Glass Art Society Conference Chicago 2014

Richard Royal Demo

Coming from NCAD’s glass programme in Dublin, I was excited about the opportunities that going on student exchange at Southern Illinois University would bring. One of these opportunities was to attend the annual Glass Art Society Conference, held this year in Chicago. The conference ran from March 19-22 and was hosted across a few venues in Chicago. The lectures took place in the Palmer House Hotel near Chicago’s busiest area, the Loop. Demonstrations from artists took place in Ignite Glass Studios and West Supply Glass Studio. I had the fortune to stay at the Palmer House with the students from Southern Illinois University; I already knew this would be the nicest hotel I would stay in for a long time! Day one began with a welcome note, Lifetime Achievement Lecture and the Keynote Address in the Grand Ballroom of the Palmer House. What a beautiful surrounding for some great talks! Demonstrations were held during the latter part of the day in West Supply and Ignite Glass Studios. Marc Petrovic demonstrated his iconic birds in West Supply while Richard Royal tested the capacity of the glory holes in Ignite with a massive glass ball.  The opening reception was held in the Grand Ballroom later that night, with delicious signature food and punch from the Palmer House served on silver platters, no expense was spared!

Karren's lecture 

It was an early start for the second day of the Glass Art Society Conference in Chicago. The Emerging Artists talks are often one of the most popular lectures at the conference and this year was no exception, the room was filled with early birds. Jiyong Lee, currently on the Board of Directors for the Glass Art Society, and head of the Glass programme at Southern Illinois University introduced the three speakers; Steven Ciezki, Charlotte Potter and our very own Karen Donnellan. Karen, the only Irish speaker at the conference, received her Bachelor of Design from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Glass, her Master of Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York State and is currently aArtist in Residence at NCAD. Karen begins her presentation with “Dia daoibh”, a friendly Irish phrase for my Irish ears.  She apologises for the early start as there were a few tired heads from the opening reception held the night before, but nevertheless looking bright-eyed herself. She explains that she is a qualified Reiki practitioner. The influence this has in her work becomes apparent as the lecture continues.  When Karen was an undergrad, she also participated in a student exchange at Southern Illinois University.  She discusses the work she developed there based on Chakras and shapes associated with feelings of being grounded and low centres of gravity.  Karen admits that colour for her was a language she used freely at an undergraduate level, but whilst studying in RIT she challenged herself not to use colour and thus found a new language in texture and form.  This language can very much be seen in the work that follows.  Her work has a meditative quality. Donnellan discussed how she signified this in her work 21 Days: this being the required timeframe to complete the healing process in Reiki cleansing.

Karen Donnellan 21 Days

Quite refreshingly, Donnellan shows a video of some glass-making processes, the audio of ringing solfeggio tuning forks filled the room, uninterrupted by any audience member. Again her focus on meditation can be recognised in this piece. Much of her lecture consists of talking about her time spent in an Emerging Artist Residency in Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. She talks about the collaborative work she created with John Hogan. This work is more recent and explores the light and optics of glass.  Recently she has been invited to have a solo exhibition at the National Craft Gallery in Kilkenny. She talks about her interest in sound and the grant she recently received from the County Council to employ a sound technician. 

Donnellan mentioned other achievements but unfortunately one could only write so fast. She is an emerging artist with huge potential and is beginning to be recognised on the world glass art stage. Her pathway from undergrad on exchange at SIU to Emerging Artist at the GAS conference is a colourful, busy and a successful example for Irish glass artists.

After Karen’s lecture, I headed to the demonstrations later that day. I got the chance to see two marvellous demonstrations in Ignite and luckily for me I had a good vantage point of both lampworking and blowing studios. Chris Carlson demonstrated marble making with colour chip pick-ups and Martin Janecky also tested how large a piece could fit in the glory holes with a huge bull head.  Both demonstrations were heavily attended.

Chris Carlson making marbles 

Martin Janecky making a giant bulls head

At 5 o clock the Gallery Hop kicked off. Unfortunately I was not able to participate but the feedback was excellent. The hop featured many of Chicago’s exciting galleries such as the Made Gallery. The last day of the conference had an early start with demos beginning at 8am. I attended Kiva Ford’s lampworking demonstration in West Supply where he maticulously created a bottle within a bottle using blown borocilicate tubing.

   

Kiva Ford Flameworking demo

The Student Exhibition was open to the public later that evening and I took the opportunity to present my work in this show. Another highlight of the evening was the Neon Exhibiton also held in the Palmer House. Other services were available on the last day including the portfolio review open to all students, where one had the opportunity to have their body of work reviewed by a panel containing some of the Board and the demonstrators from the conference. The closing night party was held in Chicago’s Culture Centre and no better place to gather all these glass fanatics together than under its famous Tiffany glass dome.

The conference took place over three days and the schedule was jam-packed with demonstrations, lectures and several educational resources.  The Glass Art Society offers a discounted conference ticket price to members so it is definitely worthwhile becoming a GAS member. It also allows you to apply for scholarships to attend their conferences.  It was announced this week that the GAS Conference 2015 will be held in San José, hopefully there will be more Irish glass artists out in full colour there!

Myself, Karen Donnellan and Jennifer Mulligan, all GSoI members at the Closing Party

                                       

Written by Laura Quinn, GSoI Student Rep Dublin 

Who's Buying? - Glass at Showcase Ireland

Filigrana Vases, BTU Studio Production line 2014

2013 was another good year for Irish craft.
According to CCoI statistics the number of people buying craft has been rising in recent years which is good news for all the Irish-Glassies.
As well as the usual suspects (Jerpoint Glass Studio, Irish Handmade Glass and Kerry Crafted Glass who we caught up with last year) there were some new faces at Showcase Ireland this year including the familiar faces of Scott Benefield and Catherine Keenan. 

Albion - Scott's personal work

Scott was there representing the BTU studio which he founded with his wife and fellow glass artist, Andrea Spencer in 2011. They are based in Randelstown in Northern Ireland. The studio is named after a dated measure of energy, the British Thermal Unit and they produce and annual line of blown glassware and decorative objects. Here’s what Scott had to say about selling at Showcase this year:

"I had really good experience. I thought that the buyers were much more open to looking at something new and even committing to an order in comparison to, say, the British Craft Trade Fair. It was great to meet other exhibitors and staff from the Crafts Council; it gave me an expanded sense of the handcraft scene in Ireland.  

Andrea Spencer, Temporal Properties

The offerings in glass were absurdly few- besides me, there were only three other studios in the Creative Island section. It's far from critical mass levels and so the market in Ireland for contemporary glass remains undeveloped, in my opinion. But the good news is that there seems to be plenty of room for new designers and makers who are working with glass."

BTU's Stand at Showcase 

'Eye candy' - Catherine Keenan

Catherine Keenan was also an exhibitor there, selected as part of the Craft Northern Ireland group. Catherine received her BA in Glass from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and continued her studies in the UK. Since graduating, has continued to work from her native Northern Ireland producing decorative blown vessels and lamp-worked glass jewellery. She is currently based at Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart.

Catherine's Stand at Showcase 

"I was in an area that was mostly fashion accessories and jewellery, as I was focusing on getting wholesale orders for my lamp worked glass jewellery. However I also brought my blown glass in order to draw people to my stand and also make clear the connection between the blown glass and my jewellery. I got a great response to my work, people were instantly drawn to the colours, particularly in my new 'Colourscape' range of jewellery.  I gained a substantial number of new stockists mostly throughout Ireland, also one on Iona.
In terms of the market for glass in Ireland: I found a lot of shops liked my blown glass and I had some good discussions with higher-end galleries but it is a rather small and select group of buyers who have a particular interest in glass. I think is the main issue that people often don't understand the cost of producing a piece of glass and therefore don’t understand the value.
That said however, when I have exhibited through the Crafts Council of Ireland, or at the RDS National Crafts Competition, I have tended to sell.  It seems clear to me that they are getting the select audience for high end craft, who appreciate the work and quality of blown glass."

'Colourscape' Necklaces and 'Eye Candy' Blown Glass

So there you have it folks, word from the experts is that there's plenty of room for more glass in the Irish market place, especially if we can communicate the production costs more effectively to the average buyers. Thank you Catherine and Scott for sharing your experience with us.

Well done to all the glass-practitioners at Showcase this year - lets double our numbers for next year! 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm
GSoI Media and Communications

Bright Adventures: Interview with Karen Donnellan

In my new position as one of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) glass artists in residence, I have the pleasure of sitting beside one of the most interesting emerging artists in Irish Glass today: Karen Donnellan. We have been acquainted for some time, meeting at glassy events and giving the awkward nod of acknowledgement which says ‘I know who you are...ish’ on campus. While she was a familiar name to me, I was otherwise concerned with important student matters (drinking and danc- I mean intensive study) but now we’re desk-neighbours. The significance and scope of her practice to date has seriously impressed me. 

'Ensō II', Pâte De Verre,Karen Donellan, 2011

Karen is my favourite kind of hippy; one with a great work ethic. The circle often features in her works and she treats the intricate, repetitive methods of her making process as a meditation or mantra. At its core, her practice explores the potential for healing via the manipulation of universal energy. It is thoughtful, considered work, made with care and informed conceptually by her extensive study of metaphysical philosophies. She also practices what she preaches; I've seen her burning sage to clear a space of “dense energies” and she’s a qualified Reiki healer.

'Essentia' -  Karen Donellan  

Since she graduated with her MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), New York in 2011, Karen has worked and exhibited extensively. Many readers will be familiar with her Essentia series which featured in last year’s Future Makers prize-winner’s exhibition at the NCAD Gallery and most recently at the Irish Craft Portfolio Exhibition at the RHA. 

Sometimes as an artist, you come across a web-page that is the visual equivalent of a particularly delicious ice-cream. Recently my little bit of internet delight has been J/K: Light Glass and Space: The blog began as part of an ongoing collaboration between Karen and American glass-artist John Hogan and thus far has led to their exciting Emerging Artist Residency (EAR) at Pilchuck Glass School last autumn. This blog is packed with my favourite kind of internet eye candy; sculptural light and experimental glass.

After combing though the blog for an unhealthy amount of hours I asked Karen if she would do a short interview about the experience and her future plans:

MM: The work you made at Pilchuck is visually very different to your previous work from your MFA. Was that because it was a collaboration or have you moved your work in a different direction?

KD: A lot of people have said that; that it doesn't look anything like my work, but I wear ridiculous colours all the time! I worked with colour the whole way through NCAD and the light and projection has always been an interest. In core year at NCAD I worked a lot with plastics, water and light. Then again during the masters, I spent some time experimenting with an overhead projector and seeing how different glass objects projected. I've dabbled on and off with those ideas and maybe I wasn't encouraged or didn't have the confidence to bring it any further but it’s always been an interest.

Collection of 'curios' , cut polished and laminated glass,  J/K 2013

MM: How did you decide to collaborate with John Hogan?

KD: We met at Pilchuck in 2012 when we were both Teaching Assistants. We were sharing the same studio space and assisted each other a bit in the hotshop. John works as a glass blower and designer in Seattle. He’s also done a lot of casting and cold working. (He did a residency last year in the Czech Republic with the maestro Milan Handl.) John showed me his work and I was just really into it – he was using a lot of dichroic glass and gave me some to try out. I’ve always been fascinated by dichro. You don’t see it used much in contemporary work, it’s completely underrated! I suggested a collaboration and when the Pilchuck residency came up we just said, “let’s go for it”!

Projection. J/K 2013

ME: You did loads of different things during your time at Pilchuck, is this collaboration going to continue?

KD: Yes, definitely. The work we've made so far is really experimental and even though it was a seven week residency it felt like we had only got going when we had to finish. The work developed in various directions but on the next residency we’d like to hone in on the rear projection systems.

MM: So I guess the last question is what’s next for you?

 KD: Work-wise I’m getting to grips with neon and developing some new projects around glass and sound. I’ve also just begun working on some lighting designs with Suzannah Vaughn and Perch. At the end of the month I’m heading to Cill Rialaig in Ballinskelligs for a retreat residency. The plan is to get away from glass for a while and just read, draw, paint…and maybe print.

Since I spoke to Karen for this interview there have been several exciting developments: Firstly it’s been confirmed that she will teach a pate de verre workshop this August at the Glass Furnace in Turkey. She has also been awarded an Emerging Artist Lecture at this year’s Glass Art Society Conference in Chicago.

Finally, massive news for J/K – Karen and John will continue their collaboration with a week’s residency at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio from March 14^th – 19^th. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

'Golden Rectangle' - hand made sheet glass, wood. 73x16x5, J/K, 2013

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm,
GSoI Media and Communications Officer

(top image: Scan of dichroic glass, J/K 2013)  

The Pilchuck Expereince - Apply Apply Apply

There's a place near Seattle, half way round the world from our rainy little island, that's synonymous with glass art: Pilchuck Glass School.

Every year Pilchuck serves as melting pot (pun intended) for glass art enthusiasts worldwide. The school offers summer intensive classes from May through to September and several artist residencies throughout the rest of the year. 
A trip to Pilchuck is a truly unique experience where you learn far more than the syllabus of your chosen class; It is an unequalled opportunity to make international connections and see in one place the vast diversity and scope of the international glass art practice. Once you have an open mind and a desire to learn, you are never to old or too inexperienced to enjoy a trip to Pilchuck.

Money. We all wish we had more of it, I won't lie Pilchuck course fees are expensive and travelling from Ireland will cost the guts of a grand for flights. There are however a range of options to help with the costs including scholarships, campus internships and teaching/artist assistant positions. 

Almost one third of Pilchuck students receive some kind of financial assistance through scholarship programmes. Some are full scholarships, covering tuition, accommodation and travel to Pilchuck. Half scholarships, which are more numerous, cover half the cost of tuition and accommodation but do not cover the cost of travel. Those with studio experience in glass can also apply to work as Artist or Teaching Assistants: TAs and AA's receive accommodation, meals and covered or subsidised travel to the Pilchuck campus. 

The iconic hotshop 

All staff on campus, from the ones who clean the bathrooms to those who process the paperwork, are practising artists. Artsits can apply to work in a range of positions (kitchen staff, maintenance staff etc...) for two or more of the summer sessions. Staff get accommodation, meals, a small subsidy and some time to do some personal work between sessions. Mainly though, working as seasonal staff is a great opportunity to meet and connect with the visiting artists and students, make some great friends and have some great experiences. As it is not a paid position, Irish applicants can go on a travel visa (avoiding the great expense of an american work visa). 

Two NCAD glass students went to Pilchuck in summer 2013. I asked them for a few words on their experience: 

Gwyn Grace

'Gwyn Grace went to Pilchuck Glass School in August 2012 on a Partner half-scholarship through NCAD having just finished 3rd year. Her course was lost-wax kiln-casting ‘Shape into form’ with Joel Hurlbert and Karin Tornell - glass artists working in Stockholm, Sweden. There were 9 on the course, a mix of students and established artists and teachers. Kiln casting is a long process so time for finishing and cold-working was short as most of the pieces were only ready a few days before the end however most of us were able to take our work with us to complete once we'd returned home. All the class worked long hours, often well after midnight preparing for a kilnfiring but we had lots of fun as well. The pace of the kiln-casting class gave us lots of opportunity to see demonstrations happening in other classes and meet the rest of students.  She summed up here experience with a toast: “ Here's to fond memories, future plans and heart-felt thanks to everyone's generosity of spirit!”'

Looking at the casts with the class 

Jesse Gunther

Jesse Gunther travelled to Pilchuck on a scholarship after finishing his BA in Glass in NCAD, summer 2013. Jesse proves that you never know what a trip to Pilchuck might bring. Here's what he had to say about it:
 
'For starters it was an amazing experience! I took Tom Rowney's class; ‘Cups with Cane’ and focused on making different styles of cane, ranging from straight to very intricate twisty cane. After that we learnt how to turn these canes into straight cups and footed vessels. In the last week we started using the garage to make more complex goblets. Our entire class were all newcomers to Pilchuck, and the skill level was very even throughout the class, which made for a great experience for everyone.

Tom Rowney's cane seahorses

I got really lucky after Pilchuck; I had a while before my return flight and I got to help out Jeff Ballard in the Tacoma Museum for two days where he was Artist in Residence, that was a great experience! Then two days later I also got to work one day for Martin Blank in his studio who was just preparing for a big exhibition, amazing stuff..'

Some of Jesse's work from the class

Deadlines for scholarship/assistant/staff applications are coming up in FEBRUARY. See their website for more details and remember guys, if you do go, the GSoI wants to here all about it!! 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm

GSoI Media and Communications Officer

GSoI: Looking back on Orientate (Part 2)

Mmmmmmmm... So lunch was delicious, all were in agreement on that point. The cosy atmosphere of the canteen also provided a good opportunity for guests, speakers and board members alike to relax and discuss the conference so far. We felt that this was a very important element to include in the day. Opportunities for the Irish glass community to mingle are rare enough and we wanted to ensure the day left some room for everyone to re-connect and make some new connections.

Lunch finished and food digesting nicely we made our way back to the lecture hall. While the first half of the conference featured talks from speakers whose professional careers had been led by glass/craft but did not work with the material directly, the latter half was devoted to artists working with glass specifically.

Angela Thwaites 

First up was the wonderful Angela Thwaites. Angela is a glass artist, researcher and teacher based in London. She works predominately in kiln-cast glass and has been involved extensively in numerous research projects on refractory mould making for glass.  She talked about her practice and the development of her career which began with an undergraduate degree in glass and ceramics from Farnham College of Art and Design, Surry. A monumental point in her career occurred in 1983 when she was awarded a scholarship to study under one of the all-time masters of glass casting; Professor Libensky. After receiving three more consecutive scholarships, she completed her MA at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague in 1985. 

Angela pointed out that the meaning of orientate is ‘to determine one’s position with reference to another point’.  She described her extensive career as a journey where, “each experience leads to another.” Her study period under the Czech master was a pivotal point in her practice. After it she was part of a research project at the Royal College of Art and in 2010 she was commissioned to write a book Mould Making for Glass which followed on from the findings of the project. She reminded us that any small opportunity such as a conversation at a conference perhaps or an exhibition call, could lead to the next important step in our careers. She also stressed that an open mind and willingness to never stop learning are paramount to progression.

The other area of Angela’s career which she feels has really brought her many valuable experiences is teaching. Angela is currently senior lecturer in Design Crafts at De Montfort University, Leicester and a tutor at Richmond Adult and Community College. In addition, she has taught at numerous institutions as a visiting lecturer and continues to teach workshops and master-classes in glass casting internationally. She finds teaching very rewarding and feels she often learns as much from students as they learn from her. We were delighted to have Angela teach a casting workshop in NCAD just prior to the symposium. She truly is a passionate and engaging educator. All the workshop participants enjoyed her warm, relaxed manner and genuine enthusiasm towards their casting projects. In addition to her teaching duties Angela works from her own studio which is slowly taking over her back garden. She is currently working on several projects, assisted by her cat!

Our second practitioner talk was from Slovenian artist and designer Tanja Pak(pronounced Tanya). Tanja is currently head of the glass and ceramics programme at the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Tanja’s talk was entitled ‘Immersed in Duality’ and she focused on her relationship with glass as both an artist and a designer.

Tanja Pak

Her work is influenced by the rhythm and flow of the natural world. She works from a restrained colour pallet; black, white and transparent glass, so nothing distracts from the organic simplicity of her forms. Tanja began her career as an industrial designer, graduating in 1994 from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. This initial training in design is evident in how her complex ideas are simplified and expressed as functional glassware which is manufactured in collaboration with Slovenian glass factories. The glass tableware is functional and stylish and has received honourable mentions in the Red Dot Design Awards. While it is very commercially successful, evidence of the artist’s passions and influences still remain. The design of the vessels echo water drops and ripples. Graceful curves and soft lines give these manufactured pieces a very organic and feminine feel. Tanja does not see a difference, as such, between her practice as a designer and as an artist. The same inspirations create both lines of work; they are two sides of the same coin and walking the line between them is an exciting challenge for her.

There is a meditative quality to all her work – quiet and still, a frozen moment. It is most evident in her large installations which are often immersive environments incorporating smells and sounds as well as lighting and visuals. An example of one such installation was Within at Ljubljana Castle, 2010. This work featured cast glass branches, illuminated within wooden ‘trees’. The room was darkened and visitors’ footsteps muted by the chipped bark across the floor. The bark also filled the room with an earthy smell, further enhancing the illusion of being in meditative woodland. The atmosphere Tanja creates in her installations is one of tranquillity and reflection. She uses glass for its special relationship with light which becomes part of the complete experience of the work. “Glass for me”, she said, “is pure poetry”. Her talk showed numerous slides and videos of her installation but I imagine they cannot compete with seeing the work in person – I hope I get the chance to do so one day.

Cappy Thompson 

Wrapping up a very successful and informative day was CappyThompson who came all the way from her native Seattle, Washington, USA. Cappy is regarded as one of the world’s best glass painters, a master of the grisaille or gray-tonal painting technique. However, the material glass or the technique she uses is not of central importance to her. Cappy is first and foremost a painter and what is important is the narrative content of the work rather than its canvas. She is self-taught in glass working, beginning as a stained glass painter. Her initial paintings were influenced by folk art and mythology. While the design of her imagery still references this style of drawing the content developed to become entirely her own and is drawn from her personal life experiences and dreams.

Cappy’s lecture dealt with her beginnings as an artist and then traced the development of her style and career through the content of her work. The audience, at least many that I spoke to afterwards, were really moved by Cappy’s lecture. It caught you off guard; one minute she would be telling a cheerful anecdote about an element in the story, the next moment she would reveal a very personal and painful memory. Her talk was warm, sincere and unassuming and I think it really allowed the audience to connect with the work she shared with us. The narrative style of her work easily captures the imagination, enriched by the detail and jewel-like colours. Hearing the story behind each of the characters she paints makes the beautiful work even more appealing.

Cappy has been producing her unique work for over thirty years and in that time she has taught workshops internationally in major glass institutions. We at GSoI made the most of Cappy’s visit to Ireland – she taught a great workshop at the National Sculpture Factory in Cork before the conference and another great one to the National College of Art and Design glass students the week after in Dublin. It wasn’t all work though, she did get to see Cork, Dublin and lots of beautiful Irish countryside while she was here and we assure you, she said she really enjoyed her stay!

When the talks finished up we headed over to Tactic Gallery at Sample Studios for the opening of Sofie Loscher’s exhibition Waiting in the Wings. Sofie’s exhibition one of two exhibitions curated by GSoI’s vice-chairperson Emer Lynch to coincide with the symposium. Our guest speaker Jerome Harrington formally opened the exhibition after a brief curator’s speech from Emer. Conference guests and speakers had a chance network and mingle a little more at the exhibition with a well earned cold beer. The second exhibition in the 'Orientate' visual arts programme, These Liquid Brinks featured artist Caroline Doolin and was opened at The Guesthouse on Sunday November 3^rd with a tea and cake reception. The exhibitions were very well received – but I won’t say more than that because Emer has promised me a much more exciting article discussing both them and her work as a curator in more detail in the New Year, thanks Emer.

GSoI Team with speakers and artists at Tactic 

Tanja Pak and Fiona Bryne

'Orientate' was a great success for the GSoI in 2013. 

Many thanks to all who were a part of it and cheers to something even better next year!   

About the author

Meadhbh McIlgorm studied glass at the National College of Art and Design and graduated in June 2013. She is the GSoI Media and Communications Officer; those of you present at ‘Orientate’ would have seen her at the registration desk and the rest of you are probably familiar with her monthly e-bulletins and notifications. 

She is currently Artist in Residence in the NCAD glass department.  

GSoI: Looking back on 'Orientate' 2013

the auction exhibition in CIT Crawford College foyer
(photo Michael Holly, 2013) 

   

Dear reader, On Saturday the 2^nd of November 2013 the recently re-formed Glass Society of Ireland held its first international symposium; ‘Orientate’ in CIT Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork. Early that morning our favourite GSoI members (I joke, we have no favourites – we just hope even more of you can make it next year) sacrificed their Saturday lie-in to join us for a day of stimulating talks and presentations from a variety of glass practitioners, craft writers and curators.

The choice to include such a range of professional fields amongst our speakers was deliberate. We are acutely aware that the future of glass as an art material relies upon much more than a talented artists working alone in a studio. Everyone is connected by a vital network of dependency – the artists, the writer, the curator, the buyer. The symposium ‘Orientate’ was aptly titled; this conference aimed to uncover how contextualising the material has underpinned glass as an occupation - exploring how we orientate ourselves around the material.

Mimmo Paladino: El Rabdomante, Glasstress 2013

Our first speaker that morning was our keynote speaker Dr Francesca Giubilei. We asked Francesca to give the keynote address as she is Project Manager and Curators Assistant for the pioneering Glasstress exhibition. Glasstress, a satellite exhibition of the world renowned Venice Biennale, seeks to open up the use of glass as a material by giving artists access to the incredible skills and expertise of Murano’s glass-masters to produce work.

 

With her charming Italian accent, Francesca talked us through the origins of Glasstress, a project she described as ‘a bridge between the old idea of glass and the future.’ Projects like Glasstress are breaking down the perception of glass as a disciplined craft material and injecting it into the ‘anything’s possible’ world of contemporary fine art. Francesca’s lecture really set the tone about the pivotal point that glass is at today. The Glasstress exhibition 2013 was on show in Venice until the 24^th of November and will travel to the London College of Fashion next year.  

Helen Story: The Dress of Glass and Flame, Glasstress 2013 

After Dr Giubilei’s lecture the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and converse. An interesting discussion arose from the audience about the importance of ‘intellectual property’ when a glass-master is involved in the production of an artwork. Do projects like Glasstress undermine the technical skills and achievements of the glass-masters? Many of the makers present in the audience felt slightly uncomfortable with the idea that this style of a conceptually led project might be the way forward for glass. While everyone seemed to agree that the collaborations and exchange of knowledge occurring in Venice are exciting there also seemed to be a consensus that ‘we must not just train thinkers’ and that technical skills must not lose their value. 

The next speaker of the morning was our only Irish national: Dr Eleanor Flegg. Eleanor is a writer and lecturer. Craft is her main inspiration although as she informed us, she does not consider herself ‘a champion to the cause of craft’ she writes about it because she finds it interesting. Eleanor’s talk was a personal favourite: though it had very little to do with glass, it had everything to do with the potential of writing to explore all kinds of art/objects.  She talked about the different types of writing that may be used in the context of writing about craft – how it is often indulgent writing, focusing on promoting the artist/gallery/material or bland information based around dates locations and statistics about the piece or person in question. Critical writing is less common but is something that perhaps should be considered more since, Eleanor pointed out, “the reason that I write at all is to find out what I think.” Our thoughts and opinions are rarely straightforward; the reflective process of writing can help us assess them more clearly. She referred to writing as “a making process – it’s just not three dimensional”. Eleanor is interested in finding new ways of writing about craft and she is currently writing a speculative fiction novel based on her experience of a ceramic artist’s work (the name eludes me, I apologise). She delighted us by reading an extract from it during her talk – it was the most unusual way of engaging with an object I've encountered and strangely captivating. 

A central point of Eleanor’s talk left lingering in my mind was the idea that we should be ‘pushing boundaries without being certain of the results’. She is pushing boundaries in her atypical craft writing practice just as exhibitions like Glasstress push boundaries and break material tradition. If the audience – who were largely makers and students - were to take just one thing away from her talk I hope it’s an appreciation of the power of writing as a tool towards understanding our own opinion and perhaps our own practice in a way that is just that little bit more considered and - no pun intended, crafted.

Jerome Harrington, 'Glass in the Expanded Field' - Diagram.

The third speaker of the morning was Jerome Harrington. Jerome is a UK artist with a background in glass making whose current work takes an ‘expanded’ view of working with glass. He is not so much interested in working with the material itself as investigating how it is culturally perceived and utilized.  Jerome broke his talk into 3 loose sections, based around the questions ‘why glass?’, ‘what is glass?’ and ‘what does glass mean?’. One of Jerome’s most interesting projects the audience found was his 2011 study of Glass in the Expanded Field. Based on Rosalind Krauss’s exploration of the expanded field of sculpture in the 1960s, Glass in the Expanded Field is a study of how glass makers identify themselves and their peers within the discipline: subjects orientated themselves on a diagram in proximity to either ‘prioritising of craft skill’ or ‘prioritising of concept’. The results of the study show a wide range of stances by makers as to where they position themselves in relation to the studio glass movement, to craft practice and to fine art.

 

Emer Lynch and our panel of speakers
(photo Michael Holly 2013)

The morning session concluded with a panel discussion featuring the three speakers and led by GSoI Vice-Chairperson Emer Lynch, a curator whose own practice has developed from her educational background in glass at the National College of Art and Design. Emer invited the audience to engage with the speakers and ask questions on issues raised in their lectures. The main subject that was discussed was the difference between glass art and glass craft, and if indeed there was a difference at all. The apparent consensus within the audience was that the labels are generally nothing more than ‘marketing categories’ and that in general the discussion is one that makers can become fixated with but the general public don’t particularly care about the distinction. Everyone in the audience seemed interested in the debate and I imagine that if time allowed we might have continued to pick the speakers brains all afternoon but time waits for no one and it was off to a delicious lunch of home-made curry, courtesy of the college canteen. Yum!

To be continued! 

 Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm 
GSoI Media and Communications Officer