The opening night of the fourth British Glass Biennale played host to the elite of the glass world from the UK and overseas, who came to see the UK“s premier exhibition of glass. The glittering Priva…
The opening night of the fourth British Glass Biennale played host to the elite of the glass world from the UK and overseas, who came to see the UK“s premier exhibition of glass. The glittering Private View and Awards Ceremony evening saw six prizes totalling GBP 11,500 being announced in front of an estimated audience of 600. Competition was fierce amongst the 82 artists, selected from the 202 who entered the competition, with the finest in glassmaking talent being represented in the exhibition. Winning the British Glass Biennale Award for “Best in Show“ was Gaea Todd with “Reverberations.“ Jury chair Reino Leifkes, senior curator, Ceramics and Glass Collection V&A Museum said: The strong conceptual element of Gaea“s work, combined with the use of space, movement and graphic depth, is what really impressed us with this piece. There were however some very strong contenders for the “Best in Show“ and we would particularly like to commend Jeff Zimmer for “Scene of Death and Doubt“; Liz Waugh McManus for “Fairfield II“ and Tracy Nicholls for “Erosion # 4.“ The British Glass Biennale Award was made possible by the donations of Susan Dunn and Mark Holford. Susan, who presented the cheque to Gaea Todd said; I have attended the Biennale since it began in 2004 and each year I am blown away by the sheer quality of the glass on display and the excellence of curation. I am a passionate art lover and I have never seen an exhibition of glass which comes close to the spectacle that is the Biennale. I urge anyone who has the chance to come and see it before 11 September. The Biennale once again worked in association with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers to award four prizes; winner of the Glass Sellers Award was Shelley Doolan for “Iteration 456“ and the runner up was Jeffrey Sarmiento for “Ossify.“ The Student Award was given to Lisa Sheppy for “Charlotte“s Dress“ and Margareth Troli was the runner up with “007 Walter P99.“ Chair of the Glass Sellers jury, John Whiteman said: There is a warmth and undulating calm in Shelley Doolan“s work. Despite its serenity however, it is a dynamic piece – constantly changing with the light and its different surfaces. He continues Lisa Sheppy“s winning piece is of an incredibly high standard for the student award; it is well thought out and technically very strong whilst telling a great story with humour and personality. Awarded for the first time, the Art in Action Award for Contemporary Glass represents a collaboration between the International Festival of Glass and Art in Action. The winner, Tim Boswell received GBP 1,000 for “Afrika 1 Timbukone.“ Stephen Prendergast of Art in Action said: In judging this award we were looking for three key things: creative viewpoint, excellent craftsmanship and sensitivity to beauty. Tim Boswell“s work meets this criteria in everyway, with extraordinary craftsmanship in both colour and pattern. The end result is a beautiful piece of art. The Awards evening marked the start of the British Glass Biennale and the International Festival of Glass which runs from 27 to 30 August at various sites across Stourbridge“s Glass Quarter. The exhibition is open daily from 27 August to 11 September 2010 at the Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge; the heart of the historic glass industry in the UK. It is a selling show with 115 pieces of work ranging from small scale to large installations and prices from GBP 85 – GBP 11,000 for sale to collectors and buyers. The British Glass Biennale is part of the International Festival of Glass, a four-day event celebrating the drama and excitement of glass.
