News & Opportunities

CALLS FOR RECOGNITION
Faith & Form / Interfaith Design Awards Program is a recognition program that happens every year in the summer and early fall. Calls for each year are open from July 1st to September 30th. Studios interested in increased recognition may wish to nominate projects for the Faith & Form / Interfaith Design Awards Program for Religious Architecture & Art, under the Religious Arts Category. Submissions may include original work, conservation/restoration, or documentation of stained glass, related to liturgy or sacred art, completed since January 2015. For more information about recognition, eligibility and cost, or to nominate a project, visit faithandformawards.com.

 

COMPETITIONS
The Stevens Competition: For almost 50 years the Glaziers’ Company has run the Stevens Competition to provide an opportunity for aspiring architectural glass designers and craftsmen to develop a design, fabricate a sample panel to illustrate the design, have it assessed by experts in the field and compete for a range of prizes. For one contestant a commission to fabricate and install their design could result. All entrants are given the choice of having their work exhibited to the public at the Stained Glass Museum at Ely; the home of the national stained glass collection.

The Competition is about identifying and encouraging new and up-and-coming talent of all ages early in their career so is only open to designers who have started training and their vocation in glass since September 2013.

There is a section of the competition and a prize which is part of the “Lord Mayor Reflects” activities which encourages students and apprentices in the 16 to 24 age group to submit a design for judging; a sample glass panel is not required.

The 2022 competition has now been launched. Details can be found at http://glazierscompany.org.uk/stevens-competition-2022/

APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS
Siena, Italy: The Vetrate Artistiche Toscane is accepting applications for its apprenticeship programs. There are apprenticeships lasting two months (January–February; March–April; November–December) and three lasting one month (May, August, and October). Although designed to be of benefit to the beginner and intermediate, advanced and professional glass artists have also found the apprenticeship useful to enhance their skills. Apprenticeships will be held in Siena in English and target most aspects of glass craft. Intensive hands-on courses are also available. Contact Vetrate Artistiche Toscane at edu@glassisland.com, or visit glassisland.com.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Enders Island, CT: The St. Michael Institute for the Sacred Arts provides religious programs and seminars in the sacred arts, including stained glass, iconography, and other sacred arts. This unique retreat provides a special location to learn and further artistic studies. Contact 860-536-0565, or visit endersisland.com.

Cape Cod, MA: Neil Maciejewski, the owner of Neil Neil Orange Peel Designs, has over 25 years of experience as a stained glass artist. Neil is offering year-round stained glass classes and workshops for all skill levels in copper foil and lead. Classes range from weekend workshops to weekly sessions in a large, airy home studio on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. To learn more about classes and how to reserve a spot, please visit neilstainedglass.com/classes.

Williamsburg, MA: Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program offers 2- to 5-day workshops in stained glass, fused glass, flameworking and a variety of other media. The workshop season runs from April – October, with a special program for high school students in July. For more information, visit snowfarm.com.

Deer Isle, ME: The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts sponsors a community of 85 participants, including staff, students, and internationally known faculty artists. Workshops explore creative arts with lectures, presentations, and performances. Enrollment is limited. Haystack also sponsors spring and fall workshops for craft makers. Visit haystack-mtn.org.

Detroit, MI: The College for Creative Studies Glass Program draws on the college’s rich craft history as well as Detroit’s industrial heritage. Students will learn the technical aspects of blowing, casting and fusing while also being asked to solve problems, innovate their own techniques and develop conceptual ideas. CCS Glass pushes students to create research-driven work that looks critically at the material, integrates interdisciplinary practices and utilizes new technologies. For info, visit collegeforcreativestudies.edu.

Lansing, MI: Delphi Glass holds one-day, weekend, weekly, and special-event glass art classes. For details, call 800-248-2048, or visit delphiglass.com.

Millville, NJ: Artist/educator J. Kenneth Leap has more than 20 years of experience in the field of architectural stained glass. Small-group classes in traditional and contemporary glass and painting are held at his studio at Wheaton Arts. Private classes are also available in airbrush, enameling and design. Wheaton is one hour from Philadelphia or two hours from NYC. There is an onsite hotel. Visit the workshops page at jkennethleap.com or contact paintedwindow@comcast.net.

Corning, NY: The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass offers 10-week classes in glassblowing, lamp-working, cold working and painting on glass, sandblasting, marble making, and bead making. Fall, winter, and summer courses are offered. For class schedules and detailed information, please visit cmog.org/thestudio.

New York, NY: Creativity Workshop is dedicated to teaching people about their creativity and how to use it in all aspects of life, work, and creative expression. Workshops are available in New York and Europe. For information, visit creativityworkshop.com.

White Plains, NY: The SUNY/ Westchester Community College, through the Westchester Art Workshop, offers stained glass classes for credit. The instructor is Patricia O’Connell from The Glasserie. For more information, call 914-684-0094.

Portland, OR: Bullseye Glass Co. offers a wide variety of kiln-glass and glass torch working classes and demonstrations during the year. Classes are taught by Bullseye staff instructors unless otherwise specified. Classes and special events are held at the Bullseye Resource Center. For more info about education activities visit bullseyeglass.com/connection/education.

Media, PA: Kathy Jordan has over 30 years of glass painting experience. Jordan is conducting workshops in her private studio. Reinforcement of core skills, brush and medium applications and varied flesh painting techniques will be covered. Access to an extensive library, materials, brushes, tools and kiln-firing time. Formal instruction 10am–5pm. Open studio for independent exploration and painting every evening! For detailed information regarding instruction, shuttles, lodging, meals and cost, email kathywalshjordan@gmail.com.

Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) is a nonprofit, public-access education center; an art gallery; a state-of-the-art glass studio; a community builder; and a hub for innovation and creativity.  The 16,000 sq. ft. facility houses studios in hot glass, flame working, cold working, casting, and kiln work. For more details, visit pittsburghglasscenter.org.

 

Gatlinburg, TN: The Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts offers five 11-month residencies in all media for pre-professional, self-directed, artists mid-June through May. Project includes $300 monthly stipend, private studio, housing, meals, and exhibition space. Teaching and professional development opportunities are also available. Spring and Summer Studio Assistantships, Work-Study, and Scholarships. Deadlines: Spring, Jan. 15; Summer, April 15. Spring one-week workshops and summer one-and two-week workshops in various media are now available. For more information, please visit arrowmont.org.

Ephraim, UT: Traditional Building Skills Institute at Snow College provides hands-on experience in traditional building skills for old and new construction. Workshops include stained glass restoration and more. Contact 435-283-7324, or visit www.snow.edu/community.

Bennington, VT: Bennington College in Vermont, through the North Country Studio Workshops, offers workshops in various arts and crafts. Applications can be found at ncsw.org.

Readsboro, VT: Debora Coombs offers stained glass workshops, private tuition, zoom consultation for stained glass professionals; and more. 5-day Spring and Fall workshops include Introduction to Glasspainting with Propylene Glycol, an opportunity to learn to paint glass with Debora’s proprietary recipe; followed by a rigorously structured Stained Glass Design workshop; and Advanced Glasspainting where students paint and fire a panel of their own design. Instruction flows seamlessly from one workshop to the next over a three-week period. Students often sign up for two or three consecutive workshops. Classes are small and places fill quickly. Accommodation within walking distance is available. For individual workshop descriptions and general information go to www.coombscriddle.com/about-workshops. For coaching please email debora@coombscriddle.com

Stanwood, WA: The Pilchuck Glass School, an international center for glass art education, was founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg, and John H. Hauberg. Located on a former tree farm, two-and three-week classes are offered each summer in a broad spectrum of glass techniques as well as residencies for emerging and established artists working in all media. For info, email info@pilchuck.com, or call 206-621-8422 ext. 50.

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Frauenau, Germany: Bild-Werk Frauenau is an art academy in the middle of the Bavarian Forest, with a strong emphasis on various courses in glass and other arts. Visit www.bildwerkfrauenau.de or email info@bild-werk-frauenau.de.

Gujarat, India: The Institute of Design Expression, Art and Learning (IDEAL) is an autonomous institute and was founded in 2003 by the Foundation of Art and Craft Expression, with the objective of providing an education in Art and Design in the relatively new-to-the-region media of glass, wood, and fabric design, ornamentation, and usage. Workshops were designed to teach students to work with the media. Over the years, the workshops evolved into highly integrated programs with a practical, hands-on approach. IDEAL focuses on developing visualization skills along with technical skills. IDEAL is located on the Gujarat University campus. For more information, email ideal_rds@rediffmail.com.

Barcelona, Spain: Fundacio Centre del Vidre de Barcelona, fosters research and training in the glass arts. Courses include majors in design and glass arts, including conservation and restoration of stained glass. For more info, visit www.catalunya.com/fundacio-centre-del-vidre-de-barcelona-17-16002-44.

Monthey, Switzerland: The Stained Glass and Fine Arts College offers a program of academic, technical, and artistic formation. Visit ecolevitrail.com.

Istanbul, Turkey: The Glass Furnace is a center for glass and fine arts. Choose from a variety of workshops; short term or long term from beginner to advanced levels in various techniques. Visit glassfurnace.org.

Swansea, United Kingdom: The Swansea Metropolitan University offers a series of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in architectural glass. Contact the Welsh School of Architectural Glass, uwtsd.ac.uk/agc.

York, United Kingdom: The University of York is offering a Master’s program in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management. For more information, contact Sarah Brown, Course Director, at york.ac.uk/history-of-art/prospective-students/postgraduate/ma-stained-glass.

WORKSHOPS

Long Island City, NY & virtually: Ellen Mandelbaum, recipient of the SGAA 2019 Excellence in Education Award, is internationally recognized for her contemporary glass painting and stained glass commissions. Small hands-on classes encourage a new approach to glass painting and design. Starting with a painting demonstration of her innovative abstract painting style students explore on their own. Exercises increase drawing skills and awareness of light and glass. She will show the story of the development of her work and look carefully at each student's work in order to help them reach their full potential.

Because of COVID-19 in-person classes are discontinued but Mandelbaum is conducting an exploratory class on Zoom. Pending its success, she will offer virtual classes sometime this spring or summer. Please contact her of possible interest. 917-324-3292, ellen@ellenmandelbaum.com

Pittsford, VT: Instructor Hallie Monroe Vitreous glass painting for beginners at Twin Elms Glass Studio, Pittsford Village Farm Studio. July 5–9 from 9am–5pm. Tuition includes all instruction, materials, and tools. $850. With COVID-19 adjustments, the max class size is 6 students but this could become a private class for the same amount with private dates. Contact halliesglass@gmail.com for more information and to apply.

Corning, NY:  The American Glass Guild is offering workshops and presentations at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY July 13-17. The AGG is offering the low member registration rate of $215 to SGAA members. Hotel rooms are only $120.      

For those wanting a unique glass painting experience, we are offering two days of instruction given by two dynamic artists, Steven Cowan of Birmingham, UK and Lyn Durham of Vero Beach, Florida. A dynamic trio of glass artists, Petri Anderson of Hertfordshire, UK, Tim Carey of Los Angeles, CA and Debora Coombs of Readsboro, VT will join together for a dynamic one-day Design Circuit workshop.  They will share their distinctive Design approaches through Procreate®, Illustrator with special LED lighting considerations and Designing for Architectural Commissions.  Troy Moody of Mesa AZ and Dan Maher of Cambridge, MA will teach workshops covering Iron Oxide Image Transfers in fused glass and Photo Sensitive Sandblast Imaging. Amy Valuck of Media, PA will teach Conservation Edge Gluing and glass repair techniques.   Derek Hunt of Leicestershire, UK will teach a class on navigating self-promotion in the virtual world of YouTube.  Derek will show his students how to set up, film a (painting) demonstration and edit a short video production.  Roberto Rosa of Serpentino Stained Glass in Needham, MA will lead a workshop on evaluating stained glass windows for conservation and preparing a Condition Assessment at a local church. 

The AGG will host National and International Speakers covering a wide range of topics to include, History, Education, Technique, Design, New Window & Glass Restoration/Conservation projects along with special sessions on Science and Technology of glass.   An impressive line-up of glass luminaries will be live-streamed around the world on Friday from the Amphitheater at Corning Museum of Glass,  and conclude with the presentation of the prestigious Joseph Barnes award and a Retrospective Exhibition in the Museum, in memory of Mary Clerkin Higgins.  Mary was a founder and past president of the AGG.   Saturday evening will be our Banquet and Live Auction.  We join together for opportunities to meet new people, talk to presenters, or catch up with old friends.  The Radisson Hotel is  steps away from unique eateries, shops, the Gaffer District, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, only 13 minutes by foot (or a free shuttle ride) to Corning Museum of Glass. Watkins Glen State Park is just a short drive away.  ELM-Elmira – Corning Regional is the closest airport and a hub for Delta and Allegiant airlines.  Register at www.americanglassguild.org.