Seattle, WA – In partnership with NEUES GLAS/NEW GLASS magazine, the Glass Art Society (GAS) announces the first winner of their inaugural Impact Award: El Laboratorio De Vidrio (Lab), part of the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo (FADU) in Montevideo, Uruguay. Celebrating those who have made a significant impact or contribution to the glass community through their work in the past year, this award includes a cash prize of $1,000, a 1-year membership to GAS, a feature article in NEUES GLAS/NEW GLASS, and a spotlight across GAS communications.
After an international call for nominations with over 163 submissions, Lab was selected because of their commitment to glass education and plans to continue and expand their programs and community impact. Translated to “The Glass Laboratory”—Lab has welcomed more than 1,900 students through its doors since 2010, including exchange students from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and France. Alongside Asis DI Carolina Rava and Ayud. Lic Carolina Frabasile, Prof Adj. Lic Beatriz Amorin praises the recognition for their program saying that “[the] Impact Award, granted by the Glass Art Society shows the sustained efforts of the El Laboratorio De Vidrio, coordinating programs and bringing together people from different fields with glass as a design and art material.”
Focusing on socioeconomic issues such as sustainability, innovation, and the promotion of glass design spaces, Lab has developed a diverse and impactful range of academic and community programs. Since 2018, Lab has provided opportunities for the local community which has no glass training. Since 2020, they have been analyzing, recording, and organizing glass working techniques from various artists’ work to make them more broadly accessible. Most recently in 2021, their Glass Design Space brought together women from adjacent neighborhoods to build a space for the collective gathering of knowledge and employment opportunities for women who live on the outskirts of the city. Over the next 5-10 years, the Lab plans to grow its impact on the community through the formation of an Interdisciplinary Glass Nucleus—a continuation of the working group formed for the 2022 International Year of Glass in Uruguay. The Lab also hopes to design a postgraduate diploma, internships, and other opportunities to spread glass to sectors that do not know it as a technical and expressive material.
From a broad open call to a detailed questionnaire, GAS’s methodology for this award began with a global call to the public glass community for nominations. GAS sent follow-up surveys to each of the top 6 most-nominated organizations to learn more about their programs, impact, and plans for the future. Created by GAS’s nominating committee, these questions were tied to a scoring system based on depth of impact, and the top 3 highest scoring organizations moved forward for a final anonymous vote by the GAS Board of Directors.
“Some of the most innovative and impactful work happening in glass right now is happening in local communities, and the Glass Art Society wanted to create an award that reflects those efforts,” says Executive Director, Brandi P. Clark. “We are thrilled to support El Laboratorio de Vidrio with the first of these awards and cannot wait to see what they will do next.” Join us this Fall for two special features on Lab, one each in NEUES GLAS/NEW GLASS magazine and GASnews.
Do you know an individual, group, or organization impacting their local glass community? Nominations for the 2023 Impact Award open on Friday, September 9 and close on Sunday, October 9, 2022 at midnight Pacific time. Visit glassart.org to learn more and submit your nomination.
El Laboratorio de Vidrio (Lab), aka The Glass Laboratory, belongs to the technology department of the Escuela Universitaria Centro de Diseño (EUCD) of the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo (FADU) of the Universidad de la República (Udelar), a free public educational institution. They promote meaningful learning by bringing together students and members of the community for activities and research through direct handling of the material. Since beginning in 2010, more than 1,900 students have passed through their courses—including exchange students from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and France. The Lab has worked with locals, connecting through important socio-economic themes like sustainability, innovation, and the promotion of glass design spaces. The Laboratory acts as the center of glass activity where people of different backgrounds can come together under their shared relationship to the material.
El Laboratorio de Vidrio (Lab) pertenece al Área Tecnológica de la Escuela Universitaria Centro de Diseño, de la Facultad de Arquitectura Diseño y Urbanismo (FADU) de la Universidad de la República Oriental del Uruguay, institución de enseñanza pública y gratuita. Los aprendizajes significativos se construyen por estudiantes y actores de la comunidad a través de actividades y la investigación mediante el relacionamiento directo con el material. Desde su inicio en 2010, más de 1900 estudiantes han pasado por el Laboratorio de Vidrio I y II—incluido estudiantes de intercambio provenientes de Argentina, Chile, México, España, Portugal y Francia. En síntesis, el Lab ha procurado trabajar con actoras locales, conectando con temas socioeconómicos prioritarios como la sustentabilidad, la innovación y la promoción de espacios de diseño en vidrio. Resaltar el rol del Laboratorio como articulador de actividades y nucleador de personas de diferentes ámbitos relacionadas al material.