Every year, our community comes together for all things stained glass.
For more than 100 years, The Stained Glass Association of America’s annual summer conference has served a vital role in the industry, bringing together artists and studios from across the country to exchange ideas and perspectives. Each year's national conference provides an educational and creative hub for glass artists, historians, manufacturers, and architects. Whether you're an established studio or just learning stained glass; if you're an architect or building caretaker; if you're making public art or small panels for private homes, our conferences have something for you.
Please plan on joining your friends and colleagues both familiar and new for an inspirational and thought-provoking conference that will bring every facet of our industry together in celebration.
Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel
444 N Summit St, Toledo, OH 43604
The energy and excitement in the SGAA + SAMA offices could probably power a small city at this point, and we’re surprised the roads between Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Toledo isn’t glowing from the churn of our tires as we race around putting the finishing touches on what’s really shaping up to be a momentous conference and celebration in Toledo!
We are putting the finishing touches on an incredible program! Bringing two communities together affords a rich well to draw for presentations and workshops that will provide quality foundational references while also inspiring artistic exploration across the gathering’s varied interests. There will not be an open Call for Topics. If you have questions or suggestions regarding programming, please contact, Megan McElfresh.
We are also organizing field sessions and opportunities to explore all that Toledo has to offer. There are a lot of moving parts and we appreciate everyone’s excitement, enthusiasm, and patience while we put all the pieces in place!
This conference will take us all over the city of Toledo and beyond. Here is how you can join us:
General Registration- Open NOW!
Open April 1 - May 31, 2022
- General Registration - SGAA & SAMA Members $ 415.00
- General Registration - Non Members $ 465.00
Workshops & Classes - Registration Now Open!
- Workshop availability will be limited and available for SGAA & SAMA Members who are also registering for the conference only! All Workshops are optional and in addition to conference registration. Some will be held at the Toledo Renaissance Hotel, some will be offsite.
- Read descriptions carefully once posted!
- If you are already registered for the conference, you can go to the Eventbrite Registration page, click on the Tickets button and select to Add-On any classes/tours you would like. It will run it as a separate ticket order and you can pay for it through the site.
Exhibition
- There will be a juried exhibition! Adjoined 2022 will be a juried exhibition of original Mosaic Art, Stained Glass and Architectural Art presented by the Stained Glass Association of America and the Society of American Mosaic Artists held in conjunction with our joint conference, in Toledo, Ohio, June 27-30, 2022. This will be presented in a public space for a period of several weeks and we will celebrate the work and artists during our Toledo Conference. The exhibition prospectus and Call for Entry details will be posted, emailed, and shared in the next 2 weeks.
Bus Tours & Other Events
- Post-conference bus tours and other add-on conference events will also be posted later in March.
Refund – Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received before April 15, 2022: $175 Cancellation Fee. Remaining Registration fees including Workshops, Tours, Art Salon reservations, and Guest tickets to be refunded.
Cancellations received between April 16 - 30, 2022: $300 Cancellation Fee. Remaining Registration fees including Workshops, Tours, Art Salon reservations, and Guest tickets to be refunded.
Cancellations received between May 1 - 31, 2022: $300 Cancellation Fee. 50% refund on Workshops and Seminars. Remaining Tour, Art Salon reservations, and Guest Tickets to be refunded.
After June 1, 2022, There Will Be NO REFUNDS Of Any Conference-Related Fees.
This Policy Does Not Apply To The Vendor Marketplace Booth Fees, Sponsorship Commitments, Membership Fees Or Any Products Or Publications In The SAMA Store.
The Stained Glass Association of America and The Society of American Mosaic Artists accept NO liability for any fees, penalties, or expenses related to prevention of attending the conference due to acts of God or government, or other emergencies beyond a party’s reasonable control make it illegal or impossible for such party to attend the event. This includes any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket.
It is strongly recommended that all participants purchase Trip Cancellation, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Baggage, Accident, and Medical insurance from a reputable insurance company.
COVID REQUIREMENTS:
Per May 20th, 2022, in alignment with recent CDC updates, the SGAA + SAMA Confluence Conference will not be asking attendees to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a Negative PCR COVID test to attend.
SGAA + SAMA are planning to implement all CDC and local guidelines with regards to large gatherings at the time of the Conference in Toledo. As organizations representing a national community, we support the view that "getting the COVID vaccine...is an act of love" and encourage all Vendors/Exhibitors/Teachers/Speakers & Attendees to be vaccinated. Vaccinated or not, if you are symptomatic we ask that you not attend the conference for the safety of our entire community unless you have a negative test result.
We will continue to communicate with you regarding the COVID protocol requirements as CDC, state, local, and venue-specific mandates and guidelines change as we approach the conference date with respect to mask-wearing and other safety precautions, along with any additional precautions that may be put in place by each individual venue.*
*If you believe you may be exempt from one or more of these requirements based on a disability or sincerely held religious belief, please contact Megan McElfresh at megan@stainedglass.org no later than 30 days prior to the conference so that we may assess your request and, if legally required, establish alternate safety protocols to the extent doing so does not impose an undue hardship.
General Session
Each year during General Session, we bring together speakers from around the world to speak about restoration, conservation, public art, history, and technology in the field. It is not uncommon to have roundtables to tackle emerging issues or panels of experts to provide clarity on how industry elements are being tackled across the country.
Speakers and lectures are chosen by a panel of peers for both their content and enthusiasm. The expertise of historians, conservators, and contemporary practitioners come together in a unique way to celebrate the enormous diversity of the entire industry.
In recent years, additional efforts have been made to bring notable guests and speakers to the conferences that can speak to the partnerships our work often requires, e.g. those in adaptive reuse, metalsmithing, masonry conservation, sacred places, fundraising, and public art. There has also been a great many collaborations within the larger glass arts community as it applies to architectural art glass - kilnforming, flameworking, lamination, etc - and it is always exciting to see how connections made at the annual conference push the boundaries of new work.
Classes & Workshops
Conferences offer a unique opportunity to learn both beginning and advanced techniques and are often geared toward the unique strengths of that year’s conference host.
At many conferences, we do try to offer classes that consistently fill no matter our location such as Introduction to Glass Painting, Introduction to Lamination Techniques, and Restoration 101. In addition, we tailor the workshops at each conference to nearby facilities and studio resources that are unique to that year's location. We have offered classes in sandblasting, engraving, stained glass design, dragonfly software, advanced studio techniques, beginning and advanced kilnforming, fusing techniques, screenprinting, lamination, acid etching, angel gilding, drone technology and restoration photography, advanced restoration painting and glass painting basics, rondel-making and more.
We have been very fortunate to work with incredible teachers from all over the globe at our conferences - leaders in the field who have often generously donated their time to share their knowledge with our members and attendees. Past instructors include Steven Cowan (UK), Sylvia Laks (Costa Rica), Jim Berberich (USA), Narcissus Quagliata, Tim Carey, Hallie Monroe, Ralph Mills, Bryant Stanton, Rich Lamothe, and more.
Sponsor Showcase
Manufacturers, suppliers and wholesalers come together at our conferences to keep our community up to date with developments in the stained glass world.
It is due to the generosity and support of our conference sponsors that we can stay focused on the education and professional training of our members and studios. Feedback every year mentions that our members genuinely appreciate getting face-to-face time with their manufacturers and the ability to broaden their knowledge about the technical aspects of the products they use every day.
Glass manufacturers from the United States and Europe join us to network with artists and studios about upcoming work, suppliers bring products in development, samples are available to see and touch, and table demonstrations are common throughout the conference.
Tours & Field Sessions
The history and appreciation of stained glass is inseparable from both its setting as an architectural element and of the very nature of the material itself. For craftsmen and artists in the field to gain exposure to the vast living museums of stained glass, they must visit stained glass all over the world whenever they can. Installations all over the world are our museums, our laboratorys, and our classrooms.
Thus, when we come together as a group, we must take advantage of our travel and our companions to go and experience installations, to discuss them with our peers, and to investigate ongoing care and restoration concerns that affect us all. This is one of the most useful ways we can learn as a group.
Nearly every conference includes at least one full day of site visits and installation tours. In addition, our community has been known to schedule and participate in special travel opportunities both in the United States and abroad to experience as much stained glass as possible.
The tours are almost always stand-alone events which can be attended outside of General Session participation and are often open to the public.
Auction & Scholarships
At each convention, members have the opportunity to browse through tables laden with books, sample sets, vendor products, tools, and artwork from members. Our annual silent and live auction at the summer conference is a major source of funding for scholarship assistance. Donations directly fund scholarships for professional stained glass instruction all over the country and beyond.
On exhibition years, work is donated to our live auction, which is an opportunity to collect autonomous work by any number of our talented members.
"I have been attending conferences for decades and I have collected all of these panels made by these incredible artists that inspire me. They are hanging in my breakfast nook. Now, I feel like I am eating breakfast with my friends even between conferences and it is fabulous."
- S.G., New York
Camaraderie & Celebration
The highlight of each year is the Annual Convention. Business is discussed, motions made and voted on, officers and executive committee members elected, reports read and exhibitions displayed. But the key reason for coming back year after year is the magic of the unplanned intermingling of artist, craftsmen, business people and suppliers. They exchange ideas, have seminars and socialize, but it is the chemistry generated by these diverse people that make the Association unique and the focal point of the stained glass craft.
At our business meetings, we not only attend to the business of the day, we recognize those who have achieved professional recognition in the field.
Each annual conference ends with an award banquet where we celebrate Lifetime Achievements as well as up and coming voices. We have been extremely fortunate over the years to hear from a number of distinguished speakers at our banquets who have given luscious, inspiring presentations to send us energetically on our way.
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