Never Mind The Bullseye – Here’s The Glass Pistols

“007 – Walther P99”, Light, Fused water jet cut BE glass, 2010, Dr Magareth Troli – artwork featured in the “International Glass + Clay 2013” exhibit

A number of the UK artists exhibiting in the International Glass and Clay 2013 show (at Pepco Edison Place Gallery -702 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC) have come to the opening events and programs. The visiting UK artists have hit DC town running – there have been a number of Glass and Clay show events to keep them occupied!

UK Glass Artist Demo at Washington Glass School during International Glass & Clay
Robyn Townsend’s artwork incorporates glass and metal

Demos by UK Artists:
Criss Chaney and Robyn Townsend showed their techniques for metal inclusions and patinas in glass.

Criss Chaney shows how the patinas are formed
Robyn Townsend and Criss Chaney

Over at DC GlassWorks, Colin Rennie, Phil Vickery and Roger Tye wowed the fans of blown glass with a series of virtuoso feats in hot glass. 

UK artist Phil Vickery demonstrates the process for his beautiful glass forms
L-R Colin Rennie, Phil Vickery and Roger Tye at DC GlassWorks
Roger Tye makes a triple incalmo bowl in red, white and blue.

Colin Rennie ended the demos with a flourish!
Whee!
Artists in the exhibit have a get-together at Artomatic founder George Koch’s place. (Top row L-R: Anne Tye, Tom Hurst, Catherine Auld, Roger Tye. Bottom row L-R: Dr Magareth Troli, Phil Vickery, Robyn Townsend, Criss Chaney, Audrey Wilson, Philippa Whiteside, Colin Rennie)

The exhibit continues thru March 23 – make sure you come into the gallery to see this incredible showcase of art from the US and UK.
International Glass and Clay 2013
Pepco Edison Place Gallery  @ 702 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Gallery hours are Saturday and Tuesday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Gallery is closed on Sundays. The Gallery Place Metro station is within walking distance of the Gallery. The show is organized by Artomatic and the DCCAH.

US/UK Collaborative Art Precedents : Glass 3 and Artomatic

As the arrangements for the UK artists are being finalized, the Washington Glass School blog takes a look back to the first two collaborative exhibitions and their outcome.

GLASS 3__________________________
In 2008, Artomatic organized an exhibit that showcased glass art, focusing on how three “glass” cities approach the medium. The collaborative show was titled “Glass 3” referencing the invited glass centers of Washington, DC, Toledo, Ohio and Sunderland, England. 

  • Sunderland is home to the UK’s National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland. The North East of England has a long tradition of glassmaking – since the 7th century as glassmakers from France were brought in to make the stained glass windows. The numerous glass factories of the 17th and 18th century have now closed, and in its place a number of studio glass artists working in smaller studios. 
  • Toledo, Ohio is known as “Glass City” – where in 1962, Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino presented the seminal glass workshop with the Toledo Museum of Art. This workshop profoundly influenced the American Studio Glass Movement. 
  • Washington, DC glass artists work at using glass as an expressive component in a larger whole, mastering technique in order to express content. The “post-craft” artists strive to make works that transcend words and discrete disciplines – therein lies their beauty.
Design of the Glass 3 exhibit graphics and catalog by Jon Gann.

Artomatic had secured an exhibition space in the Georgetown Mall, and in February, artwork and artists from the UK and Ohio came into DC setting up the multi-level space. 

2008 “Glass 3” Exhibit. Photo by Tracy Lee.
2008 “Glass 3” Exhibit. Photo by Tracy Lee.
Artist Vanessa Cutler (R) talks about the UK artwork with Sunderland City Council’s Anne Tye (C) and DCist’s Heather Goss (L) on opening night.

DCist city blog writer Heather Goss wrote of the 2008 collaborative show “Glass 3”:
“But does all of this lovey-dovey, hands-around-the-world stuff translate into a good art show? In this case, definitely. Glass work has always faced a tough challenge being accepted as “fine art” and not “a bunch of bowls and vases you find at the craft fair.” And if anyone can make you change your mind, its the artists from Sunderland. Some of the artists are actually experts in glass theory with Ph.Ds and have developed techniques that not only create beautiful art, but have revolutionized architecture and other uses for the medium.”
Click HERE to jump to full DCist article.

A catalog of the works in the show was published, a copy is in the Corning Museum of Glass’ Rakow Library.

Click HERE to jump to the Glass 3 catalog pdf.
The Brits returned charged up with the success of the interaction with the Americans, and based on the Washington Glass School model, created a not-for-profit artist run studio facility in Sunderland; Creative Cohesion. The new organization is home to professional artists working in glass, ceramics, fine art and mixed media, with a gallery, arts workshops and a glass hot-shop.

UK’s Stephen Reveley’s fused glass forms at 2009 Artomatic.

Artomatic 2009__________________________ 
In 2009, Artomatic held the 10th anniversary of its unjuried art fair in DC’s Southeast, near the Navy Yard. 38 artists from the UK were able to participate in the event via Creative Cohesion joining with Artomatic in the planning of the exchange.  A number of the visiting artists were part of the University of Sunderland and the UK’s National Glass Centre and held workshops where they demonstrated their techniques.

UK glass casting workshop by Stephen Beardsell held at Washington Glass School, May 2009.
Sarah Blood’s neon artwork at Artomatic.

The Artomatic was a great success, and the visiting artists were able to connect to the US artscene. Glass artist Phil Vickery’s artwork was selected by the James Renwick Alliance to receive their Craft Award of Distinction.

Award winning glass by Phil Vickery.
2009 UK / US Artomatic artist reception

The connection between the sister city artists had been strengthened, andProfessor Peter Fidler, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland was impressed with the artists at Washington Glass School, and sought out ways to continue the interaction.

Later, after Tim Tate and Michael Janis were successful Fulbright Scholar candidates, the connection to the University of Sunderland continued; in 2012, they both were Fulbright Scholars at the University and held workshops at Creative Cohesion. 

The Brits are back this year, and the exhibit has broadened to include ceramic artwork.To complement the artwork, International Glass and Clay 2013 will host panels at Pepco Edison Place Gallery all month long meant to inspire in depth conversation about cultural diplomacy, Fulbright exchanges and international artists residencies and the arts. The events will include representatives from cultural institutions in the nation’s capital, including embassies, government entities, think tanks and local arts organizations.

“This year, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities launched a program encouraging District artists and arts organizations to develop cultural partnerships with our sister cities, which we are proud to implement,” said Lionell Thomas, Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. “International Glass and Clay 2013 is an excellent example of how cities with differing cultures can approach diplomacy through their respective creative heritage.”

International Glass and Clay2013 will open from Friday, March 1 to Friday, March 22. It is free for the public to attend. At Pepco Edison Place Gallery, 702 Eighth Street (between G and H Street). Gallery hours are 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Tuesdays, and 12 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The Gallery Place Metro station servicing the green, red and yellow lines is within close walking distance to the gallery.

Last Minute Prep for International Glass + Clay Show – Panic?

We are bracing for a new British Invasion! The Brits are arriving to set-up the collaborative arts exhibition at Pepco’s Edison Gallery. Arrangements are now being mad for workshops talks and demos to be part of the exhibit, organized by Artomatic and the DC Sister City – part of Washington DC’s Office of the Secretary.

International Glass + Clay
March 1 through March 22, 2013
Opening Reception is Friday, March 1, 2013, 6-8 PM
Edison Place Gallery
702 Eighth Street (between G and H Street)
Washington, DC

To bring an exhibit of this size to the US Capitol, there are a number of sponsors and partners for the International Show:

In Memoriam: UK Glass Artist Charles Bray (1922 – 2012)

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Charles Bray at the unveiling of his glass and slate sculpture work at Lancaster University, 2009.

It is with great sadness that we learned that UK glass artist Charles Bray passed away suddenly, but peacefully, Sunday afternoon. Charles was the instigator of the Glass & Ceramics course at Sunderland University and supportive founder member of Cohesion Glass network, as well as being a member of the Society of Glass Technologists. In 1976, he attended the Hot Glass Conference at the Royal College of Art which proved a major watershed in the development of Studio Glass in England

Charles also authored glass 
art & technology reference books.

Subsequently, he was instrumental in setting up British Artists in Glass (now the Contemporary Glass Society) to promote and support the work of glass artists in the UK


Charles’ glass sculptures were featured in the Glass 3 exhibit that featured glass artwork by Sunderland, Washington, DC and Toldedo artists held in Georgetownin 2008.  

Charles Bray’s glass & stone works were strongly represented in the historic 2008 US/UK joint glass show “Glass 3”.