Greener Glass – Exhibition until 17th January 2026

Explore the world of eco-friendly glass art in this exhibition, co-curated by UK artists and University of Birmingham students. Greener Glass focuses on sustainable glassmaking and environmental themes, featuring works by eleven artists, including residents at Stourbridge Glass Museum.

The exhibition showcases the transformative power of recycled materials and techniques like kiln work, glass blowing, flame working, mosaic, and cast glass. All pieces by resident artists are created using 100% renewable energy at Stourbridge Glass Museum, demonstrating the potential of sustainable artistic practices.

One highlight is The Thriving Canopy by Allister Malcolm, which features a collection of air plants set within coloured vessels and stems. This vibrant, biodiverse landscape encourages viewers to embrace sustainable living.

Featured artists include: Jan O’Highway, Elena Fleury-Rojo, Ivet Bibet, Allister Malcolm, Terri Malcolm, Madeleine Hughes, Hannah Gibson, Kate Lipson, Gill Hobson, and Scarlett Leonard.

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EXHIBITION DETAILS AND LOCATION

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#GreenerGlass #SustainableArt #EcoFriendly #GlassArt #RecycledMaterials #RenewableEnergy #Biodiversity #TheThrivingCanopy #Sustainability #EnvironmentalArt #Glassmaking #StourbridgeGlassMuseum

Glass Studio Contents for Sale

 Based near Bovey Tracey, there is a glass studio including kiln, stained glass equipment, glass and moulds available for sale.

David was a glass maker for the 15 years of his retirement, but sadly died last year. Marion, his wife, would love for it to find a new home, preferably in one lot. Details of the contents is available to view below. Marion is accepting offers via phone, so do give her a call to discuss, you would need to be able to collect. Marion’s phone number is in the PDF attached.

Help required for the repair or replacement of a light fixture holding sentimental significance

One of the two lamps, a glass light fixture that held sentimental value for the owners, was broken during a move.

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The family is hoping that a member maker will be able to fill replace or repair the glass section, and is looking for someone who would be willing to help.

The glass uplighter’s shape is shown in the pictures; its external measurements are L 37 cm, W 14 cm, and D 8 cm.

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Please get in touch with Graham at the email address below, if you think you can help or give him some advice.

 

g.fisher.55@btinternet.com

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Thank you.

 

Studio Spaces in BS5 – two studio spaces coming up for rent.

Studio Spaces

Here at The Crafty Hen we have two studio spaces coming up for rent.

We run our craft based business from here and occupy the majority of the building. Alongside the two spaces mentioned below we also have a prop maker and costume maker in the shared space.

 

We are based on an industrial estate in Speedwell. BS5 7XX, with a convenient location off the railway path and local bus routes, and parking on site for bikes and cars on first come first served basis.

The two spaces coming up are:

  1. Desk and some storage in a shared studio area (available immediately) £120pcm
  2. Private studio approx 14m2 (available in 2 weeks) £410pcm

Space one: Includes a built in desk, under desk storage and a storage unit in the space. 1st floor. Further storage could be added if required. This is in the shared studio area.

Space two: A self-contained studio space available, approx 14m2. Light space, with windows across one wall. Some below window built-in cupboards. The space would be provided empty. This is currently used as a textile studio, is on the 1st floor, and is a carpeted space. Therefore wouldn’t suit very messy activities. It should be noted while the space is a private space, it is a fire escape route, so the doors are unable to be locked. The building itself is very secure though.

The Building:

Both spaces have lots of natural light, include (fair usage) electricity, business rates, water, and wifi.

Three month minimum term, with rolling monthly contract thereafter. One month’s deposit up front and rent payable in advance of the month.

  • 24hr building access/ gated entry to estate outside of main hours.
  • Alarmed secure building
  • Air conditioning (heating & cooling)
  • Priority given to craft based creative business/ individuals.
  • Includes unlimited tea / coffee. Kitchen break out space for shared usage. Outside seating (come warmer times).
  • Bike parking / parking available on a first come first served basis
  • Cleaners for communal areas, stairs, bathrooms, and kitchen

Contact julie@thecraftyhen.co.uk with any questions and to arrange a viewing. See attached document of images of the spaces

Studio spaces to rent 2025- BS5

End date: 8:00pm on Tuesday August 5th, 2025

FIND OUT MORE HERE.

July Offer for CGS Members! 📸 50% off photoshoot with Sylvain Deleu

We have exciting news. Sylvain Deleu is an incredibly talented photographer who, if you book before 25th of July, is offering CGS members a 50% off a photoshoot—just £500 for a full day’s photoshoot.

Whether you’re emerging into the glass arena or well-established, this is the perfect opportunity to get stunning, professional photos of your work.

✅ 50% OFF – A full day of professional photography for just £500
✅ Book now and secure your spot before July 25th!

To get more details, reach out directly to Sylvain:

📧 Email: sylvaindeleu@mac.com
📞 Tel: 07870 649206
🌐 Website: www.sylvaindeleu.com
📱 Facebook: IDocumentArt

Don’t miss out —Hurry and book your spot.

“Through the Lens: A CGS Member’s Viewpoint to Photographing Glass”

While our website already features a guide on photographing glass written by a professional photographer, we felt it would be equally valuable to present a member’s perspective—offering a unique, first-hand viewpoint.

A while back, CGS member Karen Dewson kindly offered to create a Photography Guide for fellow members and glass artists, drawing on her own experiences and the practical insights she has gained over time. We are delighted to share this guide with you again, in the hope that it will both inspire and assist others within our community!

At CGS, we remain committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment in which glass artists, galleries, and practitioners can access not only the latest resources but also support and encouragement from one another.

We are very grateful to Karen for the time, effort, and thought she has invested in producing this guide for the benefit of other CGS members.

👉 Download the guide here:
KarenDewson_PhotographingGlass_

If you have any questions regarding this guide please contact us at info@cgs.org.uk.

Once again, our sincere thanks to Karen for her contribution.

 

Preview & prepare for CGS Online Exhibitions 2025. Next submissions open on 4th August.

We are giving you a special preview of our online exhibition schedule for 2025!

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This is a wonderful opportunity for you to start planning and preparing for the exciting events we have lined up for the year.
With a variety of intriguing topics and themes, there’s something for everyone to look forward to. We can’t wait to share these amazing exhibitions with you. Hopefully, you will be excited by the themes and start planning the work that you might submit!

Being a member of CGS has its perks, including free applications to all shows, which makes it even easier for you to showcase your creativity and talent.
This is a fantastic opportunity to share your work with a wider audience, gain exposure, and connect with fellow artists. So, dive in, get those creative juices flowing, and good luck with your submissions!

We can’t wait to see what you create!

CGS Online Exhibitions 2025 PDF

If you need help, please email info@cgs.org.uk

Venezia: Sculpting with Fire and Charred Wood

When glass designer DROZHDINI first encountered a pile of discarded wooden moulds on the floor of a Murano factory, he saw more than scraps. Burnt, cracked, and embedded with history, they held the potential for a new type of form-making — one where the glass would not only respond to the mould but absorb its marks, its memory.

That moment became the foundation for Venezia, a series of modular blown glass vases created in close collaboration with Wave Murano Glass. Produced entirely on the island of Murano, the series explores how traditional tools — charred wooden moulds, open furnaces, muscle memory — can be used to create contemporary sculptural objects.

Material Tension and Technical Risk

The Venezia vases are made using a layered blowing process. Each vessel is composed of two stacked volumes, often with charred wood segments integrated between or inside the glass itself. Unlike industrial mould-blowing, the forms are guided by hand. The moulds burn and collapse as the object takes shape. The glass captures these imperfections — uneven walls, trapped bubbles, smoky textures — as part of its expressive identity.

We worked closely with Roberto Beltrami and his team at Wave Murano Glass, a workshop known not only for its mastery but for its innovations in energy efficiency and material experimentation. Their furnaces run year-round, and their approach allows for responsiveness — one of the reasons the collaboration worked.

Each vase is the result of a collective choreography: gaffer, assistant, re-heater, and coldworker all involved. Some pieces failed, others transformed mid-process. That unpredictability was embraced.

Why the Mould Matters

One of the most distinctive elements of the Venezia process is that we preserved the wooden moulds — in some cases, even presenting them alongside the glass in exhibitions. For us, they are not just tools, but part of the artwork’s narrative.

The choice to use reclaimed, scorched wood was deliberate. These moulds came from factory floors and retired studios. Some were cracked beyond usability. By reactivating them in the furnace — allowing them to smoke, splinter, and scorch again — the glass retained not just their shape, but their history.

From Workshop to Exhibition

The first versions of Venezia were shown at Rossana Orlandi Gallery in Milan. In 2025, we brought the newest pieces to Collect at Somerset House, where they were presented as part of our gallery’s curated installation. Visitors were often surprised to learn that these forms were not cast, but blown — and that their surface details were not decorative, but embedded through contact, fire, and collapse.

We documented the process throughout: the orange glow of the gather, the soot-stained moulds, the moment of lift-off from the pontil. These photographs are not simply archive material — they’re a way to show the labour, risk, and teamwork that glassblowing requires.

Continuing the Work

As curator and trained designer, my role was to shape the narrative — to help the object retain its origin story, not just its form. We continue to develop new Venezia works with Wave Murano Glass, each slightly different, slightly unstable. That’s what keeps the work alive.

In a world that often celebrates polished results, Venezia reminds us that surface is memory, and that even fire can leave a trace of care.

 

Credits

Project: Venezia (2024–2025)

Artist: DROZHDINI

Curator, creative direction, photography: Anastassiya Grinina

Gallery: NM Art & Design nmartd.com

Production: Wave Murano Glass (Murano, Italy)

Lead gaffer: Roberto Beltrami

 

About the Artist

DROZHDINI is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working primarily with glass. His practice lies at the intersection of contemporary form and traditional technique, often informed by deep material research and sculptural experimentation.

He is known for combining transparent blown glass with scorched wooden moulds, preserving the traces of fire, texture, and structural residue within each object. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collection of Sforza Castle in Milan. Since 2021, he has been represented by Spazio Rossana Orlandi, where his Venezia collection was first shown during Milan Design Week in collaboration with Wave Murano Glass.

DROZHDINI’s approach foregrounds process over perfection — honouring the collective labour of glassblowing while challenging traditional hierarchies between design, art, and craft.

 

About the Author

Anastassiya Grinina is a curator and art director focused on collectible design and material-led practices. She leads the curatorial direction of NM Art & Design, an international gallery presenting experimental work by contemporary designers and artisans. Her projects explore the emotional memory of materials and the intersection of craft, narrative, and form.

 

About the Workshop

Wave Murano Glass is a contemporary glass workshop based on the island of Murano (Venice), founded in 2017 by master glassblower Roberto Beltrami. Known for blending centuries-old techniques with technological innovation, the studio produces custom works for artists, designers, and leading international brands. It is the only Murano furnace equipped with a heat recuperation system, reducing energy consumption while maintaining traditional 24/7 production.

Wave Murano Glass is a certified member of the Vetro Artistico® di Murano mark, ensuring authenticity and full on-island fabrication. For the Venezia project, the team worked closely with the artist and curator to develop new forms, embrace risk, and document the collaborative nature of contemporary glassmaking.

Verriales 2025 – ODESSEY

David Reekie – Friends IV
Life as an artist is an Odessey, a journey that starts young as a desire to draw and make things and use your imagination. It can then take you on to an exploration of new ideas and techniques. As you acquire these new skills it opens a world of art and artists, some of whom become friends.
And so, the Odessey begins, taking you on to travel to new lands meet new people and acquire more new friends. All the time you are absorbing more information and ideas to feed your imagination and to develop your work. It is a lifetime journey of discovery

Galerie Internationale Du Verre
Chemin des Combes, 06410 Biot, France
www.galerieduverre.com
tel: 04 93 65 03 00, fax.04 93 65 0056
serge@galerieduverre.com

Mirage: Glass in the 4th Dimension 6 – 29 June, London

London Glassblowing and the Contemporary Glass Society present “Mirage,” an exhibition exploring the extraordinary optical illusions possible in contemporary glass art.

View the catalogue here

70 Selected CGS members from across the UK will exhibit alongside Peter Layton, Tim Rawlinson, Layne Rowe, and Katharine Coleman MBE. This juried show celebrates how glass artists manipulate form, colour, and light to create mesmerising effects – from subtle refractions to complex reflections that transform as viewers move through the space.

“The more I see what people do with glass the more amazing I find it,” shares Will Budgett, Gallery Assistant at London Glassblowing, who initiated the theme for the exhibition. “What constantly amazes me is how glass can deceive and delight – the way it creates refractions, reflections, and illusions that draw people in as they explore the gallery. Looking beyond the surface at all of these qualities, and other illusions the glass creates is astonishing. It is always these extra tricks that constantly draw people’s eyes. Having artists specifically focus on these magical properties promises to create something truly spectacular.”

Join us in exploring glass art that challenges perception and reveals new dimensions of visual experience. 

Exhibitor List

Alexander Pearce • Alison Jardine • Alison Stott • Ana Laura Quintana •Anna Alsina Bardagí • Annica Sandström & David Kaplan • Beth Colledge • Bethan Yates • Bruce Marks • Brynn Hill • Catherine Forsyth • Cathryn Shilling • Caz Hildebrand • Charlotte Wilkinson • Claire Hall • Daisy Parkinson • Deborah Timperley • Dovile Grigaliunaite • Elin Isaksson • Elizabeth Šinková • Gail Turbutt • Georgia Redpath • Graeme Hawes • Harriet Thorne • Helen Brough • Helen Carr • Helen Restorick • Helen Slater Stokes • Iain Smith • Ian Chadwick • Jade Pinnell • James Maskrey • Jane Reeves • Jane Yarnall • Jeff Zimmer • Jianyong Guo • Jiayun Ding • Jo Guile  • Jo Mitchell • Jon Lewis • Joshua Kerley and Guy Marshall Brown • Julie Coakley • Katharine Coleman MBE • Katharine Dowson • Kerry Collison • Layne Rowe • Lisa Pettibone • Louise Hawkins • Malvinka Bitelli • Maria Zulueta • Mils Bridgewater • Morag Reekie • Nancy Farrington • Nancy Sutcliffe • Opal Seabrook • Philippa Beveridge • Phillipa Candy • Pratibha Mistry • Richard Roberts • Ruth Shelley • Sam Sweet • Scott Benefield • Stacey Poultney • Steve Robinson • Stevie Davies • Tim Rawlinson • Tracy Nicholls • Tulin Bedri • Verity Pulford • Vicky Higginson • Wang Ziyan