It has recently been announced that the Senov Secondary School of Glassmaking in Bohemia is to be closed. A remarkable institution that those of you present at Itzell Tazzyman's recent GSoI lecture would have seen images of, and talked of the excellent teaching programme there with the incredible standard of work by 14 to 16 year olds. It has been running since 1856 and now faces closure due to financial reasons. To see some of the work that is produced at the school, visit this website: http://www.supss.clnet.cz It is at the heart of a wonderful glassmaking tradition that we in Ireland owe an awful lot to (it is from this region that our own traditions of cutting and engraving originate). Below is the letter sent by Frantisek Janak, principal of the school, has sent to the glass community:
Dear friends,
I want to inform you, that our provider wants definitely to close up our school
on April the 1st 2010. it was said today on the press conference in Liberec,
where I was not invited to. They have the plan to connect our school with the
school in Novy Bor. But it means actually physical liquidation of our school.
Their plan is to bring students from our school to N. Bor. The deadline is 1st
of April. But this is a proposal only, which must be agreed with the Liberec
County assembly in January. Till then we must do everything to inform these
stupid politicians about world wide importance of our school! They have no clue,
how important it is. You have free hands to do anything! The guy, who is in
charge of it, the deputy Mr. Cikl, is a former ski jumper and a director of the
glass school in N. Bor is Czech language teacher! And these people are making
fatal decission about the oldest glass school in the world!
Best regards,
Frantisek Janak M.A.
(the last one?) principal
The Secondary School of Glassmaking
Havlickova 57
47114 Kamenicky Senov
The Czech Republic
Recently, Broadfield House Museum was saved from a similar fate, thanks to the great support shown by the international glass community. Now we must do the same for the Senov school, in the hopes that we can save it too. Please please follow this link to sign a petition to keep the school open: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SenovPreservation Also, please spread the world! Put this link on your Facebook page, tweet about it, and email anyone you think would like to support this very worthy cause.
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