Carnival Glass Auction Saturday 16 April, Bedfordshire

Event Sponsored by the Carnival Glass Society UK
Carnival Glass Auction
Saturday April 16th, 2011 at the Slip End Village Hall, Near Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 4BX

Viewing from 10 a.m. Auction starts 1 p.m.
Refreshments available

PRIVATE COLLECTION SALE

The family of the late Frank Horn will offer almost 400 of his most treasured pieces of carnival glass at this special auction event.

Includes the Frank Horn Memorial Raffle in which you can win a blue SUNK DAISY bowl for your collection, as well as a general raffle with a selection of prizes.

A fabulous selection of colours, makers, shapes and patterns will be on offer to suit all budgets.

Includes items from the USA, Europe, India and Australia.

More details on the website

Reflected Light - Adam Aaronson at Robert Phillips Gallery Walton on Thames

My friend Adam Aaronson is exhibiting some of his gorgeous glass as below. Adam's work is to die for! http://www.adamaaronson.com/adam.php?navID=17

Reflected Light - Adam Aaronson at Robert Phillips Gallery Walton on Thames
Wednesday 23rd March to Sunday 17th April 2011
11am to 4pm Wed-Sat,
2.30 to 4.30pm Sun

http://www.riverhousebarn.co.uk/index.php?page=visarts&cat=23

http://www.adamaaronson.com/adam.php?showExhibition=473&navID=17&subID=

Auction to help new charity British Glass Foundation

Auction: Three Centuries of Glass Saturday 9th April 2011

Please note that around 30 lots in the sale are going to be sold to benefit the newly formed charity, the British Glass Foundation.

Read more here: http://heartofenglandglass.co.uk/news-events/july/ and http://www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/nextsale.asp?menuItemOn=3 and http://britishglassfoundation.org.uk/

Viewing times
Thursday 7th April
10.00am until 4.00pm

Friday 8th April
10.00am until 8.00pm

Saturday 9th April
Viewing 8.00am until
start of sale at 10.00am

Mill Race Lane
Stourbridge DY8 1JN

http://www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/

SE21: The Glass & Ceramics Fair Sunday 3 April, London

SE21: The Glass & Ceramics Fair, will be held in the light and bright Christison Hall at Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD on Sunday, April 3rd from 10.30am until 4.00pm. Admission is £5.

Building on last year’s success you will find a variety of exhibitors ranging from those selling Georgian glass tableware and eighteenth century ceramics to contemporary glass and ceramics artists selling their current work. There will also be a glassblowing demonstration taking place throughout the day by Allister Malcolm, the resident glass artist at Broadfield House Glass Museum, and there will be pottery demonstrations by Richard Baxter from Anglian Potters. This is an event not to be missed.

Full details can be found on the fair’s website http://www.gcSE21.com or telephone 07887 762872.

Specialist Glass Fairs

Storytelling competition... Please will you vote for me?

I've entered the TalkTalk Tales storytelling competition (mad woman that I am!) and wonder if anyone would be willing to vote for me please? It won't cost you anything, just 2 minutes to listen to me online.

I had a choice of 5 extracts to read and I've chosen the one from Alice in Wonderland. You can listen to my file online and if you like it please press the Vote Now button below it, and thank you if you do.

http://www.talktalktales.co.uk/view.php?id=142

Cards in poor taste

ETSY, the online hand-made craft market place, is under attack from members who are understandably upset at cards offered for sale by one member there. The cards feature messages congratulating victims of abuse, those diagnosed with illnesses such as AIDS or breast cancer, or who have children will special needs such as Downs Syndrome.

To say the cards are in poor taste is an under-statement. They probably also breach ETSY's own rules, but ETSY's attention needs to be drawn to the problem. The unhappy members (and yes, I'm amongst them!) have a Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155532017830886 for anyone on Facebook who wants to add their support to the cause; and have created an online e-petition calling for everyone to boycott ETSY marketplace whilst the offending seller is allowed to sell these cards. You can find the petition here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_etsy_to_remove_rape_congratulations_cards_from_website# Please sign it and support the campaign.

New charity British Glass Foundation launched

At long last, the launch of the British Glass Foundation charity has been made public. The Foundation's aims are to protect the glass heritage of Britain - initially aimed at protecting the collection housed at the threatened Broadfield House Glass Museum in Dudley, West Midlands, it is to be hoped that it will encompass glass heritage throughout the country thus ensuring protection for collections in other repositories which may be under threat.

The Glass Message Board has been supporting the save Broadfield House campaign since its inception, and has just had the announcement added to its Glass News forum along with an invitation for glass lovers everywhere to support the British Glass Foundation and its aims.

Glass lovers blog

I've just happened across the most amazing blog written by a lady in Argentina - all about glass. It has stuff I've never seen before - amazing glass, so worth adding here as a post methinks in case anyone happens to read my page: http://objetosconvidrio.blogspot.com/

Scottish Glass Conference 1-4 October 2010

The conference is to be held at Edinburgh College of Art from the 1st to 4th October 2010. It is possible to register and book accommodation from Scotland's Glass website.

With up to 32 lectures in three parallel streams, Contemporary, Paperweights and Historical, this will be the UK's largest glass conference. Including demonstrations of paperweight making, hot glass work and engraving.

Follow them on Twitter, Scotland's Glass website
and the special 2010 anniversary website

Historical

Sat 2 October
10.00 h - 11.00 h Jill Turnbull - Four hundred years: The rise, shine and decline of the Scottish glass industry
11.30 h - 12.30 h Brian Blench - Helen Monro Turner, the Edinburgh College of Art and its students
14.00 h - 15.00 h Geoffrey Seddon - Jacobite Rebellion and Scottish Glass
15.30 h - 16.30 h Stephen Pollock-Hill - The Scottish Glass Industry in the latter part of the 20th century: A revival?

Sun 3 October
09.30 h - 10.30 h Simon Cottle - 18th Century Enamelled Glass: The Scottish Connection
11.00 h - 12.00 h John Smith - The Duke of Hamilton cabinet, James Tassie. and Collection of glass in Duff House
13.30 h - 14.30 h Graham Cooley - Loch, Heather & Peat: Domnhall O'Broin & Caithness Glass
15.00 h - 16.00 h Julie L. Sloan - The Rose and The Sumac: The Stained Glass of C.R. Mackintosh and Frank Lloyd Wright
16.00 h - 17.00 h Nigel Benson - Can Ysart Glass Be Considered An Early Exponent Of Studio Glass?
16.00 h - 17.00 h Gordon McFarlan - Glass Engraving in Victorian Edinburgh, the Bohemian Connection.

Stained glass

Sat 2 October
15.30 h - 16.30 h Susan Bradbury - A Contemporary Stained Glass Studio

Sun 3 October
15.00 h - 16.00 h Julie L. Sloan - The Rose and The Sumac: The Stained Glass of C.R. Mackintosh and Frank Lloyd Wright

Mon 4 October
09.00 h - 10.00 h John Clark - The difficulties created by the increasing use of enameling in flat glass...

Contemporary

Sat 2 October
10.00 h - 11.00 h Alison Kinnaird - Ancient and Modern - Scotland and Egypt
11.30 h - 12.30 h Siobhan Healy - Natural form in Design
14.00 h - 15.00 h Patricia Niemann - Glass in Body Adornment
15.30 h - 16.30 h Susan Bradbury - A Contemporary Stained Glass Studio

Sun 3 October
09.30 h - 10.30 h Jessamy Kelly - Full Circle
11.00 h - 12.00 h Louise Tait - North Lands Creative Glass - The Northern Light in the World of Glass
13.30 h - 14.30 h Denis Mann - Engraving demonstration with live video
15.00 h - 16.00 h Rachel Elliott - The 21st Century Glass Artist in Scotland
16.00 h - 17.00 h The Scottish Glass Society - Recent Projects

Mon 4 October
09.00 h - 10.00 h John Clark - The difficulties created by the increasing use of enameling in flat glass...
10.00 h - 11.00 h Eric Hilton - The Reciprocity Between Industrial and Personal Creativity
11.30 h - 12.30 h Mike Hunter - Demonstration using the Pastoralle pick-up technique.
13.30 h - 14.30 h 50 years of the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers
15.00 h - 16.00 h Scottish Glass Society Annual Conference

Paperweights

Sat 2 October
10.00 h - 11.00 h Derek Carter - Hawick to Wick - the evolution of Scottish paperweight making from the 19th century to the current day
11.30 h - 12.30 h Dave Moir - An Almost Forgotten Master: Jack Allan.
14.00 h - 15.00 h Alastair MacIntosh - Drop o' the Hard Stuff Paperweight Demonstration
15.30 h - 16.30 h Mike Hunter - 17th Century Venetian blown caneworking & 19th Century European caneworking including demonstration

Sun 3 October
09.30 h - 10.30 h Andy Nowson - Caithness Glass Paperweights: 1969-2009 - A 40 year Adventure Pushing the Boundaries..
11.00 h - 12.00 h Alastair MacIntosh - Of Ice and Fire
13.30 h - 14.30 h To be announced
15.00 h - 16.00 h Andy Nowson - Paperweights & Artglass - the creativity of Caithness Glass Designers explored

Broadfield House Glass Museum

My dearly beloved and I finally managed to get to Broadfield House Glass Museum in May and it was well-worth the trip! What a fantastic collection of glass from through the ages right up to stunning contemporary work.

The current exhibition is Take 30 where thirty leading glass artists, all of whom have had connections with the Museum during its thirty-year history, have been invited to exhibit their work, including a great selection of contemporary pieces by our favourite glassmakers Adam Aaronson and Allister Malcolm.

Having explored Take 30, we set off round the rest of the displays and were just blown away by the glass we saw.

From everyday pressed-glass items like we own, to rare handmade pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries, we ooohed and ahhhed over them all.

The fabulous ewer above was one of my favourite pieces - how much would I like to have that in my possession?!

We spent a couple of happy hours exploring, enjoyed a cuppa and a chat with one of the Friends "manning" (or should that be "womanning"?) the tea bar, and another with the helpful friendly folks on the desk. All-in-all it was a great visit and we loved going.

My dearly beloved now says he realises why the glass community is so determined to keep the Museum open: it won't close whilst he lives, he said. I can just picture him lying in protest across the doors to prevent closure!!!

So, if you've not been then go, you won't regret it! And whilst you're at it, why not join the Friends of Broadfield House - every new member is more power to their elbow! :)

Broadfield House - new video report

Well presented and clearly documented case for the future of the Broadfield House Glass Museum.

Simon Bruntnell, glass photographer

I'm so looking forward to a new book coming out. It's by Simon Bruntnell, a photographer who specialises in glass pictures - and they are amazing! He did the photos for Marcus Newhall's Sklo Union book (see previous in this blog).

Anyhow, Simon's rounded up a whole load of his photos of contemporary glassmakers' work and has a book of them coming out in March 2010. I can't wait to see it!

Objects of Desire

New book about Scotland's Glass

In 2010, 400 years of glassmaking is being celebrated in Scotland with a whole year of events. Just published is a new book celebrating those 400 years, written by Shiona Airlie and Brian Blench, and entitled Scotland's Glass 400 Years of Glassmaking, 1610-2010, it's published by Cortex Design and can be bought from their website for a very reasonable £14.99. The book is large-format (280mm x 210mm), approx. 77pp, full-colour, printed on quality art paper and is fully illustrated with over 200 full-colour photographs.

Sklo Union Glass Video!

BHGM Consultation plan published

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums--galleries/glass-feasibility-study

Updated with the latest on the Feasibility Study and you can follow the campaign here:
http://saveourglassheritage.blogspot.com/

Linda Waltho, MP, raises Broadfield House in Parliament

Watch Linda Waltho speak. followed by the Minister for Museums, Barbara Follett's response here: (starts at time 07:16:00 ends 07:49:17)
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=4213

Well done to Linda for expressing the concerns not just of her constituents, but also of us glass enthusiasts wherever we may be. Let's hope that the commitment which Barbara Follett appears to have to keeping the collection intact and on display is borne out by reality, and that Dudley MBC take note that the eyes of voters in the borough and beyond are watching them, and that they do the right thing by the collection.

Read the Official Save the Museum blogspot

I just found that the campaign has its own blogspot, so please do go see what it say there too. http://saveourglassheritage.blogspot.com/

Supporting the campaign against closure of the Broadfield House Glass Museum

Mooching around the net (as you do!) I found all sorts of people who are supporting the campaign to save the Broadfield House Glass Museum, so thought I'd add links to some of their pages to my blog too...

Friends of Broadfield House (join and strengthen the voice of the Friends):
http://www.friendsofbroadfieldhouse.co.uk/

Judith Miller of Miller's Collectables and the Antiques Roadshow:
http://www.millersantiquesguide.com/blog/2009/02/save-broadfield-house-glass-museum/

Liz Lynne, MEP:
http://www.lizlynne.org.uk/news/001213/liz_lynne_mep_backs_campaign_to_save_historic_broadfield_house_glass_collection.html

Adam Aaronson, internationally-renowned glassmaker:
http://www.adamaaronson.com/adam.php?showExhibition=240&navID=17&subID=

Cambridge Glass Fair:
http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/Broadfield%20House.htm

David Hier over at Artsablaze:
http://www.artsablaze.co.uk/News/broadfield.html

Mark Hill, of Miller's Collectables and the Antiques Roadshow:
http://markhillcollects.blogspot.com/2009/01/broadfield-house-glass-museum-to-close.html

The Glass Association:
http://www.glassassociation.org.uk/News/broadfield.html

National Glass Collectors Fair:
http://www.glassfairs.co.uk/news.html#crisis

The Glass Circle:
http://www.glasscircle.org/Diary%20Dates/Events%20of%20Interest.html

Broadfield House Glass Museum closure - the fight goes on

Back in January the local council at Dudley in the West Midlands announced they wanted to close the world-famous Broadfield House Glass Museum by March 2010. This despite the fact that BHGM is one of the top-rated glass museums in the world, never mind in England.

Glass lovers everywhere (me included!) were motivated to fight the closure plans, and the fight goes on. It's moving from the realms of Dudley, where the council never seem to listen, to the halls of Government where Linda Waltho, MP, will raise an Adjournment Debate later today (June 18th) in the House of Commons. Barbara Follett will be the Minister replying to Lynda on Thursday so if she were to receive letters/emails from other MPs or Museum supporters that would help the campaign. http://www.barbara-follett.org.uk/contact/index.html

Photo courtesy of The Friends of Broadfield House Glass Museum