immigrant to the USA – and the conversations she has had with others in the same situation. Linda Banks finds out more

What led you to start working with glass?

I have always loved working with my hands. Even as a child, I loved spending hours in art classes and exploring. Over many years, I have worked with clay, wood, metal and fibre.

My grandparents had many beautiful glass objects in their home. I spent hours looking at these glass sculptures, watching what happened to light as it moved through them, and how their colours changed.

An opportunity to work with glass came in 2012. After moving to California, I was looking for an art class so that I could explore with my hands again. I took a fusing class at the community art centre in my town. Very quickly glass became an obsession: I had found a medium that spoke to me on many levels – emotionally, visually and intellectually.

‘Yearn’ is made from pate de verre highlighted with 24k gold leaf. Photo: Keay Edwards.

What glass techniques have you used, and which do you prefer?

When I started working with glass, I wanted to explore and experience every possible way of working with this fascinating material, so I took blowing, flame working, casting and mosaic classes.

After realising my main interest lay in kiln forming, I used many different techniques, such as painting with powders and enamels, screen printing, pot melts, and a variety of casting methods. I also continually explored in my studio. After learning how to work with the material, I experimented with pate de verre in my studio, while also taking pate de verre classes. I recognised that this would be the beginning of a long journey of exploration.

‘Homeland I’ comprises pate de verre, 24k gold leaf and enamel on a wooden base. Photo: Keay Edwards.

What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?

Usually, I start with a concept, sketching and writing my thoughts, and researching. Often, I build models that give me a sense of the size and the shapes I want to work with and that allow me to play and explore freely. The next step is moving to the glass and making the work. I plan about 70% and 30% is unknown and improvised.

Another important part of my creative process involves hiking in nature. Hiking helps me organise and clarify my thoughts about the process and the possible results.

What inspires your work?

A lot of my inspiration comes from nature, and its ever-changing cycles. My own life experience and heritage are a big source of inspiration, as well as childhood memories and dreams. Another source of inspiration is my education. With a BA and MA in Psychology, I am fascinated with the wide range of human emotions, and I try to capture and articulate these emotions in my work, using the remarkable properties of glass.

Some of those emotions have to do with being an immigrant and meeting other immigrants. Since moving to the United States in 2004, I have had many conversations with immigrants. These conversations, and my own experience, inspire me to create works that explore my, and their, emotional experiences.

‘Seeds of Hope’ features pate de verre and mixed media. Photo: Keay Edwards.

What message(s) do you want to convey through your art? 

As a universal language, art can bring people together to a place of reflection. I examine the human condition, utilising glass as an analogy while challenging the material in different ways. Through materials I speak in ways I can’t, or don’t want to, in words.

For the past five years my work has focused on the immigrant experience. I explore the concept of identity, hoping to create intimate spaces that speak of our emotional existence and life’s ephemeral journey. I want to tell a story of fragility and strength, vulnerability, and resilience. And I hope to bring awareness that may lead to a conversation about a complex and difficult subject like immigration.

‘Tashlich (To cast away)’ is created from pate de verre and acrylic paint. Photo: Keay Edwards.

What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?

My spatulas and my brushes are the tools I use most; I cannot do my work without them.

Do you have a favourite piece you have made? Why is it your favourite?

A favourite piece is called ‘Promises’. it was a breakthrough moment for me when I felt I finally found a way to express my thoughts and feelings through an object in a very clear way. This was also the piece that was selected for New Glass Review 39, published by the Corning Museum of Glass.

In answering this question, I realise that this is like asking me which of my children I like best. Every piece I work on is my favourite and I love them all equally. With each piece I have a different connection, and I go on a different journey from start to finish. Each piece holds a part of me as it also becomes a part of me. I learn from every one.

However, ‘Promises’ was a breakthrough piece that opened the doors to creating many other pieces.

The piece ‘Promises’ is a favourite of Tali’s and opened up new design opportunities. It is constructed from pate de verre glass and mixed media. Photo: Keay Edwards.

Where do you show and sell your work?

My work is included in numerous private collections and is exhibited in galleries and museums such as Museum of Glass Kanazawa, Japan, the Imagine Museum, Boise Art Museum, Grand Rapids Art Museum, and Tacoma Museum of Glass in the USA, plus the National Gallery in Sophia, Bulgaria, Qingdao Art Museum, China, and Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel.

A few pieces are currently being exhibited at the San Jose City Hall and at the Craft Forms exhibit in Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA.

What advice would you give to someone starting out on a career in glass?

Be prepared to work hard, believe in yourself: a career in art is not a straight line. It is a life-long journey.

Do you have a career highlight?

In 2022 the Qingdao Art Museum in China acquired one of my pieces for its permanent collection; this was very exciting.

Where is your glass practice heading next?

I am in the process of creating a new body of work. I am also working on developing opportunities to curate exhibitions that will educate and promote the art of pate de verre.

‘Where the Heart is’ features pate de verre and casting and is made from glass, 24k gold leaf and enamel. Photo: Keay Edwards.

Is the global energy crisis affecting your practice?

Probably not as much as other parts of the world. But the main effects of the energy crisis on my practice are the higher electrical bills and the rising prices of glass materials.

‘Secrets V’ is made from pate de verre and mixed media. Photo: Keay Edwards.

And finally…

I am very grateful to be a part of the glass art community at a time when we are discovering so many new ways of working with this remarkable material that comes from sand. A funny fact: I lived my childhood in Holon, a city located on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. The name Holon was chosen to reflect the sand dunes on which it was built: ‘hol’ in Hebrew means ‘sand’. Today, most of those dunes are gone, replaced by buildings. But I remember the feeling of the sand in my hands, accumulating in my shoes, getting in my hair, my eyes, my mouth. This sand was an integral part of my childhood. Now I work with silica, a basic element of glass, connecting my early memories of these now disappearing dunes to the present.

‘Regret’ is created from pate de verre and gold leaf. Photo: Keay Edwards.

About the artist

Tali Grinshpan at work in her studio. Photo: Jonathan Boykin.

Born and raised in Israel, Tali Grinshpan now lives in Walnut Creek, California, USA.

She has been studying glass since 2012, taking workshops at Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Centre and Bullseye Resource Centres in the USA, as well as North Lands Creative in Scotland.

In 2016 her work was selected as a finalist at The International Exhibition of Glass, Kanazawa, Japan. She was also the first prize winner of The Glass Prize 2017 international competition, UK. In 2019 her second solo exhibition, ‘Longing for the (Home)land’ opened at Bullseye Gallery in the Bay Area, California, USA. In February 2020 she curated an exhibition called ‘Particles’ at Abrams Claghorn Gallery in Albany, USA. In 2022 her piece ‘Homeland I’ was awarded the first place at the Glass Art Society exhibition at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, USA.

Find out more about Tali and her work via her website.

Main feature image: ‘Somewhere’ is made from pate de verre, with 24k gold leaf and enamel. Photo: Keay Edwards.

Students invited to enter ‘Making Your Mark’ glass engraving competition

Students of any age enrolled on a course of at least 15 hours a week can submit their designs for the second ‘Making Your Mark’ online exhibition, run by the Guild of Glass Engravers.

Submitted work must include surface decoration on any piece of glass, using either diamond point or handscriber, drill, sandblast, acid etch or wheel engraving. Graal techniques are admissible.

Making Your Mark is an Instagram-based exhibition of works created by students based in the UK and overseas. It will go live in March 2023.

In addition, The David Peace Prize will be awarded to the student whose submitted work, in the opinion of the judges, shows the greatest talent and originality in the use of engraving on glass. The decision of the judges will be made from the images submitted.

The David Peace Prize is endowed by a bequest from the estate of founding member of the Guild of Glass Engravers, the late Dr David Peace MBE and a bursary from his family. David Peace, past Chairman and President, was noted for his lettering on glass. He believed in encouraging young talent in glass – not only in the field of lettering, but also figurative and abstract artists.

The first prize will be £500 and the second prize will be £200. Both prizes include free student membership of The Guild of Glass Engravers for one year.

The deadline for applications has been extended since we first publicised this in 2022 and is now 28 February 2023.

Further information and an application pack are available here.

 

Image: ‘Glass Graffiti’, by Christian Straub (2021), the Winner of the David Peace Prize 2021.

IYOG 2022 announces ‘7 Glass Wonders of the World’

Many events highlighting glass were held around the globe during the UN-designated International Year of Glass (IYOG) 2022. One of the actions taken by the organising committee was to ask for nominations for ‘7 Glass Wonders of the World’.

These ‘7 Glass Wonders of the World’ would be seven objects, buildings, or places where glass had a ‘fundamental’ role.

More than 50 proposals, submitted by regional organisations from each continent, were assessed for originality, innovative character, plus historical, cultural and industrial character. The winners were announced at the IYOG closing conference and ceremony at the University of Tokyo in Japan on 9 December 2022.

The initiative was coordinated by Teresa Palomar, a researcher from VICARTE (Portugal) and ICV-CSIC (Spain), and the South Africa-based glass artist Lothar Böttcher. Glass professionals from the arts, architecture, science and industry formed the prestigious international jury.

After weeks of deliberation, the jury named the following 7 Glass Wonders, which are also unveiled in this video.

They are:

Glass from the Tomb of Tutankhamun, currently at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and, from 2023, also at the Grand Egyptian Museum, Gizeh (Egypt).

Lycurgus Cup at The British Museum, London. This cup displays a miraculous coluor effect. Under normal lighting, the glass appears jade green, but when lit from behind, it turns ruby red. Scientists found that this phenomenon is due to gold and silver nanoparticles in the glass. The cup is a cage cup, one of the most luxurious glass vessels of Roman times.

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France. Stained glass windows are often prominent in Gothic cathedrals, but in no other medieval building are the windows as dominant as in the Sainte-Chapelle. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France as the royal chapel and built from 1242 to its consecration on 26 April 1248. Nearly two-thirds are still the original glass panes dating back nearly 800 years.

The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard University in the US. Leopold (1822–1895) and Rudolf Blaschka (1857–1939) were a father-and-son team of Bohemian glass artists active in Dresden, Germany. From 1886 to 1936, they produced 4,300 glass models that represent 780 plant species in finest detail.

The Corning Museum of Glass in New York, US. The largest glass collection in the world, combined with a library that seeks to build a comprehensive collection of books, archival, and rare materials about glass, and a studio where artists teach their art of glassmaking. The Museum opened its doors in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York in 1951. Despite its distance from large cities, it welcomes more than a quarter of a million visitors from all over the world each year.

Optical Fibres. A glass rod, when heated, can be pulled into an ever-thinner and seemingly endless glass thread. In the 1960s, researchers set the stage for a technological revolution, and since the 1970s, glass fibres about as thick as a human hair have been used to transport huge quantities of information, functioning, in simple terms, as light bouncing in a tube.

Hubble Space Telescope. The first dedicated observatory was launched and deployed into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery on 24 April 1990. Two mirrors of ultra-low expansion glass give Hubble its optical capabilities. A primary glass mirror of 2.4 m diameter and weighing approximately 800 kg reflects its light on the 0.3 m secondary mirror. Hubble has revealed crystal clear views of our universe and has made more than 1.5 million observations during its 30 years of service.

Following the IYOG closing ceremony in Japan there was a final debriefing meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, US, on 14 December 2022. This event reviewed the impact of the many events held throughout 2022 and future implications for the world of glass. Watch the full debriefing session in this video.

New city centre home being explored for reimagined National Glass Centre

The University of Sunderland is working with its partners Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Culture to explore new city centre locations for the National Glass Centre (NGC).

The NGC has been owned by the University since 2010 and is also home to the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art (NGCA) and the University’s glass and ceramics academic programmes.

In recent years, the University has needed to undertake a series of works to address structural-related issues in the NGC, including the closure of public access to the roof.

Now, a specialist external review – commissioned by the University – has concluded that a multi-million-pound investment would be required to address these issues if the NGC were to remain at its current riverside location.

As a result, the University’s Board of Governors has decided that the best way forward is to find an alternative location – or locations – for the NGC.

The University is actively exploring a variety of options which would put a reimagined National Glass Centre at the heart of Sunderland’s cultural regeneration, with the potential to reach new and larger audiences and is working with key partners, including Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Culture to establish suitable sites. Culture House is one of the sites being discussed.

The NGC is working with staff to carry out a thorough assessment of the equipment and facilities that would be required to support academic activity in glass and ceramics in another building and the associated cost implications. The outcome of this work will be reviewed by the University Executive, with a recommendation on next steps being made to the Board of Governors in due course.

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive said: “The University is committed, as far as it is practically possible and viable, to maintaining within the city the exhibition and display of glass art, alongside academic work in glass and ceramics. As well as undertaking internal review work on these matters, we are also in active discussion with Sunderland City Council about alternative locations for the activities currently undertaken within the NGC and NGCA. Hopefully, we will have more details to share in the coming months.

“I recognise this is an uncertain time for staff and students based at the NGC, but we need to act now, given that the University is not in a position to spend the millions of pounds required to secure the longer-term future of the current NGC building.”

Linda Williams, Sunderland City Council’s Vibrant City Councillor, said: “Across the city we have an excellent cultural and heritage offer, and really strong partnerships through which to continue to grow and develop that offer. Plans for Culture House are beginning to take shape – an exciting major new investment now underway at the heart of the city for residents and visitors alike.

“We are working closely with the University to explore whether becoming part of Culture House provides the best opportunity for the next generation of the much-loved National Glass Centre – one of our key cultural assets – to continue to grow and thrive in Sunderland for generations to come.”

Rebecca Ball, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture said: “The National Glass Centre has sealed Sunderland’s reputation as one of the leading hubs for glass-making in the UK. Over many decades, through the work of the University and other partners, the city has become a centre of excellence and innovation in this area. The significant costs associated with the repair, maintenance and operation of the current building, however, pose undeniable challenges.

“Sunderland Culture is committed to working with the University to explore an alternative future home for the National Glass Centre in order to ensure future generations can continue to experience the beauty, wonder and creativity of making art in glass.”

The University hopes the move to a new location(s) will be concluded within three years. Until then, the intention is for the National Glass Centre to remain at its current home and continue to operate as usual.

Image: The NGC building is an imposing landmark on the north bank of the River Wear.

Chen Peiper’s glass displayed in Venice

Israel-based glass artist Chen Peiper created the installation ‘Covitrum’ as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The work, exhibited at the ‘Personal Structures – Reflections’ show at the Venice 2022 Art Biennial, is a series of unrecognisable portraits, none of which shows gender, age, skin colour, or country of origin.

Covitrum comprises 13 ‘man-sized’ portraits of about 30cm x 30cm, along with five ‘child-size’ portraits. The total of 18 is significant because in gematria – the assignation of numeric values to Hebrew letters – the number 18 means ‘chai’, or ‘life’.

The faces of the installation are universal and at the same time they are all different: the masks they wear reflect each person’s need to express their personality and individualism.

Chen made a conscious decision to keep the faces almost identical; they do not show identity or gender, but only express emotions. Viewers contemplating the work notice these emotions, and that humanises the masked faces. The masks, however, are all very different. Chen treats each face and its mask as a whole, but allows the viewers to switch masks in their imagination.

As the show guide notes, ‘The mask is a tool of pretence and protection, and it allows introspection; it gives the artist a creative space in which she chooses whether to hide or to reveal identity or feelings. Chen chose to tell her story on each mask. But, as always in art, the viewers can tell themselves completely different stories.’

Refugees

In addition, during ‘The Italian Glass Weeks’, held in Milan and Venice in September 2022, Chen showed her work ‘Refugees’ (‘Rfugiati’) at the Pallazo Loredan.

‘Refugees’ by Chen Peiper uses glass and mixed media to express the plight of people fleeing their homes by sea.

This piece is a sensitive response to the experience of people who have fled their countries across wild seas in inhuman conditions.

Chen explains, “The colours of the sky and the sea and, in between, human beings. This is the essence of the work ‘Refugees’. The sea is their last refuge. The use of the magnifying glass and a ‘net of hope’ overwhelms this global problem. Images emerge from countless events of refugees at sea, on their way in search of a safe haven.”

Chen Peiper is a multidisciplinary artist who designs jewellery and sculptures using materials such as gold, silver, stainless steel, aluminium and copper. In the recent years she has started combining glass and metal in her works.

Find out more here.

Main image: ‘Covitrum’ by Chen Peiper, which was displayed in Venice, Italy in 2022.