Portfolio Review

Ruth Allen’s history stems from the Canberra School of Art where she graduated from a Bachelor of Arts degree in Glass in 1993. Ruth later went on to graduate from Monash University with a Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture & Glass in 2006. Ruth has exhibited, taught and participated in workshops in prominent glass venues around the world. From 1996-2000 Ruth co-directed a hot glass studio in Auckland, NZ producing limited edition exhibition pieces, Jewelry and Lighting. Ruth has actively been involved in community growth with her chosen medium (Glass) becoming the President of NZSAG (New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass) from 1995 – 2000 where she orchestrated an extensive International Conference and series of Workshops titled “Pacific Light” Ruth currently works from her own hot glass studio in Coburg Nth, (Victoria) the studio is well equipped with; hot glass furnace, kilns, cold working equipment, woodworking tools, ceramic studio and more. Ruth and her partner have worked tirelessly to create a workshop that enables them to make almost anything. Ruth not only creates her own signature works from her studio, she now facilitates many other artists to actualize their visions and participates collaboratively on large scaled projects with interior designers, lighting designers and architects.

Born in Glasgow, Cattrell studied at Glasgow School of Art, University of Ulster and the Royal College of Art. Solo exhibitions include at the Pier Art Centre in Orkney and Anne Faggionato Gallery in London. Group shows include at the V&A in London, Mori Museum in Tokyo and currently Field Notes, a Bullseye Project. Cattrell has undertaken a number of public commissions such as SEER for the city of Inverness; 0 to 10,000,000 for Oxford University and currently she is lead artist for the DRI neuroscience centre at the University College London Hospitals. Cattrell has completed residencies and fellowships at Camden Arts Centre; The Royal Institution of Great Britain, Rakow Library in Corning and ACE Helen Chadwick Fellowship at Oxford University and at the British School at Rome. She is based in London where she has a studio and has been a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art since 2000.

• https://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/annie-cattrell/
• https://islandgoingresidencies.art.blog/2020/10/28/annie-cattrell-rsa-artist-in-residence-2020/

Nadège Desgenétez’s work investigates experiences of connection, making and migration. It mines references to the body, foreign and familiar landscapes, and the process of glass blowing.

French born Desgenétez has worked, taught and exhibited in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. She has received numerous awards, including grants from the Fondation Marcel Bleustein Blanchet (Fr), the Australia Council for the Arts (AU) and residencies from Northlands Creative Glass (UK) and the Tacoma Museum of Glass (USA). A lecturer at the Australian National University (Canberra, AU) since 2005, she maintains an international practice. Her recent solo exhibitions were held with Heller Gallery NY (USA) 2018 and Mouvements Modernes Paris (Fr) 2019.

Terri Grant is a contemporary artist whose work employs the use of glass threads and a unique style to create highly textured and evocative imagery. She has lectured and exhibited nationally and internationally. Her works have been featured in the New Glass Review by the Corning Museum of Glass and in 2019 she was a Pilchuck Glass School John H. Hauberg Fellow. Terri currently lives and maintains a studio in Richland, Washington.

Gray’s artwork has been exhibited in solo shows at Heller Gallery in New York City, and at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles and the Toledo Museum of Art. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Observer.com, Artforum.com and in the LA Times. Images of her glasswork have also appeared in the New York Times Design magazine. In 2017, she received the Libenský/ Brychtová Award from the Pilchuck Glass School and she was recently inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Craft Council. Gray can be seen in the ongoing Netflix series Blown Away as the Resident Evaluator. 

Peter Ivy is the Creative Director and Founder of his eponymous brand of artistic and superbly functional glasswork. Having grown up in the creative atmosphere of Austin, Texas, Peter gravitated towards the arts from a very young age, going on to obtain his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Soon afterward, he began his teaching career at his alma mater as well as at the Massachusetts College of Art. His curiosity and the perpetual quest of broader and enriching experiences led him to take the less-traveled path to Japan in 2002. He assumed the position of Associate Professor, heading the glass program at the Aichi University of Education, where he shared his knowledge and expertise with younger generations for the following five years. This pivotal experience catalyzed his attention to form and simplicity, laying the foundation for the work he makes to this very day. In 2007, his passion for glassworking led him to relocate to the rural fields of Toyama, where he hand-built his workshop in an ancient Japanese warehouse.

His minimalist approach to glass vessels contrasted with the decorative, western-influenced glass available at the time and earned him wide recognition in Japan and abroad as the precursor of a new movement in glasswork. Always a teacher at heart, his desire to share his knowledge with the following generations motivated him to build a second production line in his workshop, intended exclusively for skill-building. Having developed a new business model that embraces the centuries-old apprenticeship system in his atelier, he now teaches glassworking to trainees from all over Japan. This ideology forms a unique platform for the development of technical, creative, and administrative expertise for the craftspeople in his studio. He currently lives not far from his studio, with his partner and two children in a traditional Japanese farmhouse he passionately redesigned over 5 years and continues to be invited to teach workshops and exhibit worldwide.

*Bio courtesy of Flow Lab

Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk is head of the Glasmuseum Hentrich at the Kunstpalast in Dusseldorf, Germany. After receiving his doctorate in Berlin, he worked at the Bröhan-Museum in Berlin. From 2004 until 2008, he was curator of European glass at The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York. He curated the shows “Glass of the Alchemists” in Corning and “Art and Alchemy – the Mystery of Transformation” in Dusseldorf. Here, Dedo is also in charge of the Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award that is granted to artists every two years (www.kunstpalast.de/cuny).

Judith Schaechter lives and works in Philadelphia. Her work is collected internationally and is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert in London and the Hermitage, among others. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005 and her work was in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. In 2013, Judith was inducted to the College of Fellows of the American Craft Council. Currently Judith’s work is the subject of a retrospective exhibition organized by the Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester, NY, on view soon at the Des Moines Art Center February 13 – May 23, 2021.

Nao Yamamoto was born in Japan, and has spent the last nine years building her artistic practice in the United States. She received the Masters of Fine Arts in studio art and design from California State University, San Bernardino in 2014, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tama Art University, in Tokyo in 2011, specializing in glass art. Nao creates artwork inspired by the simple beauty of glass and nature, to celebrate the power of life.

Dan Mirer began his education at age 16, attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (AAS). He continued to study glass at Alfred University (BFA), the Pukeberg School of Design, Sweden, and Tyler School of Art (MFA). Based in Corning, NY, Dan has been an independent artist and designer since 2004. He creates a range of work including tableware, sculpture, and video. He has taught at Alfred University, Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the Corning Museum of Glass.

www.danmirer.com 

Julia Stephenson has worked as Head of Arts at National Glass Centre, Sunderland, England, for the last nine years. During this time she has established a formal collection of international Studio Glass, delivered a series of temporary exhibitions and supported wide ranging projects, residencies and public engagement programmes. Julia began her career as Assistant Curator of Craft at the Cleveland Crafts Centre in Middlesbrough, England. From this role she went on to  work as Project Development Coordinator delivering mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) as a new build art gallery. After the building opened to the public in 2007, Julia worked as Assistant Director until she moved to the National Glass Centre in 2012.

JOANNA BIRD’s London gallery has an international reputation, and a loyal following in the art world. Joanna specialises in ceramics and glass, and as a consultant and curator with over thirty years’ experience she is consulted by museums and collectors worldwide. Joanna trained as a potter with Michael Cardew, and then worked as a ceramicist in her own right before setting up a Contemporary Ceramics Gallery in 1994. Her passion for ceramics, and in the last seven years for glass, is fundamental to her work and her gallery. The Joanna Bird Foundation is working on a glass project relating to ancient and modern glass. For more information, please visit Joanna’s website here: https://www.joannabird.com where you will find a wide array of artist’s work as well as viewing current exhibitions virtually: https://www.joannabird.com/exhibition/. 

Jens Pfeifer is an artist and educator, based in Amsterdam, NL. His oeuvre comprises sculptures, drawings, and photography, depicting the paradox and distant relationships we have with our environment and fellow creatures, examining multiple means of expressing cultural identity. The work is exhibited internationally and is represented in a number of private and public collections. Jens Pfeifer was educated in London and Amsterdam, where he is currently holding the position of head of the department at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie’s Large Glass Department. In 2013, he initiated The Glass Virus, a think tank for educational strategies and perspectives. Pfeifer is strongly engaged in the organization of a European platform for glass art since.

Before founding Vessel Gallery Angel pursued a career in furniture and industrial design following his studies at the Royal College of Art, freelancing and also producing his own collections of furniture.  In 1999 he co-founded Vessel Gallery, initially a store cum gallery specialising in contemporary design. The last decade has been focused on representing studio artists with an emphasis on museum-quality glass and ceramic artworks. Angel also consults for interior and corporate projects, providing the opportunity to have a truly bespoke commissioning service with unique works created in dialogue with the client. In addition, the gallery is a valuable resource for artists, museums, and collectors. Numerous artworks have entered prestigious public collections as a direct result of the Gallery’s exhibitions and advocacy. https://www.vesselgallery.com/

Meghan D. Bunnell is the buyer for the tabletop, luxury brands, and art glass products at
The Shops of Corning Museum of Glass. Focusing on up-and-coming designers and
artists, Meghan markets and manages the brand development for both onsite retail and
online retail.