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Call to new graduates: apply for the Glass Sellers’ CGS Glass Prize and New Graduate Review magazine

The 2022 Graduate Prize and New Graduate Review magazine have opened for applications from students graduating from a British or Irish accredited course this year.

After some exceedingly difficult years, especially for education, the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) aims to support graduates at the beginning of long careers in glass making, with the annual Graduate Prize, featuring cash and other benefits, as well as the opportunity to have their work shown in the internationally-circulated New Graduate Review publication.

This is a wonderful opportunity for graduates to have their work seen across the world and to promote the future of British contemporary glass art.

Graduate Prize

There will be a Winner and Second Prize awarded, plus two Runners-up prizes and several Commendations. All will appear in the CGS’s New Graduate Review 2022.

The first prize includes:

  • £500 cash
  • £200 vouchers from Creative Glass UK
  • A promotional package, including cover & feature in the New Graduate Review
  • Two years’ CGS Membership
  • A year’s subscription to NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: Art & Architecture magazine
  • A selection of glass-related books provided by Alan J Poole.

Second Prize:

  • £150 cash
  • £100 voucher from Warm Glass
  • One year’s membership of CGS
  • A year’s subscription to NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: Art & Architecture magazine.

2 x Runners-Up Prizes:

  • £50 voucher from Pearsons Glass
  • One year’s membership of CGS
  • A year’s subscription to NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: Art & Architecture magazine.


CGS New Graduate Review

The CGS New Graduate Review is:

  • a 16-page publication
  • It will be circulated extensively to all Colleges, Museums and CGS members
  • It will appear in NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: Art & Architecture magazine, which has a worldwide circulation.

There will also be an online exhibition of graduates’ work on the CGS website.

A panel of experts will select the winner and the decision will be announced on 8 August 2022.

The deadline to submit is 5pm on Monday 11 July 2022. Please note that submissions can only be made between 21 June and 11 July 2022.

Download full information and the Application Form via this link.

The CGS is delighted to announce that the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity Fund have helped to fund the Prize and New Glass Review, together with Professor Michael Barnes MC FRCP.

The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London received its Charter in 1664. Initially founded to regulate the Glass Selling and Pot-Making industries within the City of London, the role of the livery company today is to stimulate interest in glass in all its aspects and carry out charitable works, with special emphasis on education.

Other sponsors are: Creative Glass UK, Pearsons Glass, Warm Glass, NEUES GLASS – NEW GLASS: art & architecture magazine and Alan J. Poole.

The CGS is grateful to all the sponsors, without whom these wonderful opportunities for graduates would not be possible.

Image: Last year’s First prize winner ‘Constricted’, by Erica Poyser. Photo: Matt Stone, Matt Evans.

Visit Nazeing Glass Works for hot glass study days in May

Two Hot Glass study days are taking place on 25 and 26 May 2022 at Nazeing Glass Works in Hertfordshire, UK, as part of the UN-designated International Year of Glass.

During each study day, participants will be able to witness most of the processes fundamental to forming fine glass, including blowing, pressing, casting and hand-made paperweight making. 

They will also visit the on-site museum at Nazeing Glass Works, which is dedicated to 20th century British glass and holds 1,800 examples of mostly post-war glass. Stourbridge’s ‘Big Four’, Webb, Webb Corbett, Royal Brierley and Stuart, are all represented, as are the Northeastern pressed makers, like Sowerby and Davidson. 

However, most emphasis is placed on the output of Whitefriars, Dartington, Kings Lynn/Wedgwood and, of course, Nazeing itself, which produced several ranges for Dartington and Wedgwood, amongst others, during the 1970s and 1980s.

In addition, there will be two talks, one by author, journalist and ‘Antiques Roadshow’ TV show glass expert, Andy McConnell, and one by Stephen Pollock-Hill, managing director of Nazeing Glass Works.

Visitors will be able to see glass created by the skilled team from Nazeing Glass Works, as well as Irish Master Glassmaker Killian Schurmann, from Dublin, who will be demonstrating some of his new designs.

Nazeing Glass Works traces its lineage back to 17th-century London and is still family-owned. It moved to its current site in 1928 and is now Britain’s second-largest fine glassworks, after Dartington. 

Nazeing still makes a wide variety of glassware, ranging from architectural and marine lighting, railway and airport runway lenses, laboratory glass, plus ‘Bristol-blue’ decanters and goblets.

The Hot Glass days are scheduled for 25 and 26 May 2022, from 10am to 3.20pm. Refreshments and a buffet lunch are included in the price, which is £39.50 per person in a group booking, or £42.50 per individual booking.

Nazeing Glass Works Ltd is at Nazeing New Road, Broxbourne, Herts, EN10 6SU. Tel 01992 464485

Booking information here:
For Groups, Form 1 and Form 2
For individuals, Form 3

Glass Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

Layne Rowe's angel wing glass sculpture

In recognition of the fact that 2022 has been designated the International Year of Glass by the United Nations, this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show (24-28 May 2022) will feature a garden focused on glass art, in collaboration with the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) as it celebrates its 25th year.

Emma Butler-Cole Aiken’s trio of glass birds, called ‘Searching’.

The ‘International Year of Glass Garden’ features sculptures and garden planters made by British glass artists. These have been made using both ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ glass processes, demonstrating the beauty and versatility of glass in a garden setting.

‘Crystal Mountain’ by Gabrielle Argent.

Glass techniques taught at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham, Surrey, have enabled its students to contribute to this garden, alongside master craftsmen and women.

Glass Sails garden sculpture by CGS member Emma Butler-Cole Aiken
‘Sails’, by CGS member Emma Butler-Cole Aiken.

A 3-metre-tall leaded glass sculpture, entitled ‘Sails’, by CGS member Emma Butler-Cole Aiken, will be displayed alongside a 3-metre hand-blown glass ‘angel wings’ sculpture, called ‘Solace’, by Layne Rowe.

‘Go ask Alice’ mirror by Lisa Pettibone.

Their work is complemented by that of CGS members Anthony McCabe, Lisa Pettibone, Gail Boothman, Ian Godfrey and glass garden curator, Gabrielle Argent.

‘Flowers from a Glass Garden’ by Anthony McCabe.

Layne Rowe’s ‘Solace’ represents freedom, fragility but with power, strength, and protection. The symbolism of angel wings can be enjoyed by people of all faiths and of none. This piece has been inspired by previous projects to help bring awareness to the loss of loved ones during the pandemic, and now reflects on the casualties of Ukraine.

Layne Rowe fitting glass feathers to the ‘Solace’ sculpture. Full construction takes about four hours.

The sculpture is made up of over 100 glass ‘feathers’, each individually hot sculpted in clear glass with the introduction of fine white cane work, creating realism. The centres (rachis) are blown using opal white glass to create a hollow, so that each feather can be hung from the bones of the wings which are forged in iron. Each glass feather measures approx. 50cm x 6cm x 6cm.

After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire, Layne worked at London Glassblowing for several years before moving to Brazil, where he set up a glass studio. He currently makes work from his studio in Cambridgeshire and collaborates with fellow artists.

The ‘International Year of Glass Garden’ is hosted by Middle Ranelagh Gardens on Stand AR542 at the show.

The artworks can be viewed and purchased via the Glass Garden website, or at the show, with a donation from sales made to the CGS.

Tickets for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 are available from the RHS here.

Main image: Layne Rowe with his angel wing sculpture, ‘Solace’.

Artists announced for British Glass Biennale and International Bead Biennale

Glass art by Joanna Manousis

A total of 103 glass artists have been selected from 223 applications for the 2022 British Glass Biennale exhibition. A further 26 artists have been chosen for the inaugural International Bead Biennale.

The judges for the British Glass Biennale were looking for work that represents the most interesting, diverse and outstanding glass art made in the UK in the last three years. The selected glass art will form a cutting-edge showcase of contemporary British based glass talent, with over £17,000-worth of awards to be won. Prize winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, which takes place at The Glasshouse, Stourbridge, UK, on 25 August 2022. 

Work by established artists and emerging new talent will be on display, including that of 18 students. The judges felt that the selected artists had been brave and innovative, using a wide range of styles and techniques, both traditional and experimental.

The judges for the British Glass Biennale 2022 were Michelle Bowen, Brandi P Clark, James Devereux, Michelle Keeling, Wayne Strattman and Bryony Windsor.

Winners of the prizes chosen through public votes will be announced at the closing ceremony on 1 October 2022.

Artwork by Opal Seabrook
Opal Seabrook’s ‘The Time is Now’ will be shown at the British Glass Biennale 2022.

The artists selected for the British Glass Biennale 2022 are: Scott Benefield, Chris Bird-Jones, Heike Brachlow, Keith Brocklehurst, Theo Brooks, Steve Brown, Sarah Brown, Karen Browning, Susan Burne, Tabitha Burrill, Phillipa Candy, Sabrina Cant, Nina Casson McGarva, Ian Chadwick, Keeryong Choi, Clare Cleary, Kate Courtney-Taylor, Amy Cushing, Vanessa Cutler, Calum Dawes, Christopher Day, James Denison-Pender, Samantha Donaldson, Rachel Elliott, Fiaz Elson, Sally Fawkes, Jahday Ford, Juliet Forrest, Alec Galloway, Hannah Gibson, Emma Goring, Jianyong Guo, Claire Hall, Laura Hart, Gillian Hobson, Charlotte Hughes-Martin, Katherine Huskie, Henry Hussey, Richard Jackson, Angela Jarman, Kate Jones, Joshua Kerley, Alison Kinnaird, Isabella Kullmann, Monette Larsen, Jessie Lee, James Lethbridge, Jon Lewis, Julie Light, Alison Lowry, Alister Malcolm, Bruce Marks, Laura McKinley, Joanne Mitchell, Rachel Mulligan, Tracy Nicholls, Marged Owain, Purnima Patel, Lisa Pettibone, Richard Platt, Verity Pulford, Laura Quinn, Tim Rawlinson, David Reekie, Colin Reid, Bruno Romanelli, Paul Rowbottom, Layne Rowe, Anthony Scala, Opal Seabrook, Cathryn Shilling, Andrea Spencer, Angela Steel, Helen Stokes, Nancy Sutcliffe, Ayako Tani, Louis Thompson, Sue Tinkler, Disha Trivedi, Elliot Walker, Gregory Warren Wilson, Sarah Wiberley, Bethany Wood, Sandra Young and Maria Zulueta.

Students taking part in the British Glass Biennale are: Gregory Alliss, Anthony Amoako Attah, Cherisse Appleby, Ben Bavin, Stephen Chadwick, Wai Yan Choi, Catherine Dunstan, Giles Fearon, Jemma Finch, Dovile Grigaliunaite, Sogon Kim, Joanna Manousis, Tamar Nikki Palmer, Lauren Puckett, Charlott Rodgers, Moonju Suh, Liz Waugh McManus and Yixue Yang.

Artists invited to take part: Matt Durran, James Devereux, and Michelle Keeling.

International Bead Biennale

Bead biennale artwork by Angela Thwaites
Angela Thwaites’ Bacyll bead collection will be shown at the International Bead Biennale. Photo: Ingrida Latviunaite.

There are 26 artists selected for the inaugural International Bead Biennale by a jury comprised of Barbara Beadman, Vic Bamforth and Pauline Holt. 

The artists taking part in the International Bead Biennale 2022 are: Laurie Ament, Keith Brocklehurst, Michael Bullen, Madeline Bunyan, Effie Burns, Ian Chadwick, Anne Clifton, Sarah Downton, Tove Egholt, Rachel Elliott, Josean Garcia, Jennie Lamb, Julie Light, Anu Luht, Michaela Maria Moeller, Maggie Napier, Stéphane Oliver, Astrid Riedel, Tina Smith, Michi Suzuki, Angela Thwaites, Arthur van Buuren, Jolene Wolfe, Shelly Xue, Caterina Zucchi and Mateja Zugman.

Invited artists for the International Bead Biennale are Vic Bamforth, Daisuke Takeuchi and Sakiyo Takeuchi.

Awards

The awards on offer at the British Glass Biennale are:
The British Glass Biennale Award – Best in Show
The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London: Glass Sellers Awards and Glass Sellers Student Awards
Glass Arts Society – International Artists Award
The People’s Prize – sponsored by Warm Glass
The Young Collector’s Award – sponsored by the Glass Sellers
Uniting the Planet – themed prize sponsored by the Glass Society
Best Newcomer’s Award – sponsored by the Glass Society
The Guild of Glass Engravers Award.

The awards on offer for the International Bead Biennale are: International Bead Biennale Best in Show and International Bead Biennale Runner Up, both sponsored by Barbara Beadman.

The British Glass Biennale and International Bead Biennale take place at The Glasshouse, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HF, on Tuesday to Saturday from 26 August to 1 October 2022. The awards ceremony marks the start of the International Festival of Glass, a four-day event celebrating the drama and excitement of glass. Find out more: www.glassbiennale.org www.ifg.org.uk 

The organisers are grateful to all the sponsors and supporters: International Festival of Glass, Ruskin Mill Land Trust, Ruskin Mill Trust, Arts Council England, The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, Glass Arts Society (GAS), Glass Society, Warm Glass, The Guild of Glass Engravers, Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) and Barbara Beadman.

Main image: Joanna Manousis’ artwork, ‘Bottled Pear’, will feature at the British Glass Biennale. Photo: Tom Brooks.

The Story of Okra and Station Glass at Isle of Wight Glass Museum

Glass vase by Richard Golding

The Isle of Wight Glass Museum is hosting a glassmaking demonstration, followed by a talk from master glassmaker Richard Golding, one of the leading exponents of surface-decorated studio glass, about his life working with glass. The event takes place on 28 May 2022, in person and online.

The demonstration will be hosted at the studio of Timothy Harris, of Isle of Wight Studio Glass, based next door to the museum. This will be followed by Richard Golding’s audiovisual presentation on the glass studios he founded, entitled ‘A Lifetime in Glass: The Story of Okra and Station Glass’.

This is one of a series of special events held by the museum to celebrate the art of glassmaking on the Isle of Wight.

The talk will take place in the museum’s Art Deco gallery, followed by a private viewing of selected artworks, a guided tour by the Director, and the opportunity to engage directly with the experts. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to invest in a unique piece of glass art from the artists’ current collections.

Richard and Timothy met in 1979 when they enrolled for a new course at the International Glass Centre in Brierley Hill. The programme was designed, in part, by Timothy’s father, Michael Harris. Over the years the two craftsmen have occasionally worked in each other’s studios to collaborate on a special piece.

“Richard’s work is avidly collected worldwide, and Timothy is one of the Island’s renowned glass artists,” Museum Director Anton Doroszenko commented. “Lifelong friends, they are looking forward to joining forces once again to celebrate their art.”

Tickets are £15.00 and are on sale in the museum office, or online at www.isleofwightglassmuseum.org.uk/events . For ticket holders who can’t attend in person, the events will be live streamed via Zoom.

Coffee and pastries will be served from 10.30am, and the event will start at 11.00am on Saturday 28 May 2022.

Location: Isle of Wight Glass Museum, Arreton Barns, Main Road, Arreton, Isle of Wight PO30 3AA.

The Isle of Wight Glass Museum celebrates the design and craftsmanship of glassmakers based on the island, as well as those in some way connected to the island, past and present. There are over 1,200 pieces on show in two galleries. The museum is also celebrating the International Year of Glass with additional special exhibits throughout 2022.

More information: www.isleofwightglassmuseum.org.uk

Image: A piece from the Museum’s collection made by Richard Golding, called ‘Morning Glory’.

Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2022 winners announced

Glass art by Ulla Forsell

The Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2022 has launched, with an exhibition of European contemporary glass at the Veste Coburg Art Collections and the European Museum of Modern Glass in Rödental, Germany, from 10 April to 25 September 2022.

From 400 applications, 90 artists were selected for the exhibition. From these, an international jury selected seven award winners.

The first prize, worth 15,000 Euros, went to the Norwegian Æsa Björk. Her work ‘Fragments’, which consists of two large, convex lenses, is based on a sophisticated manufacturing technique. The fragile, pâte de verre texture of the blistered, in some places perforated glass surface, with its silvery sheen and resulting reflections, is reminiscent of the Big Bang and the creation of the Universe.

Æsa Björk won first prize with ‘Fragments’ (2021). Photo: Dieter Ertel.

The Irish artist Alison Lowry won the second prize of 10,000 Euros for her sculptural group of christening gowns and baby shoes, executed in the delicate pâte de verre technique. The work is a touching memorial to the decades of tragic treatment of illegitimate children in church-run mother-and-baby homes in Ireland. Read more about her work here.

Alison Lowry’s ‘Adhlacadh dúinn le dinit’ (Bury us with Dignity) (2021) won second prize. Photo: Dieter Ertel.

Judith Röder from Germany received the third prize of 5,000 Euros, for an installation made of superficially antiquated overhead projectors. Discarded window panes serve as projection templates. These seemingly unimportant remnants are recontextualised in the projected image, reminiscent of micro and macro photographs from nature.

Judith Röder’s ‘Projektion VII’ (2021) won third prize. Photo: Judith Röder.

Other award winners were Petr Stanický, Czech Republic, who receives the Senior Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung prize for an artist aged over 45 years (5,000 Euros), Slovakian Kristína Ligačová received the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung prize (2,000 Euros) and Zuzana Kubelková of the Czech Republic, received the Achilles-Stiftung prize for an artist aged under 35 (2,000 Euros). The Honorary Prize in memory of Otto Waldrich (2,000 Euros, donated by Gertrud Bartelmus) was awarded to the Swedish artist Ulla Forsell.

The Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass exhibition presents a Europe-wide overview of current trends and developments in contemporary glass art. The judges felt that the levels of artistic achievement, technically, conceptually and in terms of complexity, had increased significantly in the last 10 years.

“The magical material glass has a variety of surprising effects, evokes emotions in a special way and makes you think,” commented the director of the art collections, jury member and exhibition curator, Sven Hauschke.

Many of the works submitted featured socially relevant topics. Problems such as the extinction of species, climate change, environmental destruction and exclusion were addressed with sculptures or multimedia installations. The coronavirus pandemic was also reflected.

Exhibition visitors who attend up to 8 August are invited to vote for the Visitors’ Choice Award, worth 2,000 Euros, and the Young Visitors’ Choice Award, worth 500 Euros.

The Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2022 is organised by the Veste Coburg Art Collections in cooperation with the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung foundation.

Veste Coburg Art Collections are at: Veste Coburg, 96450 Coburg, Germany.

The European Museum of Modern Glass is at: Rosenau 10, 96472 Rödental, Germany.

Find out more: www.coburger-glaspreis.de

Main image: ‘To The Last Drop’ (2021) by Swedish artist Ulla Forsell won the The Honorary Prize in memory of Otto Waldrich. Photo: Dieter Ertel.

Seascapes in glass shown at Coburg Prize exhibition

Sands sculptures by Bibi Smit

Among the 90 glass artists chosen for the Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2022 exhibition, Bibi Smit is showing her new work, ‘Sands’. The exhibition takes place across two locations, Veste Coburg Art Collections and the European Museum of Modern Glass in Germany and runs from 10 April to 25 September 2022. 

Inspired by seascapes and natural forms, these glass-blown ‘Sands’ sculptures reflect textures shaped by the wind. 

As Bibi explains, “The ‘Sands’ are a natural outcome of moving further from cloud shapes and looking more at seascapes, shells and sea life. When you walk on the beach you see the way the water plays with the sand and makes patterns and, in the same way, the wind makes shapes in the desert. I am interested in how the water and the wind move the sand, not necessarily to do with the sea, as such, but more with movement. And that’s why the forms are hugging into each other. It shows my feeling when I look at the ripples of sand and the shapes that are made in nature with erosion and movement.”

The sculptures feature textured exteriors, with colour on the outside and the insides are white. The lines reflect the ripples seen in sand and water. The outsides are partly sandblasted to create depth and perspective. 

“The relationship between the objects and how they relate to each other is important. They form groups because they belong to each other; they are part of the same feeling,” Bibi continues.

“I realised with the ‘Clouds’ series that it’s nice to have them laying around for a long time and to handle them and move them in different groups. I am being challenged to look at them in different frames, away from the studio and the gallery. This shifting composition process is part of the journey of how I see them and how I want them to be seen.” 

The Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass is Europe’s most important award for contemporary glass art. It is accompanied by an exhibition at the Veste Coburg and the European Museum for Modern Glas in Rödental. 

The artists selected for the 2022 exhibition are: Giampaolo Amoruso, Galia Amsel, Sahar Baharymoghaddam, Veronika Beckh, Æsa Björk, Juli Bolaños-Durman, Péter Borkovics, Heike Brachlow, Effie Burns, Ned Cantrell, Anna Carlgren, Mathilde Caylou, Keeryong Choi, Katharine Coleman, Vanessa Cutler, Lukas Derow, Maria Bang Espersen, Sally Fawkes, Lena Feldmann, Carrie Fertig, Dominic Fonde, Ulla Forsell, Shige Fujishiro, Giuliano Gaigher, Hannah Gibson, Hartmann Greb, Mathieu Grodet, Wilfried Grootens, Jens Gussek, Iris Haschek, Adam Hejduk, Masami Hirohata, Palo Macho & Jana Hojstričová, Jochen Holz, Petr Hora, Krista Israel, Angela Jarman, Dafna Kaffeman, Saman Kalantari, Micha Karlslund, Morten Klitgaard, Maria Koshenkova, Remigijus Kriukas, Marzena Krzeminska Baluch, Zuzana Kubelková, Juliette Leperlier, James Lethbridge, Susan Liebold, Kristína Ligačová, Alison Lowry, Joanna Manousis, Markus Marschmann, James Maskrey, Gayle Matthias, Melanie Möglich, Sadhbh Mowlds, Jan Mytny, Tracy Nicholls, Fredrik Nielsen, Jagoda Nowak-Bieganowska, Stig Persson, Anne Petters, Vendulka Prchalová, Cornelius Réer, Colin Reid, Gerhard Ribka, Sebastian Richter, Anne-Lise Riond Sibony, Judith Röder, Susanne Roewer, Torsten Rötzsch, Tiina Sarapu, Cathryn Shilling, Wilken Skurk, Bibi Smit, Petr Stanický, Nancy Sutcliffe, Veronika Suter, Karlyn Sutherland, Ayako Tani, Aline Thibault, Michaela Tkadleček, Kristiina Uslar, Sylvie Vandenhoucke, Aleš Vašíček, Sofia Villamarin, Zac Weinberg, Jinya Zhao, and Jeff Zimmer.

Exhibition locations: Veste Coburg Art Collections, Veste Coburg, 96450 Coburg, Germany and the European Museum of Modern Glass, Rosenau 10, 96472 Rödental, Germany.

Read about the Coburg prize winners in this linked news story.

More information: https://www.coburger-glaspreis.de/en/home/

Image: ‘Sands’ by Bibi Smit uses glassblowing and sandblasting techniques. 

Diverse glass techniques to be exhibited at Farnham gallery

The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is collaborating with Farnham’s New Ashgate Gallery to present ‘Joyful Reflections’, an exhibition featuring 15 exceptional makers, as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

These artists employ a variety of glass techniques, include blown, cast, fused, engraved and stained glass, and will present both sculptural and decorative work. Their artworks will be on show from Saturday 30 April until Saturday 11 June 2022 at the Surrey gallery.

The makers selected to take part in ‘Joyful Reflections’ are: Teresa Chlapowski, Hannah Gibson, Jianyong Guo, Laura Hart, Julie Light, Roberta Mason, Wendy Newhofer, Lisa Pettibone, Laura Quinn, Morag Reekie, Amy Skachill Burke, Nancy Sutcliffe, Cara Wassenberg, Frans Wesselman and Sandra Young.

CGS Chair, Susan Purser Hope, explained that members were invited to step back from the sadness of the pandemic and to embrace the joy of life now as inspiration for their glass creations. “Artists were asked to reflect upon the glorious and mysterious properties of glass – its transparency, its uniqueness, the variety of techniques it offers, its ability to reflect back at us – and to express joyful reflections on life and glass.”

She went on, “This is CGS’s first collaborative exhibition with the New Ashgate Gallery. We are excited by this wonderful opportunity for our members to show a range of work featuring vibrant colours and transparent forms reflecting upon the joyful moments we have come to appreciate in everyday life. Glass is an amazing material to work with and this is a glorious chance to raise its profile with the general public within the setting of this outstanding gallery.”

Nicola Lightfoot, Curator of Glass at New Ashgate Gallery commented, “The exhibition will highlight the luminous, reflective, and often illusional qualities of glass, and will celebrate its unique ability to express fragility, rigidity, pattern and form. We are excited to see how the makers test the parameters of the material through their refined craft skills, to create a variety of sculptural and decorative work.”

The exhibition takes place at The New Ashgate Gallery, Waggon Yard, Farnham Surrey GU9 7PS, UK, between 30 April and 11 June 2022. More information: https://www.newashgate.org.uk

This exhibition has been selected as one of the 50 events in the ‘Make! Craft! Live!’ campaign, marking the 50th anniversary of the Crafts Council, between October 2021 and October 2022. Find out more about ‘Make! Craft! Live!’ here.

Image: ‘Beauties and Nature’ by Jianyong Guo. Photo: Zihan Wang.

Tim Tate: Time Traveller

The US artist Tim Tate says he is as at home in Greek and Roman times as he is in the present day, taking inspiration for his work from across the centuries. From a foundation in studio glass, he has expanded his artistic repertoire over the years, incorporating new technology and different media to achieve his vision. Linda Banks finds out more.  

You describe yourself as a mixed media sculptor, but a lot of your work incorporates glass. What led you to start working with glass and why is it important to you?

Glass is what first attracted me into art, and the medium I’m most proficient in using. Over the years I have found that its transparency, reflection and fragility made it the perfect medium to discuss loss, history and memory. I use many glass techniques, including one with an incredibly low carbon footprint. While I have also found a love for video, steel, polyurethane and electronics, my true heart will always be in glass.

“This is one of my favourites from the Queer Glass series, called ‘A Century Of Longing’ (Blown and cast glass/electronics, original video). The top finial is of a cast glass hand holding a Victorian bouquet. Inside there is a film projector and a stack of film. The video is an 1896 sound test by Edison. In it, two men dance for the first time in film history. A century has passed, and not only has the definition of ‘New Media’ changed (it begins with Edison’s films), but the way we perceive the two men dancing has changed as well. Edison was testing whether or not he could sync sound and motion at the time. These men have been dead for 50 years, but they dance on, oblivious of the fact that this three minutes would be remembered as iconic to a population they couldn’t have imagined. It was probably thought of as amusing back then, or convenient, but the way we perceive them has evolved so much over time that now it seems touching and sweet to think of them dancing for eternity together.”

You often mix traditional craft with new media, such as video. What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?

Here’s an interesting fact; something happened when I first started using video. The intellectual property of the work switched from the materiality and form of glass to the actual video. I don’t know why this surprised me, but it truly did. It taught me to carefully analyse each piece I made with mixed media to make sure there was a balance. A picture can tell a thousand words, a video 10,000.

I don’t draw the designs out first. I have a large studio, where it’s easy to dive directly into the piece using materials at hand, using different ones for best effect. All my concepts come to me at 4am.

‘The Poetry Of Everyday Objects’ (6ft x 6ft). Cast glass.

What are the main message(s) you want to convey to your audience through your work?

My work falls into two categories. First, there is work that has a huge social message. The discourse towards equality and peace has always been challenging. I try to make sense of these conflicts through my own eyes.

The second type falls under my early influences as a small boy, reading Jules Verne novels under my bedcovers with a flashlight. I love Victorian Techno-Fetishism and ornamentation with all my heart. If my piece looks like it was originally taken from Captain Nemo’s submarine, the Nautilus, then I have succeeded!

‘The Isolation and Liberation of the Boy Who Was All Thumbs’ (Blown and cast glass, cast poly-vitro, paint, wood). “When I was younger, I rarely felt adept at sports or any group activities. I was painfully uncomfortable speaking to others. My only solace was found in reading. I immersed myself in the imaginary story lines, dreaming of a day I would find my purpose. I finally did, and broke out of the dome separating me from the world. Art was my passion, and I’m so happy I found it. Anyone finding their passion, their heart or their purpose knows this feeling… the feeling that they can soar.”

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

I tend to work in series, and in each series I have a favourite. In my video domes, I love my ‘Ophelia’ piece best. In my endless mirrors, I love the one I just finished, which is dealing with the war in Ukraine. For my walls, I love ‘the Poetry of Everyday Objects’ best. For fully cast pieces, I like ‘Justinian’s Oculus’ best.

‘The Endless Cycle’ (Glass, aluminium, poly-vitro, electronics). “For every man shown here, 1000 people died last year because of gun violence. For every gun shown here, a child dies every day. A hard lesson we have to learn from Orlando. Only by joining together can we hope to curtail gun violence.”

You have collaborated with other artists. How do you find this experience?

I LOVE collaborating with other artists, and this is something I do frequently. The collaborations with Michael Janis have resulted in some of my favourite work. Collaborating stretches my aesthetic and allows me to discover new voices within me.

“This piece, ‘A Call To Redemption’ stems from the lovely thought of man being called to God (Blown and cast glass, electronic parts, camera, audio wave). This interactive piece features a camera, so that, as the viewer approaches the work, they see themselves in the LCD screen. At the same time, a motion detector inside senses the viewer’s presence, and triggers an audio wave of an Imam calling them to prayer. This sound was recorded while I was teaching in Istanbul.”

What is next for your practice?

I’ve been working heavily with manipulated lenticulars of my work. It was fascinating to see my own work in different forms. I also just created 50 NFTs [non-fungible tokens], so I’m examining this medium too. There is no artform that I will not try. I love them all!

Where do you show and sell your work?

I work with many galleries, such as Habatat Gallery in Detroit, Momentum Gallery in Asheville and Sandra Ainsley in Toronto. I also do many of the international art fairs, such as Art Miami, Volta and Context.

‘Today Mrs. Dalloway Thought That She Would Buy The Flowers’ (Aluminium, glass, electronics). “Mrs. Dalloway, the character from the Virginia Woolf book, struggled with gender identity. It ends tragically for her, as it did for Virginia Woolf herself. I love doing work about literature and certainly a book dealing with early feminism. These times call for all Mrs. Dalloways to have their voices heard and all men to listen and believe. To make sure all Mrs. Dalloways are allowed and encouraged to live the lives they want.The piece is very colourful and must be heard. This is my statement about these times.”

Do you have a career highlight?

Being on the cover of the museum catalogue for the Glasstress show at the State Hermitage Museum in Russia in 2021 blew me away. There are such great artists and works in that show, and I unexpectedly landed the cover. I was ecstatic when it came. To show next to such amazing artists as Ai Weiwei, the Chapman Brothers, Tony Cragg, Tony Oursler, and so on, humbles even the best artists. Coming up, I’ll be in the Glasstress show at the Murano Glass Museum during summer’s Venice Biennale, which should be great.

Who or what inspires you?

Current events can be very unsettling to me. My way of responding, as an artist, is to create art about those triggering events. They usually embrace the theme of loss and history. Between times, I can also heal myself by making achingly beautiful work that could fall under the category of Victorian Formalism. I love both for different reasons. Books, movies and my imagination fill in the rest.

Has the coronavirus impacted your practice?

Almost from the beginning of COVID-19 I embraced the internet as a means of keeping in contact with my collector base. I hosted almost 50 Zoom meetings over that time. These were not just about my work, but about that of many other artists as well. Because of that, I thrived during that dark period. But I am so looking forward to a time of enlightenment coming soon, and for in-person shows to return. I love working at, and going to, the fairs! They are my favourite hobby.

‘Justinian’s Oculus’ (Cast lead crystal). “The Plague of Justinian was the first known plague, in 541-549 AD. It was the first time that the black plague was seen on this planet and was named after the Roman Emperor Justinian I, who reportedly contracted it early on in Constantinople. Though he survived, it ultimately killed a fifth of the entire population of that city over five years. Justinian said that whenever he saw his reflection, he imagined the faces of those who died looking back. This is my second pandemic, as I have lived through the AIDS crisis. So many souls have been lost to both. Strange that the mind will forget so much of what has only just passed, and yet hold crystal clear the memory of what happened years ago… of men and women long since dead. Yet who can say what is real and what is not? Can I believe my friends are gone when their voices are still whispering into my ears every night as I fall asleep? I will always believe they live on in my heart and mind.”

In conclusion

This is the most exciting time to be an artist who works in glass. No longer is it represented by 40 studio glass artists from the US, but by 400 amazing artists from around the globe who work with glass in such amazing ways. We are in such a transitional phase in the art world, and with transition come opportunities. Just keep your eyes and mind open to see them.

Tim Tate uses traditional and modern techniques to create his artwork.

About the artist

Tim Tate is co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio in Washington, DC, USA. Tim’s work is in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum.

He was the 2010 recipient of the Virginia Groot Foundation award for sculpture, took second place in the 2017 London Contemporary Art Prize, and is a 2018 James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist.

He taught in Istanbul in August 2007 and at Penland School of Crafts on several occasions.

He was the Development Chair for the Penland Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2018 and is the Programme Chair for the James Renwick Alliance.

He received his Fulbright Award from Sunderland University in England in 2012.

In 2018 he was asked to speak at Yale University on Craft and Conflict, to represent the Queer community and its history of art activism.

Find out more on his website: https://www.TimTateGlass.com

Main feature image: ‘We Rose Up’ (Cast objects, aluminium, LEDs). “This piece was made for the first LGBTQ glass show in history at the National Liberty museum in Philadelphia. The show is called “Transparency” and all work in the show is made by openly LGBTQ artists. This piece, because it is an endless mirror, creates a space that has never existed before and is not a real space in this dimension. That means I can claim this space as my own, with its own set of physics and logic. Only the viewer creates this space. I hope anyone who views this, with its countless images of positive souls, will see those they lost peering out at them, finally visible again in this imagined space. Seen and not forgotten… alive again, for this brief moment.”

Photos: Pete Duvall.

Apply for two shows at Pyramid Gallery, York

The Pyramid Gallery in York will host two exhibitions of Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) members’ artwork at the same time in Autumn 2022.

One exhibition will be selected and the other will be open to all CGS members. Exhibition one (selected) is entitled ‘Bedazzled – 25 Glass Makers Impress’, while exhibition two (open to all members) will be called ‘Razzle Dazzle: Five x Five’.

‘Razzle Dazzle: Five x Five’

Register your interest to take part in ‘Razzle Dazzle: Five x Five’ by 9 May 2022. You don’t need to have made your piece by this date, but simply to register your intention to take part.

CGS Chair, Susan Purser Hope, commented, “After a couple of years with little live entertainment, let’s add a little razzle dazzle to our lives and celebrate what we love to watch or take part in. It could be a night at the opera, your favourite Bacall/Bogart film, the end-of-pier show, partying in Ibiza, a family barbeque or simply watching a flock of soaring birds. We want a bit of showiness, a flash of brilliance, a little decorative loveliness, even a little opulence, to enhance our spirits and make us smile with joyfulness!”

So why not make a little piece of eye-catching beauty in glass that meets this brief? It must be a maximum of 5 inches x 5 inches (127 x 127mm) x 1 inch deep (25mm).  However, if the piece is framed, the frame can be additional to the sizes given for the glass work. All submissions must have their own fittings as they will be displayed on a wall.

To make it fun and challenging, all pieces of work will be offered for sale at between £100 and £300. This is an unselected show for 100 members. Once you have registered, if you are one of the first 100, you are in the show. ‘Razzle Dazzle: Five x Five’ is free to enter.

You do not need to have made your piece by 9 May (it is not needed until September), but we need to know how many artists are taking part, so please register as soon as you can and by 9 May at the latest.

The exhibition will take place from 10 September to 30 October 2022.

Find out more and download the application form here.

‘Bedazzled – 25 Glass Makers Impress’

The other exhibiting opportunity is ‘Bedazzled – 25 Glass Makers Impress’. This is a selected selling show of 25 glass artists, who can exhibit up to three pieces of work each. The selection will be made by a panel including Terry Brett of Pyramid Gallery, a CGS Board member and an independent artist. The aim is to select artists representing a cross-section of glass making techniques. Wall and plinth-based works are welcome.

The meaning of ‘Bedazzle’ is “to greatly impress [someone] with outstanding ability or striking appearance”.  Susan explained, “We invite you to provide us with glasswork that dazzles us with your technique and the quality of your work! Show us why glass is such a precious material to work with. Maybe even introduce an element of silver to bedazzle us and to commemorate the CGS’s 25-year anniversary in 2022.”

There is an administration fee of £15 and successful artists will be asked for a marketing contribution of £30 per artist.

The application form for ‘Bedazzled – 25 Glass Makers Impress’, including images of up to three pieces of work, must be returned by 5pm (UK time) on Monday 23 May 2022.

Find out more and download the application form via this link.

Both exhibitions will take place at The Pyramid Gallery, 43 Stonegate, York YO1 8AW from 10 September to 30 October 2022. https://www.pyramidgallery.com

If you are not yet a member of CGS, why not join here so you can take up these, and many other, exhibiting opportunities?