A delegation of 23 glass artists from the West Midlands attended
the prestigious Glass Art Society conference in Corning, New York
recently but for three of the artisans in particular it was a
hugely rewarding trip.
After showcasing their work as part of a 'Same Difference'
themed exhibition at the world renowned event, Jacqueline Cooley,
Jo Newman and Helen Millard - have been invited back to Corning
next July to teach master classes to students from around the
world.
The trip was organised by Glass Collaborations which, with the
support of Advantage West Midlands & UKTI, represents small
studio artists from the West Midlands but no-one was prepared for
the impact that the region and these three exhibitors in particular
would have.
Jacqueline Cooley 42 from Broseley, Shropshire, said: "I
went over to America to get some good sales and establish a
distribution channel for my work - so to be recognised in this way
and offered the opportunity teach at the Corning museum master
class is very special indeed.
"The Corning Museum of Glass is home to the world's most
comprehensive collection of glass, representing three and a half
thousand years of international glass making, so to see
contemporary glass creations from the West Midlands on display in
such company is testament to the talent that we have in the
region."
The West Midlands is well established as a creative hub for
glass artistry, with over 50 artists working in the region,
including names such as Martin Andrews, Allister Malcolm, Sue
Parry, Jonathan Harris and Nikki Williams. So, with such a pool of
available talent it is perhaps unsurprising that sales at the
exhibition were strong with sales of over $20,000 and expressions
of interest continue to flow in on the strength of the catalogue
left behind.
Corning, New York has held major influence over the glass making
artistry for over 150 years due to its innovation and research and
brings together artists, collectors, scholars, students and
educators from all over the world.