FUSE Catalogue 2024

2024

Contents
Introduction 2
Donors 6
Judges 8
Through the looking glass: 2022 - 2024 12
by Caroline Field
Emerging Category Finalists
Madeline Cardone 44
Hamish Donaldson 46
Alexandra Hirst 48
Emeirely Nucifora-Ryan 50
Ember Satyn 52
Carman Skeehan 54
Established Category Finalists
Kate Baker 58
Clare Belfrage 60
Annette Blair 62
Mel Douglas 64
Hannah Gason 66
Katie-Ann Houghton 68
Tom Moore 70
Nick Mount 72
Ian Mowbray 74
Kirstie Rea 76
Layla Walter 78
Kathryn Wightman 80
Credits 82

Introduction
JamFactory is proud to present the
2024 FUSE Glass Prize.
The biennial FUSE Glass Prize is a juried,
non-acquisitive, $20,000 cash prize for
established artists residing in Australia or
New Zealand working in the field of glass.
An additional prize – the David Henshall
Emerging Artist Prize, comprising of $5,000
cash and a professional development
residency in JamFactory’s Glass Studio
valued at a further $5,000, is awarded to an
emerging glass artist. The FUSE Glass Prize
was established in 2016 and the winners of
the established category to date have been
Clare Belfrage (2016), Jessica Loughlin (2018),
Cobi Cockburn (2020) and Matthew Curtis
(2022). Winners of the emerging category
to date are Alex Valero (2016), Ursula Halpin
(2018), Madisyn Zabel (2020) and Bronte
Cormican-Jones (2022).
The 2024 FUSE Glass Prize attracted a record
101 entries from artists across Australia and
New Zealand including a great many of the
most accomplished and highly regarded
artists working with glass in the region. This
encouraging response made the short-listing
of finalists more difficult than ever before.
JamFactory is enormously grateful for the
efforts of the 2024 judging panel: Rhana
Devenport, Grace Lai, Aimee Frodsham,
Matthew Curtis and Brian Parkes who
assessed the applications and selected the
twelve finalists in the Established Category
and six finalists in the Emerging Category
via video conference, and who have
come together face to face in Adelaide to
physically examine the finalists’ works to
select this year’s winners.
Information about the 2024 winners will
be broadly circulated and available on the
dedicated website fuseglassprize.com
following a formal announcement on 9 May.
The FUSE Glass Prize provides a platform to
encourage artists working in glass to push
themselves and their work to new limits and
to focus significant public attention on the
importance of glass as a medium for
contemporary artistic expression. Australian
and New Zealand artists have established a
global reputation for technical innovation
and daring creativity in glass. The high calibre
and broad range of formal, technical and
conceptual approaches represented in the
work of the 18 finalists this year continues to
provide strong evidence of the strength of the
practice in our region.
The FUSE Glass Prize is an important
initiative for JamFactory and in 2021 we were
thrilled to extend the program and launch the
FUSE Glass Artist Residency, which is offered
every alternative year of the Prize and aims
to create significant opportunities for
2

Carman Skeehan, Sunday Morning (detail), 2023
Photo: Connor Patterson

Annette Blair, In stillness (detail), 2024
Photo: Adam McGrath
4

established, mid-career artists working in
glass. The residency at JamFactory enables a
selected artist to work with skilled assistants,
take risks and experiment with new work
using or incorporating hot blown glass.
Alex Valero was the inaugural recipient of
the Residency in 2021 and in 2023 it was
awarded to Marcel Hoogstad Hay.
In 2020 we expanded the FUSE Glass Prize
catalogue to include a major commissioned
essay surveying developments in the field of
glass art in Australia and New Zealand over
the previous two years. The author of that
essay was Margot Osborne, author of the
landmark 2005 publication Australian Glass
Today and we are confident that this biennial
series of essays will form a valuable archive
for students, artists, collectors and
researchers in the years to come. In 2022
we commissioned Powerhouse Museum
Curator, Eva Czernis-Ryl to write the essay
and this year we were delighted to engage
Caroline Field, Curator of the Australian
Catholic University Art Collection and
passionate advocate for glass art, to compile
a wonderfully comprehensive overview filled
with spectacular highlights for the sector
over the past two years.
JamFactory is a unique not-for-profit
organisation located in the Adelaide city
centre and at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa.
It is recognised nationally and internationally
as a centre for excellence in glass, ceramics,
furniture and metal design. JamFactory’s
Glass Studio is the longest running hot glass
facility in Australia and one of the largest
and best equipped studios in the Southern
Hemisphere. Associates (who are undertaking
our unique training program) and staff,
guided by current Studio Head Kristel
Britcher, work together to design and make
corporate awards and gifts, custom one-off
commissions, architectural work and small
production runs. Associates are also mentored
in the development of their own work and are
exposed to the many professional artists who
use the facility to create their work. Through
its Associate Training Program JamFactory
has trained well over 100 glass artists from
across Australia and around the world.
This publication accompanies an exhibition
of the same works at JamFactory in Adelaide
from 10 May to 7 July 2024; at the School
of Art and Design Gallery at the Australian
National University in Canberra from 8
August to 6 September 2024; and at
Australian Design Centre in Sydney from
3 October to 13 November 2024.
fuseglassprize.com

Donors
Thank you to our donors and partners.
The FUSE Glass Prize is a truly shining
example of how collective philanthropic
support can create great opportunities for
artists and add extraordinary value to the
work of arts organisations. The prize
evolved from conversations that began in
2014 between passionate glass art collectors
Jim and Helen Carreker and JamFactory.
The prize launched in 2016 and was funded
then, as it is now, entirely through private
philanthropy and sponsorship.
The Carrekers’ steadfast support has been
ongoing. They gifted additional funds in 2020
to enable significant evolution of the prize –
including the development of the FUSE
Glass Artist Residency in the alternate years
of the prize. The Carrekers subsequently
provided further funds through Foundation
SA to set up an endowment that will ensure
this important residency component will be
well supported until at least 2030.
Along with the Carrekers, we also want to
particularly acknowledge the ongoing
support of the Hon Diana Laidlaw AM,
another founding donor who has continuously
supported the prize since 2016 and who has
so helpfully assisted in enlisting additional
donors for the prize. We also acknowledge
the ongoing generosity and enthusiasm of
David McKee AM and Pam McKee as well
as Susan Armitage, Sonia Laidlaw,
Maia Ambegaokar and Joshua Bishop
and we warmly welcome new FUSE donor
and long-time supporter of JamFactory
Nicholas Linke.
We are also very grateful for support since
2020 from the David & Dulcie Henshall
Foundation, who have generously
supported the Emerging Artist Category
of FUSE through the David Henshall
Emerging Artist Prize – in honour of the
late David Henshall who was so committed
to nurturing emerging talent.
The FUSE Glass Artist Residency award
noted above includes the presentation of a
solo exhibition by the award recipient at the
iconic South Australian house museum
Carrick Hill, made possible by the generosity
of Pamela Wall OAM and her late husband
Ian Wall AM who began supporting the
FUSE program in 2018.
This generous group of donors has
contributed funds for the prizes as well as
the significant marketing and program
costs, enabling JamFactory to continue
to confidently promote this award as
Australasia’s richest prize for artists working
in glass. For artists, audiences and collectors
who are drawn to glass, there are many great
benefits arising from the continuing growth
of this wonderful prize and we, once again,
offer our sincere thanks to this group of
visionary donors.
JamFactory is also very grateful for the
contribution of supporting sponsors – Sofitel
Adelaide, The Louise luxury accommodation
in the Barossa and Seppeltsfield Wines.
6

Mel Douglas, Overshadow I, II, III (detail), 2024
Photo: David Paterson

Judges
Matthew Curtis
Glass Artist
2022 FUSE Glass Prize Winner
Matthew Curtis has developed a rigorous
material-based practice, focussed on the
shifting qualities of glass. His affinity,
dexterity, and experience are extensive
and experimental. He researches and
experiments with unconventional
approaches, extending traditional
techniques. Curtis was introduced to
glassblowing through an informal
apprenticeship, assisting at Denizen
Glass in Sydney in the early 90’s. Since
then, he has exhibited extensively. His
work is regularly curated into exhibitions
and International Art Fairs. He is based
in Queanbeyan, NSW, working from a
home-studio where he and his partner
Harriet Schwarzrock run a vibrant
glassblowing studio.
Rhana Devenport ONZM
Director
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Rhana Devenport ONZM began her tenure as
Director of Art Gallery of South Australia in
2018. She was previously Director of the
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (2013-2018)
and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye
Centre (2006-2013), both in Aotearoa New
Zealand. Devenport is a curator, writer and
cultural producer whose career spans art
museums, biennales and arts festivals. She
has held positions with the Biennale of Sydney
and Sydney Festival and was Senior Project
Officer with the Asia Pacific Triennial of
Contemporary Art at Queensland Art Gallery |
Gallery of Modern Art from 1994 to 2004.
Devenport was a Curatorial Advisor for the
Aichi Triennale 2022: Still Alive. In 2017
Devenport was the Curator for New Zealand’s
Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia with Lisa
Reihana: Emissaries. Internationally Devenport
contributes actively to advisory and selection
committees including the Mori Art Museum
International Advisory Committee and the
Taishin Arts Award, 2024. In 2018 she received
The New Zealand Order of Merit by Her
Majesty the Queen for her contribution to
arts governance.
8

Aimee Frodsham
Artistic Director
Canberra Glassworks, Kingston
Aimee Frodsham is the Artistic Director
at Canberra Glassworks, a role she
has held since 2018. Supported by
the dedicated Glassworks team,
she oversees the exhibitions, artist
residencies, studio access, education,
community engagement and
commissioning areas, working closely
with a team of independent skilled
glass makers. Frodsham is a curator,
producer and project manager with
an expertise in glass making and
contemporary Australia art, craft and
design. After graduating from ANU
Canberra School of Art in the late 90’s,
she moved to London and began working
at the V&A Museum and then at Tate in
the role of Collection Planning Manager,
a job that spanned all four of Tate’s
galleries. Since returning to Australia
in 2015, she has embedded herself in
the glass making community at
Canberra Glassworks.

Judges
Grace Lai
Curator of Applied Arts & Design
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War
Memorial Museum, Auckland
Guided by curiosity, Grace Lai is an art
historian and curator interested in
uncovering stories held by objects
overlooked or dismissed by history.
Positioning material culture as a decoder
of the immaterial, her research seeks to
untangle the complex web of connections,
histories, and social structures inherited by
objects in the hopes of addressing issues
that remain relevant not only to museums
and their collections but also to society
today. Lai has published extensively
on contemporary craft, with a focus on
studio glass, contemporary jewellery,
and surface design. In 2019, Lai curated
Carried Away: Bags Unpacked, a survey
of the carrier bags across culture and time.
Currently, Grace is the Curator of Applied
Arts & Design at Tāmaki Paenga Hira
Auckland War Memorial Museum where
she leads the exhibition, development,
and research of a nationally significant
archive of craft from Aotearoa New
Zealand and abroad.
Brian Parkes
Chief Executive Officer
JamFactory, Adelaide
Brian Parkes has been CEO at
JamFactory in Adelaide since April
2010. He has overseen significant
development of the organisation’s
exhibition and training programs and
substantial growth in its audience and
operational budget. He is passionate
about the social, cultural and
economic value of contemporary art,
craft and design and has worked in senior
curatorial and commercial management
roles in the Australian cultural sector
for over 30 years, including stints at the
Australian Design Centre, the Museum of
Contemporary Art and the National
Gallery of Australia. He has curated
numerous exhibitions focused on
contemporary Australian craft and
design including the first national survey
of contemporary design; Freestyle: new
Australian design for living in 2006 and
has remained active in mentoring and
supporting emerging artists, designers
and creative entrepreneurs over the past
two decades.
10

Through the looking glass: 2022-2024
by Caroline Field
This article provides a brief chronology of
events and achievements in contemporary
glass art in Australia and Aotearoa New
Zealand between March 2022 and March
2024, the latter being the date of the
announcement of the 2024 FUSE Glass
Prize. The piece highlights the successes of
outstanding glass artists during this period,
as well as the introduction of innovative
techniques in glass art, the major exhibitions
and the rapidly evolving landscape.
The United Nations (UN) declared 2022
the International Year of Glass (IYoG), after
the General Assembly approved a joint
application by the International Commission
on Glass, the Community of Glass
Associations and ICOM Glass. 1 The opening
ceremony, held at the Palace of Nations in
Geneva between 10 and 11 February 2022,
featured 30 esteemed speakers and was
streamed globally. Receiving 3,100 views
from 66 countries on the first day and 4,211
views from 72 countries on the second, the
ceremony included talks that centred on
glass’s significance, including its role in
fostering just and sustainable communities,
its impact on art and history, recent scientific
advancements and its representation
in museums.
Global activities associated with the IYoG
celebrated glass across various fields,
including historical and contemporary studio
and public art glass, science, technology,
architecture and sustainability. The IYoG
steering committee highlighted the
significance of this global recognition of
glass in uniting artists, institutions and
organisations worldwide. One notable event
was the sixtieth anniversary of the North
American Studio Glass movement, a
commemoration that included a National
Day of Glass event in Washington, DC. 2
While the IYoG was a global success, the
event planning in Australia, led by Dr
Bronwyn Hughes, faced challenges due to
time constraints caused by delays in the
initial UN endorsement. Assembling resources
and government funding for comprehensive
programs in the Oceania region (Australia,
Aotearoa New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the
Philippines) proved difficult. 3
At the local level, organisations continued to
advance both the profile of glass art and the
education of a new generation of glass artists.
The newly appointed CEO of Canberra
Glassworks, Elizabeth Rogers, set to work
on goals and strategies that would boost
the organisation’s performance in education,
exhibitions, facilities and retail, while also
fostering industry and public engagement.
At the top of her agenda was establishing
Canberra Glassworks as a premier hub for
national and international contemporary
glass art. Despite disruptions due to the
legacy impact of COVID-19, she anticipated
an exciting year, with the resumption of public
programs and classes, the reopening of the
Tom Rowney, Cherry Low Form - Tesserae Series, 2022
Photo: Adam McGrath
12

etail area and the reinstatement of
the artist-in-residency program.
Meanwhile, JamFactory, in Adelaide,
continued to support and nurture
contemporary glass practice. Under the
leadership of Kristel Britcher, its Glass Studio,
through its Associate Program, maintained
a strong focus on career development and
training for emerging artists and designers
working in hot glass. Post-pandemic,
demand has grown for bespoke commissions
and the manufacturing and production of
glassware. The biennial FUSE Glass Prize
and the related glass artist residency
continues to be a strategically important
program for the organisation.
Glass also features prominently in
JamFactory’s retail, exhibition and touring
programs. One notable project was the
14-venue national tour of the JamFactory
ICON exhibition, Tom Moore: Abundant
Wonder, spanning three years, which
concluded in September 2023 and was
viewed by more than 70,000 visitors
across the country.
Gabriella Bisetto, senior lecturer in
contemporary art at UniSA Creative, noted
a post-COVID slowdown in enrolments,
prompting a suspension of Pilchuck Glass
School scholarships. Nonetheless, sculptural
practice graduates, particularly Sally Craven,
demonstrated innovative glass approaches in
the 2022 New Glass Review. Bisetto also
highlighted the impact of the upcoming
UniSA and University of Adelaide ‘merger’,
resulting in course consolidation. Elective
courses, including glass, are now offered
only once a year instead of twice,
temporarily reducing student enrolment
in specific mediums. 4
Andrew Lavery, co-director and co-chair of
the Sydney College of the Arts, acknowledged
the college’s resilience during COVID-19.
Despite a move to new premises just before
the pandemic, the college maintained
teaching in all disciplines, including ceramics,
glass and jewellery. Notably, there was
unexpected sustained interest from
international students, possibly driven by a
desire to pursue degrees in a time of limited
options. With online courses having been
implemented, by 2022 the situation had
improved, leading to financial stability. 5
Jeffrey Sarmiento, a senior lecturer at ANU
College of Arts and Social Sciences, arrived in
Canberra in early 2022, after initially teaching
online from the UK. Reflecting on 2022–23,
he highlighted the transition from virtual to
tangible outcomes, emphasising students’
dedication to glasswork using traditional
techniques such as glassblowing alongside
more recent casting processes and digital
technologies. Sarmiento has brought his
expertise in digital technologies to teaching,
for example, waterjet cutting and glass 3D
printing, inspiring a new mindset in Australian
glass artist students:
From my experience abroad, UK and the
USA, the influence of digital and fabrication
technologies in glass has been impressive,
JamFactory Glass Studio, Adelaide
Photo: Connor Patterson. Courtesy of JamFactory
14

16

and these areas are making big developments
in Australian Contemporary Glass. With the
new glass 3D printing machine produced by
Maple Glass Printing, which enables glass 3D
with recycled glass, this new technology is
available to a wide range of practitioners –
including students! 6
Donna Kennedy, director at Glaas Inc,
highlighted the global resurgence of warm
and stained glass, confirming a partnership
between Glaas Inc and Melbourne
Polytechnic, which has received a significant
Victorian Government grant, of $950,000.
The Polytechnic’s courses, which cover
various aspects – from safety to
sandblasting, lead lighting to stained glass,
painting on glass to preservation, heritage
and innovation – were transforming the
institution into a vibrant hub for glass art.
Workshops and exhibitions with a First
Nations focus are also offered. 7
Canberra artist Mel Douglas had a remarkable
year in 2022. In February, she was a finalist for
the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
for her work Deviation (2020). Her meticulous
glasswork explored the fusion of drawing and
three-dimensional objects to create an illusion
of depth through cutting, kiln-forming and
hand-engraving. She later travelled to Korea’s
Seoul Museum of Craft Art as a Craft Prize
finalist, taught at Corning Studio in New York,
and showcased solo exhibitions at Traver
Gallery, in Seattle, and Sabbia Gallery, in
Sydney.
In February 2022 Melbourne artist Holly Grace
also launched a highly successful
exhibition, A Lost Song, at Sabbia Gallery,
her elegant, refined work exploring textural
engraving and the transfer of imagery onto
glass. The central concerns of the work were
loss and discovery, reflecting recent cultural
and environmental events. Jacqueline
Bradley’s exhibition The Tender, held at
Canberra Glassworks, inspired audiences with
her wearable sculptures and performances
exploring the human bond with nature
through a series of installations. Her carefully
crafted glass peaches were intricately
designed, and focused on the symbolic
representation of peaches across seasons,
depicting their growth, decay and historical
significance. This body of work was developed
during her residency at Canberra Glassworks.
Te Rongo Kirkwood, a Māori artist
working in kiln-formed, cold-worked glass,
presented her deeply moving work Te Rangi
i totongia a Tamatekapua (2022) during the
Sculpture on the Gulf exhibition on Waiheke
Island, following her residency at New
Zealand Glassworks Te Whare Tūhua o Te Ao,
in Whanganui. Perpetual Guardian Sculpture
on the Gulf adorned the awe-inspiring coastal
walkway that overlooks Matiatia Harbour – a
gateway to Waiheke Island. At just over two
metres high, Kirkwood’s sculpture revisited a
historical clash between Tainui and Arawa for
control of Waiheke. The towering basalt
formation, in four sections, incorporates a
Māori worldview, which anchors tupuna
(ancestors), whakapapa (existential links
between all things) wairua (life force) and
Jacqueline Bradley’s exhibition The Tender installed at Canberra Glassworks, 2022
Photo: Brenton McGeachie

the relationship between the past, present
and future. Encased red glass discs symbolise
the conflict between Tainui and Arawa
commanders, who were vying for control of
their tribal groups iwi. Hoturua of Tainui and
Tamatekapua of Arawa both claimed to have
been the first to establish a sacred altar on
the volcanic island, leading to a dispute.
Hoturua defeated Tamatekapua, drawing
blood and asserting Tainui’s dominance,
resulting in the island being named ‘Te
Rangi i totongia a Tamatekapua’ (the day
Tamatekapua shed blood).
In March, celebrated Canberra artist Kirstie
Rea presented an extensive solo exhibition,
The Breadth of Stillness, at Japan’s Toyama
Glass Art Museum. The exhibition, which
comprised recent work alongside a fourdecade
retrospective, received funding from
the Australia Council for the Arts and the ACT
Government, as well as official support from
the Australian Embassy in Tokyo and the
Japan–Australia–New Zealand Association
of Toyama. Featuring more than 50 glass
sculptures and installations, the exhibition
included pieces from The Folded Series,
reflecting nature’s softness, and The Rake
Series, illustrating farming’s impact on the
land. These artworks underscore her respect
for place and the interconnectedness of
humanity and the environment. The exhibition
was accompanied by a handsomely
produced catalogue.
New Zealand artist Vicki Fanning presented
her mesmerising exhibition, Upon a Moment,
at Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua, in
Whanganui, in May 2022. The display featured
three large-scale sculptures crafted from
polycarbonate and flame-worked Borosilicate
glass, inspired by designs from the Wanganui
Glass Company dating to around 1922. Emma
Bugden, strategic lead of Creative Arts at
Whanganui & Partners, noted that Fanning’s
work ‘was part of a growing trend among
New Zealand glass artists exploring
large-scale installations’. She added, ‘The
district also witnessed a creative shift in the
development of an indigenous glass language,
with Māori artists like Te Rongo Kirkwood,
Mike Crawford, and Claudine Muru shaping
the industry’. 8
In the same month, artist Matthew Curtis
from Queanbeyan, New South Wales (NSW),
secured the JamFactory’s non-acquisitive
2022 FUSE Glass Prize, and was awarded
the major $20,000 cash prize. Margin (2022)
impressed Judge Cobi Cockburn with its
‘totemic sculptural’ form, showcasing a
profound understanding of glass properties
and a play of light, colour, and translucency as
one moves around it’. 9 Another award-winner,
Sydney-based artist Bronte Cormican-Jones
won the David Henshall Emerging Artist
Prize, receiving $2,500 and a JamFactory
residency, for Sightlines (2020). An artist
and writer, Cormican-Jones explores spatial
dynamics in her sculptural installations and
performances and is intrigued by materials
such as glass for its transparency and lightreflection
qualities, as well as its influence
on architecture and perception of space.
Vicki Fanning’s exhibition Upon a Moment installed at Sarjeant on the Quay, 2022
Photo Michael McKeagg. Courtesy of Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui
18

20

The funding support of IYoG has increased
the global recognition of the biennial FUSE
Glass Prize. The 2022 FUSE Glass exhibition,
featuring works from 18 finalists – including
12 established and six emerging artists – was
shown at JamFactory, in Adelaide, from May
to July. It continued its tour at Canberra
Glassworks from August to September,
concluding at the Australian Design Centre in
Sydney, from October to November.
In June, Tim Edwards secured the 2022 Tom
Malone Prize for Contemporary Australian
Glass, with his captivating work Ellipse #8
(2021). This prestigious award celebrates
innovation, and Edwards’s winning work was
acquired for the collection of the Art Gallery
of Western Australia (AGWA). Artist Giles
Bettison and judges from the AGWA,
including foundation benefactor Sheryl
Grimwood, foundation governor Elizabeth
Malone and AGWA curator Robert Cook,
lauded the work for its serene, yet powerful,
presence, meticulous craftsmanship,
and deliberate exploration of light
and perception. 10
Following her Canberra Glassworks residency
in 2021–22, multimedia artist Patricia Piccinini
exhibited her thought-provoking series
A Miracle Constantly Repeated during
Melbourne’s Rising festival, in June 2022.
Known for exploring inter-species adaptation,
ethics and biotechnology, Piccinini used glass
to symbolise fecundity and germination.
She described the bubbling glass forms as
representing organic vitality, cellular division
and the vibrant colours of new life’s
brightness and beauty. 11 Piccinini worked
closely with teams led by artists Annette
Blair, Ngaio Fitzpatrick, Tom Rowney and
Spike Deane.
In July, as part of its annual ICON series
honouring influential South Australian visual
artists, JamFactory presented the remarkable
solo exhibition Jessica Loughlin: Of Light.
Curated by Caitlin Eyre, the exhibition
featured Loughlin’s ground-breaking, fused
kiln-formed glass sheets, whereby she
experimented with opacity, translucency
and geometric shapes to evoke shadow and
reflection. Lauded for its restrained palette
and focus on emptiness, light and space, her
work reflects her 25-year journey as a studio
glass artist. This exhibition, which also toured
13 venues nationally, was accompanied by a
comprehensive monograph on the artist,
titled From Here, authored by Julie Ewington
and Tina Oldknow and co-published by
JamFactory and Wakefield Press.
Quandamooka artist Megan Cope’s
mesmeric kiln-cast glasswork, comprising 250
pieces and titled The Tide Waits For No One
(2020–21), was part of the survey exhibition
Embodied Knowledge: Queensland
Contemporary Art, held at the Queensland
Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in August.
The exhibition represented a platform for
emerging and established contemporary
artists and collectives, and addressed the
themes of identity, heritage and history,
effectively spotlighting the rich and diverse
artistic culture of Queensland. Cope’s striking
glasswork offered a profound exploration of
Tim Edwards, Ellipse #8, 2021
Photo: Grant Hancock

artistry and cultural significance. Spike Deane
and Peter Nilsson worked closely with Cope
to realise this body of work, which followed
the artist’s Canberra Glassworks residency
and exhibition Unbroken connection in
May 2021.
Cobi Cockburn delighted Sydney’s Sabbia
Gallery visitors in September 2022 with her
20 kiln-formed, cold-worked glass wall
panels, collectively titled Silhouette. Hailed
as an ‘existential hymn to our essence’, the
exhibition stripped away superficiality to
illuminate ‘what makes us human’. 12
Cockburn’s panels, which played with light,
line and transparency, were transcendent
minimalist gateways to other dimensions.
These intricately layered compositions,
kiln-fused to perfection, hinted at innovative
concepts and possible connections among
imagined elements. Seamlessly traversing
glass and diverse traditions, Cockburn’s art
eloquently weaves confident, poetic
reflections on the great depths of our
worldly existence. The artist’s large-scale
panels were also featured in Sabbia’s
exhibition of new works by eight leading and
emerging Australian and Indigenous artists
for Sydney Contemporary 2022. Holly Grace’s
glass installations, Tim Edwards’s dynamic
sculptural glass, and whimsical glass vessels
by Nyanu Watson and Cassaria Young Hogan,
from Ninuku Arts, were also on display.
In late October the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
| National Art Glass Gallery hosted a weekend
focused on glass art. It included the opening
of the exhibition Glass Chrysalis: Glass Art of
Promise; the Ausglass AGM; an insightful talk
by curator Grace Cochrane, exploring the
origins of art glass in Australia and the
ongoing influence of Ausglass on the local
studio glass scene; and the launch of the
long-awaited Vicki Torr retrospective. Glass
Chrysalis celebrated the development,
creativity and innovation of 11 outstanding
early-career glass artists. Co-curated by
Caitlin Eyre, Aimee Frodsham, and Michael
Scarrone, this exhibition showcased evolving
trends in contemporary studio glass.
Importantly, it provided a platform for
emerging artists to gain exposure, enrich
their careers and highlight innovation and
excellence in contemporary glass.
Nicholas Burridge, Bronte Cormican-Jones,
Louis Grant, Alexandra Hirst, Rita Kellaway,
Mitch Mahoney (Boon Wurrung / Barkindji),
Jessica Murtagh, Michelle Stewart, Nancy Yu,
Shirley Wu and Sorcha Yelland each displayed
a small selection of works produced within
the past two years.
Vicki Torr: A cutting edge honoured this
influential artist, reaffirming her status as a
revolutionary Australian glass artist. From
functional forms to her acclaimed ‘double
cones’, her distinctive pieces underscored
her innovative practice during the late 1980s.
She has received much acclaim, including
the Women 88 Award from the Australian
Bicentennial Authority, for her ‘funky’ raw,
yet finely crafted, vessels. Her international
recognition was cemented through exhibitions
in New York and Japan. Although she passed
away in 1992, aged just 42, Torr’s legacy
endures through an art prize in her name
Vicki Torr, Double Cone, 1991
Australian Catholic University Art Collection (ACU). Donated by Declan Somerville, 2022
Photo: Liam Somerville
22

established by Ausglass, and her work is
included in public collections and private
galleries across Australia. The exhibition
was curated by Caroline Field and supported
by Ausglass and the Australian Catholic
University (ACU).
While many were disappointed that the
long-anticipated Ausglass conference,
planned to coincide with the IYoG, was
delayed because of the pandemic, it was
finally locked in for February 2023. Other
news from Ausglass is the significant change
to its board, which occurred in June that
year. Treasurer Sheryl Grimwood is optimistic
about the restructure, emphasising new board
members’ commitment and their diverse skills.
She acknowledges the volunteer nature of the
organisation and intends to engage a broad
range of members, from established
to emerging artists, the aim being to tailor
offerings for diverse representation and
activities and to seek input for meaningful
improvements. The next Ausglass conference
is set for February 2025 in Poatina, Tasmania. 13
Canberra’s Glassworks created glass artwork
to meet the needs of various multidisciplinary
artists, including for the marble sculptor Alex
Seton for use in chandeliers crafted for his
exhibition at the Lock-Up in Newcastle,
NSW, an homage to Leonora Glassworks
and post-Second World War club aesthetics.
Seton, who was exploring new materials,
found the fluidity of glass both challenging
and invigorating during his mid-year residency

24

at Canberra Glassworks. In an interview with
Judith Blackall, he expressed his excitement
over the immediacy of glasswork compared
with the slow, solitary process of
marble carving. 14
During her residency at Canberra Glassworks,
Sydney-based interdisciplinary artist Consuelo
Cavaniglia created an immersive installation,
night changes things, you can’t see exactly
how but you can feel it in your bones, in the
unique Smokestack Gallery, attracting 20,000
visitors. Through reflection, transparency and
light, she explored sensuous colour optics
using thin panels of kiln-formed glass. Her
later exhibition, Through the door that holds
you, held in October 2022 at the UNSW
Galleries, was part of a series of exhibitions
curated by José Da Silva, the director of
UNSW Galleries. The series, a collaboration
with the Canberra Glassworks artist-inresidency
program and featuring work by
Cavaniglia, Mel Douglas, Liam Fleming and
Louis Grant, showcased contemporary
glass art and explored perception, form
experimentation and the fluidity of identity.
Celebrating the accomplishment of the artists,
the series offered substantial exhibition space,
whichis rarely available to glass artists. 15
In Canberra and Sydney, artists continued
in their flourishing endeavours. Lisa Cahill
focused on substantial architectural projects
in her 170-square-metre Fyshwick studio. She
worked on a significant artwork commission,
Aurora Borealis – a site-specific installation
spanning six metres, located at Atlanta’s Nobu
Hotel, in the USA. Comprising 11 kiln-formed
glass panels, the artwork elegantly mirrors
the sweeping arcs of the Northern Lights. Her
gallery representation in San Francisco and
Pittsburgh was instrumental in her securing
such an opportunity. Cahill also created an
installation for Maison Vacheron Constantin’s
Sydney flagship boutique on 104 King Street.
Through techniques such as enamelling,
etching, engraving and intricate glass layering,
her iconic Maltese cross designs evoke
Australia’s landscapes while echoing the
luxury emblem of Constantin’s timepieces.
Hannah Gason’s Arranging Light opened
in October at Canberra Glassworks. Her
collection of refined kiln-formed glass pieces,
using transparent and opaque glass, marked
a transformation in her practice, leading to a
Canberra Critics Circle Award. Sydney-based
Yuwaalaraay wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson
collaborated with Bundanon Art Museum
and Glassworks to produce a series of
exquisite kiln-formed glass pieces for
Bundanon’s Siteworks 2022: From a Deep
Valley. Simpson draws on her extensive
Indigenous knowledge to explore natural
materials, address environmental issues
along river landscapes, and highlight
continuity and exchange.
Harriet Schwarzrock’s commissioned public
artwork, Murmuration (2020), was celebrated
at Canberra Museum and Gallery as part
of the DESIGN Canberra Festival 2022.
Schwarzrock collaborated with DJAS
Architecture on the project, with close
support from Canberra Glassworks and
other specialists. The artwork features
Consuelo Cavaniglia, untitled (ruby gold extra), 2022
Photo: Russell Winnel. Australian Catholic University Art Collection (ACU)

around 900 blown-glass forms in a
suspended, three-dimensional spiral,
symbolising the natural spectacle of
murmuration, whereby tens of thousands of
birds create incredible shapes in the sky by
merging and swirling in complex patterns.
Installed in a prominent entry foyer space,
the approximately eight-metre-long artwork
creates an emotive, human place for public
interaction beyond traditional art spaces and
serves as a focal point for engaging building
owners and patrons in the promotion of art
in architecture.
The New Zealand Society for Artists in Glass
(NZSAG) recognised outstanding talent at its
2022 end-of-year members show. Mike
Crawford, a mid-career Māori artist, won
the Lazelle Supreme Award ($3,000) for
his exquisite cast-glass piece featuring the
Kahu bird. Emerging artist Lisa Bate received
the Murray and Denise Lazelle Merit Award
($1,000) for her remarkable technical skill in
deconstruction and reconstruction methods,
while Vicki Fanning secured the Innovation
Award ($500) for her captivating piece
fairgroundunicorn, which used a blend of
glass and silicon to achieve expressive results.
Justine Olsen, the curator of decorative
art and design at Te Papa Tongarewa, the
Museum of New Zealand, noted that, while
the awards were modest in prize money, they
served as crucial incentives for sustaining
innovative glass art in the country. 16
Sydney artist Spence Messih presented Minor
Truths, a collection of large-scale works, at
the Murray Art Museum in Albury, NSW.
The works in the exhibition blended
kiln-formed glass, intricately crafted jarrah
armatures, text and audio to investigate the
interplay between revealing and concealing in
abstraction. Messih’s art explored language’s
transience, power structures, physical forms
– and truth itself – from personal experience,
with Robert Cook commending both Messih
and glass-maker Louis Grant for their mastery
of the medium and explicitly queer viewpoint,
and their ‘ability to unpack power dynamics’. 17
A summer special issue of Art Monthly
Australasia, subtitled Glass Now, was launched
in December 2022 at Canberra Glassworks.
Although the print run was 5,000, the
magazine also has 47,000 Instagram
followers and 100,000 readerships. Guest
editor Aimee Frodsham enthused, ‘Glass
seems to be having a contemporary
moment’, 18 and she highlighted some
outstanding international achievements. She
noted Yhonnie Scarce’s exhibition at the Palais
de Tokyo and the Aichi Triennale, recalling
that the artist’s work Remember Royalty
(2018) was jointly acquired by Tate, London,
and the Museum of Contemporary Art
Australia. She also noted that the Corning
Museum of Glass’s international survey, New
Glass Now, which travelled to the Smithsonian
American Art Museum, included Australian
artists Kate Baker, Mathew Curtis, Nadège
Desgenétez, Judi Elliott, Jenifer Kemarre
Martiniello (southern Arrernte), Blanche
Tilden, Mel Douglas and Kirstie Rea. Baker’s
digitally printed glass panel mounted on
mild steel, Within Matter #1 (2020), featured
prominently in exhibition promotion.
26

The closing ceremony for the IYoG took place
in early December at the Yasuda Auditorium,
University of Tokyo, Japan. Arts writer Gina
Riley observed:
So, while it may initially feel like an anomaly,
2022 – as the UN International Year of Glass
– has been a catalyst to shift perceptions and
shake up antiquated pigeonholing of glass as
‘craft’. Adding to the community of Australian
glass artists today – many of whom are
internationally recognised – is a swag of
contemporary artists choosing to work with
glass to extend their practice, in an exciting
blur that is triggering a re-emergence of the
medium … It is a long way from the perceived
bunkers of craft. 19
Former Ausglass president Elaine Miles spoke
of the success of the biannual Australian Glass
Artists Association conference, held at the
Australian Catholic University, Melbourne,
in February 2023. Titled Futures Past, the
conference 20 explored the futures and
histories of glass and glass-making, and the
dialogue between them. The conference
centred on three main themes: history and
tradition (First Nations, art history, critical
discourse and Ausglass luminaries); modern
technology and innovation (cross-disciplinary
practice, the post neo-craft movement,
rediscovery of light and neon, and
digital applications); and future challenges
in glass-making sustainability
and responsibility.
Keynote speaker Grace Cochrane presented a
paper titled ‘Ausglass: and its “Futures Past”‘,
which detailed the 45-year history of Ausglass
up to the Futures Past conference. 20 Kirstie
Rea honoured Klaus Moje’s impact on
Australian glass art, emphasising his
passion for the medium and his dedication
to teaching. Gerry King paid tribute to Peter
Kolliner for his role in advancing Australian
glasswork. A panel discussed Cedar Prest’s
ground-breaking work in stained glass and
community arts. Prest herself delivered an
engaging presentation
on her practice.
In other lectures, Steven Cole shared his
extensive knowledge gained from neon
workshops. Harriet Schwarzrock elaborated
on her use of inert gases such as argon,
krypton, neon and xenon, captured in
illuminated heart-shaped blown glass. Blanche
Tilden explored glass’s possibilities, including
technology, modernism and cultural values
in jewellery. Maree Clarke, a Yorta Yorta /
Wamba Wamba / Mutti Mutti / Boonwurrung
woman from northwest Victoria, discussed
the reclamation of lost Aboriginal practices,
as well as collaboration in producing art.
Susanne Jøker Johnsen and Richard Whiteley
offered international perspectives: Johnsen
is directing the European Glass and Ceramic
Context project at the Royal Danish Academy
and Whiteley is serving as the Senior Program
Manager at the Corning Museum of Glass.
Additionally, Simone Fezer, a German artist
and educator from the Academy of Fine Arts
in Stuttgart, conducted a workshop and gave

28

a lecture at Monash University, demonstrating
her expertise in crafting body-inspired
blown-glass sculptures.
During the conference Annette Blair
was awarded the prestigious Vicki Torr
International Year of Glass Prize for her
installation A Quiet Afternoon in May (2022).
This remarkable work formed part of Blair’s
solo exhibition Quietly Spoken, held at
Canberra Glassworks in 2022. Drawing
inspiration from everyday objects, Blair
transforms glass into flawless re-creations
of items such as paintbrushes, oil cans and
buckets, infusing them with memories and
fixing them in time. The award celebrates
the dynamism of the contemporary glass
movement and the innovation and creativity
of Australian glass artists. Blair received not
only the non-acquisitive prize of $10,000 but
also earned the 2023 People’s Choice Award,
valued at $1000. Madeline Cardone won the
Vicki Torr Emerging Artist Prize for Embodied
(2021), with Liam Fleming receiving the Vicki
Torr Memorial Prize for Transitory Vessel #1
(2022). The Sabbia Gallery Exhibition Award
– a two-year mentorship and a solo exhibition
for glass artists with fewer than five years
experience – was awarded to Rita Kellaway.
With 300 attendees, the conference
prompted numerous serious discussions.
Holly Grace highlighted JamFactory’s
importance but also noted the challenges
it faces due to a lack of skilled students and
no glass major at UniSA, compounded by
COVID’s financial impact. ‘Becoming proficient
in glass art’, she stated, ‘demands time and
practice, with a need for technical training
and precise coordination’. 21 Jeffrey Sarmiento
credited ACT’s glass scene to Canberra
Glassworks’s ability to engage in partnerships.
He championed collaborations and diverse
career paths for artists and students.
Aimee Frodsham and Brian Parkes praised
collaborations between non-traditional artists
working in glass, such as Maree Clarke, Megan
Cope, Patricia Piccinini and Alex Seton, and
skilled glass-makers, bringing exciting new
work to life. Andrew Lavery pointed to
diverse elective courses that fostered
interdisciplinary studies and self-discovery
at the Sydney College of the Arts. Conversely,
Clare Belfrage voiced concerns about
evolving university roles impacting on the
future of glass practice in Australia,
emphasising the need for university support
and individual skill development.
Concurrently with the conference, Craft
Victoria held the exhibition Interior
Landscapes, which showed works by
distinguished Australian glass artists Mr
Donegan, Mrs Fatt (both from Ninuku Arts),
Clare Belfrage, Brenden Scott French,
Holly Grace, Jessica Loughlin and Kirstie
Rea. Curated by Margaret Hancock Davis and
Holly Grace, the exhibition explored diverse
techniques and approaches inspired by the
local landscape and cultural identity.
On Sunday 26 February, New Zealand
mourned the loss of esteemed glass artist
Lyndsay Patterson in a motorbike accident.
His death deeply affected many: he was
described by Sarjeant Gallery as a ‘stalwart
of glass in Whanganui’, 22 while AVID Gallery
in Wellington noted ‘Such a tragic loss to the
Philip Stokes, Hope Bug, 2023
Photo courtesy of the artist

New Zealand arts community’. 23 A two-time
finalist in the Ranamok Glass Prize and a
recipient of the prestigious Thomas Glass
Award from the Dowse Art Museum,
Patterson created refined work and is
represented in numerous public and private
collections, including Te Papa Tongarewa
and the Dowse Art Museum. Patterson was
founder of Chronicle Glass Studio and Gallery
in Whanganui, and spent years crafting
glassware for the film The Hobbit.
Across the period of review, renowned art
glass-makers in New Zealand continued to
produce exceptional work, such as Luke
Jacomb at Masterworks Gallery Auckland;
Philip Stokes, Emma Camden and David
Murray in Whanganui; Leanne Williams and
Jim Dennison from Chrystal Chain Gang;
and Layla Walter and Claudia Borella at
Avid Gallery, Wellington.
In March 2023, Canberra Glassworks
presented Tom Rowney’s outstanding artwork
in Aventurine Spirit, curated by Caroline Field.
Blending glass-blowing steeped in Venetian
traditions with contemporary flair, Rowney
conjured amazing textures and patterns onto
simple shapes, transforming the everyday
into objects of desire. Rowney won the 2023
Canberra Critics Circle Visual Art Award for
skilfully combining fantasy, virtuosity,
creativity, fearlessness, colour and precision.
Also held in Canberra in March was Kate
Baker’s exhibition at ANU’s School of Art &
Design Gallery. The exhibition, a component
of her doctorate, offered a sophisticated
exploration of human experience through
suspended glass forms.
In April, Chick Butcher presented 11 wall-based
sculptures and a single standing work,
fabricated from cast glass, steel and acrylic
sheet, at Sevenmarks Gallery, NSW. Founded
in December 2022 by Nina and Cesar Cueva,
along with Chick Butcher and Cobi Cockburn,
this innovative gallery focuses on
contemporary art, including glass. Butcher’s
solo exhibition, Vault, was comprised of a
series of ‘unhurried studies’, derived from
introspection, reflection and the passage of
time. Butcher’s works emerge from a realm he
terms ‘dark pretty’ 24 and blend rusted metal
and reflective black glass to evoke both a
high-security repository and a fortress of the
artist’s suppressed emotions and experiences.
A third-generation glass artist based in
Binnalong, NSW, Peter Minson received formal
recognition of his remarkable contributions to
Australian lampworking in May 2023 from the
Churchill Trust. Although he initially studied
as a scientific glassblower, his practice has
evolved to include artistic and functional
works. His superb teapots, cups and glasses
are a testament to his exceptional skill as a
glassblower. Craft ACT commissioned author
Nola Anderson to write a comprehensive
essay on Minson’s intricate and delicate
glasswork, the essay also noting his generous
teaching support for fellow glass artists.
30

Drew Spangenberg, Ensemble bottles, 2022
Photo: Connor Patterson

Edward Waring’s exhibition Instinctive Travels at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, 2023
Photo: Simon Hewson. Courtesy Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney
32

The Melbourne Design Fair, held at the
Convention and Exhibition Centre in May,
offered an abundance of local and
international design excellence, with
JamFactory presenting Drew Spangenberg’s
stunning installation Ensemble bottles
and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
including Jessica Murtagh’s blown-glass
vessels. Canberra Glassworks presented works
by Mel Douglas and Tom Rowney, as well as
Lucy Simpson’s small-scale sensual casts of
the freshwater mussel shell (or dhanggal). In
the joint exhibition Versa at the Meat Market
Stables in North Melbourne, designer Tom
Fereday showcased limited edition modular
tables, constructed from 70 per cent recycled
glass and 30 per cent quartz sand. Fereday,
with fellow designer Charlie White, aimed
to transform end-of-life materials in this
fascinating presentation. Coinciding with
this popular event, Gallery Funaki, in central
Melbourne, presented necklaces by Blanche
Tilden, these made with combinations of
coloured and transparent borosilicate glass,
anodised titanium and silver.
Mel Douglas also captivated global audiences
with her seductively minimalist engraved glass
forms at London’s 2023 Collect Art Fair,
and at Luminance, an exhibition held at
Caterina Tognan’s Arte Contemporanea in
Venice during the Biennale Architettura 2023.
In collaboration with American artist Nancy
Callan, Douglas participated in a May
residency at the Centre du Verre
Contemporain, in Biot, France, creating
stunning artwork that celebrates the interplay
of form, pattern, balance and design.
Adding to the momentum, arts writer Elli
Walsh offered an extensive analysis of the
artist’s practice in Artist Profile, fittingly
titled ‘Reading between the lines’. 25
Australia’s rich stained-glass legacy was
celebrated at the May launch of Dr Bronwyn
Hughes’s seminal publication, Lights
Everlasting: Australia’s commemorative
stained glass from the Boer War to Vietnam.
As Hughes notes, stained-glass windows have
served as enduring memorials to soldiers,
with hundreds installed across Victoria, South
Australia, Asia and beyond. Yet, despite their
significance, many are now hidden or
forgotten, tucked away in underused church
buildings. While striking for their visual allure,
these windows encapsulate extensive
histories. Preserving these windows ensures
that future generations will continue to honour
those who fought for their country and
will safeguard their memory for years
to come. 26
The 2023 Glass Art Society (GAS) conference
took place between 7 and 10 June in Detroit,
Michigan, bringing together the global glass
community for four days. With more than 100
presenters, the event incorporated lectures,
demonstrations and special events at various
locations, including the College for Creative
Studies, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the
Russell Industrial Centre. It was standing-room
only for Jeffrey Sarmiento’s presentation on
3D glass printing with the Maple Glass 3D
Printer at the College for Creative Studies
Campus. Elaine Miles highlighted GAS’s
international reach despite its being primarily

focused on the United States. Initially linked
with institutions and large companies such
as the Corning Museum, Urban Glass and
Pittsburgh Glass, GAS expanded its
conferences to diverse locations like
Amsterdam and Murano. In 2022, the
conference was held online, which some
found overwhelming, in that it resembled
television viewing. 27
Artist Edward Waring captivated viewers
with his expertly assembled collection of
found vintage crystal and glass objects in his
exhibition at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert,
in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. Working
instinctively in his ‘crystal lab’, he achieved
formal balance by rearranging dishes, vases,
ashtrays and candleholders. Waring
transformed these objects by introducing
colour, painting the volume rather than the
surface, and highlighting interior curves, the
latter achieved by allowing light to play across
the glass. Arts writer Chloé Wolifson noted:
The melancholy contained within these relics
from a fading way of life, makes way for a
warmer nostalgia, in which they are literally
filled with colour and brought to life. Once
upended, functionality gives way to form,
and the viewer is drawn to the details, where
transparent ubiquity had previously rendered
them with a sameness. 28
34

In June, Elizabeth Malone, founder of the
$15,000 acquisitive Tom Malone Prize for
contemporary Australian glass artists,
regretfully announced that the Art Gallery of
Western Australia would no longer facilitate
the award, which has been a vital national
platform for Australian glass artists since
2003. The Tom Malone Prize will continue,
however, under Sheryl Grimwood’s patronage.
The new model, which comprises a prize
exhibition at Linton and Kay Galleries in
Perth’s old art precinct and a five-year
commitment, aims to generate and encourage
sales for participating artists. Liam Fleming
has recently been announced as the 2024
recipient of the prize.
Following her Soneva Fushi residency in the
Maldives, where she joined a glass-recycling
initiative, Clare Belfrage received a residency
in northern NSW, immersing herself in the
area’s natural environment. These experiences
significantly shaped her exhibition In the Glow
of Green, which opened at Tweed Regional
Art Gallery in August. Belfrage’s captivating
works were inspired by the patterns, rhythms
and textures she observed on surface
growths such as moss, lichen and bark, which
reflected, in her words, ‘the intricate layers of
time, life, and regeneration found in forests’. 29
The exhibition, spanning two gallery spaces –
one featuring wallpaper inspired by the green
in her artwork – was arguably one of the finest
installations shown in a regional gallery.
Also opening in August 2023, 1001
Remarkable Objects, at the Powerhouse in
Ultimo, Sydney, featured various items
from the institution’s collection deemed
‘remarkable’ for their rarity, visual appeal,
social and cultural history, or ability to evoke
wonder – eschewing traditional labels like
‘treasures’ or ‘masterpieces’. Curated by Leo
Schofield and a curatorium comprising Eva
Czernis-Ryl, Ronan Sulich and Mark Sutcliffe,
this popular exhibition included outstanding
works by renowned glass-makers and
designers. It showcased works by Brian Hirst,
Emma Varga, Nick Mount, Toots Zynski,
Stanislav Libenský, Jaroslava Brychtová,
Lino Tagliapietra, Bertil Vallien, Dick Marquis,
Ingeborg Lundin, Philippe Starck, Timothy
Horn, Carlo Scarpa, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello,
Klaus Moje, Dale Chihuly and Tom Moore,
as well as a lavish chandelier by Ken+Julia
Yonatani, inspired by environmental
degradation and global economic concerns.
Working at a smaller scale is the Glassery, a
collective of five artists from around Meanjin
(Brisbane), comprising Christine Atkins, Jo
Bone, Aaron Micallef, Lucy Quinn and Jarred
Wright. The group continued its experimental
work in scientific cast glass, despite their lack
of a hot-glass facility. The collective’s recent
exhibition presented an intriguing array of
abstract sculptures, light installations,
interdisciplinary artwork, and finely crafted
design pieces, which toured from Brisbane
to Maryborough, and then on to the Gympie
Regional Gallery.
In September, Ngaio Fitzpatrick, Matthew
Curtis, Jacqueline Knight and Thor Diesendorf,
along with Small Impact founders Gina Fairley
and Scott Chaseling, showcased their work in
the exhibition Aggregate: Perspectives in
Recycled Glass, held at the Mixing Room
Clare Belfrage’s exhibition In the Glow of Green at Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Alley Art Centre
Photo courtesy of the artist

Gallery, at Thor’s Hammer, in Canberra. In
the same month, Canberra Centre launched
Hannah Gason’s striking glass installation
Twelve Hours of Daylight. Inspired by
the local flower festival, Floriade, this
commissioned work, produced in partnership
with Canberra Glassworks, consisted
of transparent and opaque glass in which
fused intricate patterning created layers
and lines designed to capture nature’s
transformation of the environment.
Australian glass art was prominently
represented by galleries during Sydney
Contemporary 2023 in September. The event
displayed the exceptional work of artists such
as Jessica Loughlin, Clare Belfrage and Janet
Laurence. At Sabbia’s stand, Nyanu Watson,
from Ninuku Arts, enchanted viewers with
her hand-blown and -painted glass vessels
adorned with charming bird motifs; and, at
Auckland’s Gow Langsford’s booth, Tony
Cragg’s gravity-defying cast-glass Substance
(2015) was in the spotlight.
Also in September, the Art Gallery of South
Australia presented Light and Colour, an
exhibition showcasing Liam Fleming’s recent
transition to sculptural glasswork, curated
by Rebecca Evans, the gallery’s curator
of decorative arts and design. After
completing a residency at Canberra
Glassworks and receiving the South Australian
Guildhouse Fellowship for mid-career artists,
valued at $50,000, Fleming immersed himself
in a 2023 residency at the University of South
Australia, where many of the exhibited works
were produced. Evans noted that Fleming’s
‘super, super elegant’ creations reflected
their modernist influences. The larger pieces,
in vibrant mid-century hues, took shape as
intricately folded, mould-blown structures, as
exemplified by his Trichrome (RGB) (2023)
series. Fleming’s trajectory as a glass artist is
worth following closely. 30
Jessica Murtagh secured second prize, worth
$10,000, in the inaugural MAKE Award for her
etched ‘classical’ vessels, inspired by ancient
Athenian ceramic amphoras depicting daily
life. The MAKE Award celebrates innovation
across the diverse fields of fashion,
urniture, jewellery, woodwork, textiles and
glass. Introduced by the Australian Design
Centre, in Darlinghurst, Sydney, this biennial
accolade recognises craft and design
innovation nationally.
Across the period under review, glass-makers
have continued to produce exceptional work
in New Zealand. In October, Masterworks
Contemporary Art Gallery in Auckland
presented Mike Crawford’s glass vessels
in the form of abstracted birds and fish.
Drawing from his vast experience and
knowledge of wetland wildlife, Crawford’s
exhibition celebrated an indigenous glass
language among Māori artists in the country.
Renowned Canberra artist Judi Elliott,
acknowledged for her innovative use of
colour in glass art, was honoured with a
retrospective exhibition at Sabbia Gallery
in November. The showcase highlighted
the depth of her practice and featured
kiln-formed sculptures, glass, ceramics and
recent paintings inspired by her Enrico
Taglietti home. Elliott’s work centres on
36

architectural elements, portraying houses
and walls through simplified geometric
forms, vibrant primary colours and expressive
textures. Originally a ceramic artist, Elliott
was drawn to glass and undertook an
Associate Diploma in Glass at the Australian
National University’s School of Art. After
graduating in 1985, she travelled to the United
States to study at the Pilchuck Glass School in
Washington. Her work is represented in public
and private collections throughout Australia
and internationally, including in the National
Art Glass Collection in Wagga Wagga, the
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, the
Düsseldorf Kunstmuseum in Germany and the
Corning Glass Museum in New York.
Timothy Horn’s large and ornate sculptures
made an impressive contribution to the
exhibition Fairy Tales, which opened in
December at the Queensland Art Gallery
|Gallery of Modern Art. His multidisciplinary
practice explores the convergence of natural
and artificial elements and includes the use
of various materials, such as cast and blown
glass, metals, transparent rubber and sugar.
The distinguished glass collector Sandy
Benjamin described the artist’s work as
‘brimming with brilliantly executed,
captivating ideas, which make his work
irresistibly seductive and engrossing!’ 31
The 2023 FUSE Glass Artist Residency
recipient, Marcel Hoogstad Hay, completed
work at JamFactory’s Glass Studio in time
for his solo exhibition, Sublime Scales, in
November, at Carrick Hill in Adelaide. His
innovative, experimental approach explores
space and matter and uses traditional
Jessica Murtagh, Modern Relic VIII, 2021
Photo: Jesse Reagon. Australian Catholic University Art Collection (ACU)

Venetian cane techniques to create intricate
patterns. Symbolising disrupted life paths,
these patterns are influenced by quantum
phenomena and the earth’s topography.
His work, which challenges conventions,
prompts consideration of humanity’s place
in the universe.
In another exciting development, Maree
Clarke won the $60,000 Melbourne Prize for
Urban Sculpture 2023 for her innovative glass
renderings of natural indigenous elements.
Her winning work, a glass canoe measuring
between three and four metres in length and
patterned with microscopic river reeds,
reflected her extensive research and
experimentation with glass. Clarke had spent
two months studying river reeds and taking
microscopic images of their cross-sections
at the University of Melbourne’s School of
Biomedical Sciences before travelling to the
USA to further explore the reed cross-section
patterns through glass during an artist
esidency at Pilchuck.
Additional insight into the ancient practices
of the Kulin Nations comes from Clarke’s
collaboration with Broached Commissions
and Charter Hall in the creation of seven
ethereal cast-glass branches, with the
assistance of Spike Deane from Canberra
Glassworks. These enchanting branches,
suspended in the Australian Federal Police’s
new headquarters in Melbourne’s Wesley
Place Church forecourt, exude a haunting
charm and are intricately embedded in
cultural heritage.
Annette Blair also undertook a residency at
the Pilchuck School, balancing her personal
artistic endeavours with the role of gaffer
alongside Seattle-based glass artist Dan
Friday. Also at Pilchuck School, Kirstie Rea
taught a mid-year class titled ‘Transparent
mirror’, covering kiln-forming, cold-working,
found objects, construction and mixed media.
The class explored how sheet-glass,
kiln-forming and cold-working processes
could reflect ideas and concerns about place.
In a significant achievement, Scott Redding,
the director of New Zealand Glassworks in
Whanganui, secured Creative New Zealand
funding of $48,000 for its 2024 internship
program. Available only to New Zealand
citizens and residents, this ten-month
opportunity encompasses roles such as
glass technician and teaching assistant and
focuses on hands-on experience, safety
training and assistance to professional artists.
As New Zealand Glassworks enters its seventh
year, it stands as a key centre for art-glass
practice, nurturing innovation and
sustainability. Redding highlights its crucial
role in supporting the next generation of
glass artists, particularly given the absence
of glass-blowing education in New Zealand.
Contemporary glass-makers had a strong
presence in the National Gallery of Victoria’s
Triennial 2023. Spanish artist and designer
Jaime Hayon was represented by his striking
Afrikando collection of seven glass vessels,
manufactured in 2017 by Nason Moretti. Swiss
artist Franziska Furter’s Haku, a large-scale
installation of thousands of hand-threaded
Selinda Davidson, Tali Tjuta, 2021
Photo: Andre Castellucci

glass beads, emulates ethereal swathes of fog.
Two of Jessica Murtagh’s sandblasted glass
vessels from her Modern Relics series
(2020–21) were prominently displayed, while
three of Selinda Davidson’s hand-worked
glass vessels, created during the artist’s
mentorship with Clare Belfrage at
JamFactory’s glass studio, also featured.
Inspired by traditional mark-making and
tjukurrpa (ancestral stories), Davidson’s
textured linear paintings on glass are the
result of her extensive experimentation with
the medium as a cultural form of expression.
Renowned Melbourne-based glass artist Ruth
Allen continues to provide essential support
to prominent contemporary artists such
as Darren Sylvester. Her assistance was
instrumental in creating the vibrant and
shimmering suite of snowmen’s glass heads
for Sylvester’s highly anticipated exhibition,
The Heads of Snowmen, held in February
2024 at Neon Parc, Brunswick, Melbourne.
Sylvester actively participated with Allen
throughout the production process. 32
Heralding the new year, curator Clothilde
Bullen commenced the exhibition program
at the Art Gallery of Western Australia with
a major show of Yhonnie Scarce’s glass and
mixed-media works. Titled Yhonnie Scarce:
The Light of Day, the exhibition was a
component of the 2024 Perth Festival.
A Kokatha / Nukunu artist, Scarce is
renowned for her stunning glass installations
that tease out Australia’s nuclear-testing past
and the impact of colonisation on Indigenous
communities. Her glass yam installations,
combined with historical imagery, illuminate
the dehumanising effects of colonisation and
the legacy of nuclear activity at Maralinga
and Woomera, South Australia – Scarce’s
birthplace. The monumental scale of these
works, with oversized glass yams suspended
to resemble grand chandeliers, highlights the
sublime beauty of glass while telling a very
dark story.
While 2022–23 began with some
challenges to the glass-art ecology, largely
a consequence of the pandemic, this
review demonstrates that the sector gained
momentum and included many stellar
achievements of which it can be rightfully
proud. Without doubt, the expressive
medium of glass continues to inspire its
accomplished practitioners and engage
a dedicated following.
The author is grateful to the following
individuals, who generously shared their
knowledge and information: Gabriella Bisetto
of UniSA; Emma Bugden and Scott Redding;
Grace Cochrane; Robert Cook of AGWA;
Eva Czernis-Ryl of Powerhouse Museum;
Rebecca Evans of AGSA; Aimee Frodsham of
Canberra Glassworks; Anna Grigson of Sabbia
Gallery; Sheryl Grimwood of Ausglass;
Bronwyn Hughes and Donna Kennedy of
Glaas Inc; Andrew Lavery of Sydney College
of the Arts; Aaron Micallef; Elaine Miles;
Justine Olsen of Te Papa Tongarewa, the
Museum of New Zealand; Brian Parkes of
JamFactory; Jeffrey Sarmiento of the ANU;
and artists, Ruth Allen, Kate Baker; Clare
Belfrage, Annette Blair; Lisa Cahill; Hannah
Gason, Holly Grace; Brian Hirst, Jacqueline
Knight, Jessica Murtagh and Kirstie Rea.
Caroline Field is Curator of the Australian
Catholic University Art Collection.
40

1
ICOM – International Council of Museums.
2 See https://ceramics.org/event/national-day-of-glass/,
accessed 30 June 2023.
3 Bronwyn Hughes, interview with author, 16 October 2023.
4 Gabriella Bisetto, email to author, 26 October 2023.
5 Andrew Lavery, interview with author, 9 October 2023.
6 Jeffrey Sarmiento, interview with author, 2 October 2023.
7 Donna Kennedy, interview with author, 16 October 2023
8 Emma Bugden, email to author, 6 December 2023.
9 ‘Queanbeyan artist wins major glass prize’, Canberra
City News, 13 May 2022, https://citynews.com.au/2022/
queanbeyan-artist-wins-major-glass-prize/, accessed 20
December 2023.
10
Giles Bettison, Elizabeth Malone & Robert Cook, ‘Judge’s
comments’, Contemporary Australian Glass: The Tom
Malone Prize 2018–2022, Art Gallery of Western Australia,
Perth, 2022, p. 120.
11
See Brooke Boland, ‘Care and love with Patricia Piccinini’,
Vault Australasian Art & Culture, no. 44, November 2023 –
January 2024, pp. 42–7.
12
Robert Cook, https://sabbiagallery.com/exhibition/
cobi-cockburn-3, accessed 3 October 2023.
13
Sheryl Grimwood, interview with author, 21 December
2023.
14
Judith Blackall, ‘New directions: artists who have recently
taken their practice somewhere different’, Art Collector, no.
103, January–March 2023, pp. 160–3.
15
José Da Silva, email to author, 21 December 2023.
16
Justine Olsen, interview with author, 13 November 2023.
17
Robert Cook, interview with author, 25 October 2023; see
also, ‘Being “mediumed”: Louis Grant and Spence Messih’,
Art Monthly Australasia, no. 334, Summer 2022, pp. 100–7.
18
Aimee Frodsham, ‘Welcome to Issue 334’, Art Monthly
19
Gina Fairley, ‘Exhibition review: Consuelo Cavaniglia, Mel
Douglas, Liam Fleming, Louis Grant: four exhibitions that
shift the perceptions around the medium of glass, pushing it
to the front of contemporary making’, Arts
Hub, 19 October 2022, https://www.artshub.com.au/news/
reviews/exhibition-review-glass-artists-2587323/, accessed 7
February 2024.
20
Grace Cochrane, ‘Ausglass: and its “Futures Past’’: a history
to celebrate the 45th year of Ausglass and its 21st Futures
Past conference in 2023’, https://ausglass.org/
ausglass-history-reflection, accessed 10 October 2023.
21
Holly Grace, interview with author, 6 October 2023.
22
Seargent Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui,
Instagram post, 3 March 2023.
23
Lyndsay Patterson (1959–2023), AVID Gallery, https://www.
avidgallery.com/artist/lyndsay-patterson, accessed 22
December 2023.
24
Chick Butcher, interview with author, 23 April 2023.
25
Elli Walsh, ‘Reading between the lines: Mel Douglas’,
Artist Profile, no. 62, pp. 66–72.
26
Bronwyn Hughes, interview with author, 16 October 2023.
27
Elaine Miles, interview with author, 18 November 2023.
28
Chloé Wolifson, ‘Edward Waring – instinctive travels’,
Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert, 14 July – 13 August 2023,
https://gallerysallydancuthbert.com/exhibitions/43/
overview, accessed 30 December 2023.
29
Clare Belfrage, interview with author, 25 May 2023.
30
Rebecca Evans, interview with author, 10 October 2023.
31
Sandy Benjamin, interview with author, 20 December 2023.
32
Allen, Ruth, interview with author 2 February 2024.
Australasia, no. 334, Summer 2022, pp. 12–14.

Emerging Category Finalists

Madeline Cardone
Madeline Cardone lives and works on
Ngunnawal and Ngambri country. She gained
a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) and a
Bachelor of Art History and Curatorship from
the Australian National University’s School of
Art and Design, Canberra in 2021. Cardone is
primarily trained in glass, and engages with
other mediums such as ceramic, drawing,
metal and performance. Her current
trajectory explores architectural theory
and phenomenology, with a particular
interest in shadow, light, space, and the body.
Cardone often works to develop experimental
and unconventional ways of making with
her materials, with an inherent sensitivity
towards subtle surface and refined form.
My work meditates on the notion of ‘glass
as skin’, but is further concerned with
conveying an embodied experience of
space and bodily memory. I am interested in
the idea of the body as a mould for space and
creating a dialogue between form and spatial
phenomena; an object that brings shape
particularly to spatial qualities of shadow,
palpitating, enveloping, ambiguous and
mysterious. The work plays with sensory
as well as material tensions through the
use of black glass: between the tactile and
intangible, lightness and weight, moment and
memory, movement and stillness, the familiar
and the alien, control and non-control. This
connects to my current approach to kiln
forming - how non-control is as
uncomfortable as it is freeing.
44

Nero, 2024
kiln formed glass, 150 x 35 x 330 each panel
Photo: Bridie Mackay

Hamish Donaldson
Hamish Donaldson comes from a lineage of
glass artists. His grandparents are glass
engravers and his parents, uncle and brother
are glassblowers. Donaldson has been around
glass all his life. Gaining his early training in the
family’s studio before completing JamFactory’s
Associate Program in the Glass Studio,
Donaldson has also undergone masterclasses at
the Pilchuck Glass School, USA; Glass Furnace,
Turkey; Canberra Glassworks and JamFactory.
Donaldson is now based back on the
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, working in and
out of the family studio. He produces a range of
production and art works that take inspiration
from the natural world and the deeper
mysteries lying within it that can remind us of
our deeply connected and interwoven oneness.
Donaldson’s work evolves through a dialogue
with the natural forces underpinning life and
brings forth emanations of the forces that are
working beyond our perceptual field. He takes
inspiration from temple structures and the
lineages across the globe that use these
spaces to invoke and commune with the
unseen, as well as the vibratory nature of
matter beyond our means of perception.
Using cymatics, the study of visible sound
and vibration, as one way of bringing forth
such unseen realities to our attention,
Donaldson illuminates the beauty of the
intricate patterns, depth of complexity and
harmony holding our reality together.
46

Lazuli, 2024
blown and solid glass, 180 x 180 x 540
Photo: Kevin Gordon

Alexandra Hirst
Alexandra Hirst is an emerging Adelaide
based artist living and working on the
traditional lands of the Kaurna people.
While obtaining her Bachelor of Visual Arts
(Sculpture) from the University of New South
Wales, she was exposed to glassblowing
through an international exchange program
and was instantly drawn to the materiality
and collaborative nature of glass craft. Hirst’s
work spans glassblowing, glass casting and
installations, and are heavily inspired by
repetitive patterns, cycles of the natural world
and emotional connection. In her work, she
combines the fast-paced and heated
excitement of glassblowing with the slow,
labour intensive and meditative task of
etching and carving into glass. Hirst’s practice,
which began as a reflection of her
surroundings, has evolved into an aesthetic
and emotive lens for the projection and
reflection of her personal experience that
explores themes of non-verbal expression,
meditation and therapy. The transparency
and optical qualities of glass makes it the
perfect medium to explore these themes
along with repetition and layering.
Much like the steadfast resilience of rocks
shaped by the relentless force of water, we
mark and mould ourselves by the currents of
our environment. These lines, meticulously
carved into soft, organic blown glass forms,
act as tangible reminders of the unseen
influences that shape our perceptions,
actions, and emotional landscapes. Each
line is a journey we traverse, echoing the
complexity of our ever-changing landscape.
Just as the glass reflects and refracts light,
so too do we reflect the traces of
our environment.
In 2019, Hirst completed her Masters in Glass
at the Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland,
where she learned to incorporate digital
technologies with traditional glassblowing
and casting techniques.
Her 3D printed cast glass artworks, Building
Blocks, 2020 and Fractals, 2022 were
finalists in the emerging artist category of the
FUSE Glass Prize. Following her Masters, Hirst
undertook JamFactory’s Associate Program
in the Glass Studio, where she now works as a
glassblower while she continues to grow her
artistic practice.
48

Leading Lines, 2021
hand blown glass, carved and fire polished, 600 x 300 x 400
Photo: Connor Patterson

Emeirely Nucifora-Ryan
Born on Gadigal land (Sydney) and raised
on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land (Canberra),
Emeirely Nucifora-Ryan completed a
Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) at the
Australian National University’s School of
Art and Design in 2018. In 2019,
Nucifora-Ryan participated in Richard
Wheater’s Neon Green Futures Masterclass
at the Canberra Glassworks where she
developed her passion for neon. Although
her practice uses a variety of materials,
Nucifora-Ryan is drawn to glass, as she finds
a sense of wonder in the properties of glass
through its ability to refract, reflect, and
transmit light. The inert nature of glass
allows it to house noble gases and
through the process of cold cathode
lighting (CCL) it can create a variety
of effects.
This body of work was created over seven
months. My aim was to produce a circle of
bent glass every day from the time I was
chosen to exhibit to the time of installation,
allowing time for the tubes to be bombarded
and filled with inert gas. This work allowed
me to practise the skill of bending glass into
a particular form, tracking my progress from
April through October. A circle is understood
to be the hardest shape to bend - an
experience that the earliest circles I bent
are testament to. Focussing on this one
shape, my aim was to capture the progress
of daily practice and document the reality
of a working artist: the empty spaces
representative of the days when life got in
the way of that practice.
The pure quantum of light created by the
scale of the combined pieces produces a
version of the Ganzfeld effect. By denying the
viewer any blue light, the emitted hues can
vary, causing the eye to doubt what it sees.
The resulting piece Processed, July 2023
explores how process and ritual contribute
as a journey does to the final destination,
where a tangible sensory experience can
be afforded through profound and
disciplined introspection
50

Processed, July 2023, 2023
glass, neon, transformers, high tensile cable (HTC), 2100 x 120 x 1500
Photo: Brenton McGeachie

Ember Satyn
Ember Satyn is an emerging contemporary
visual artist living and studying on Kaurna
Country. She completed her Bachelor of
Contemporary Art at the University of South
Australia and is currently undertaking her
Honours in Creative Arts. In her practice,
Satyn investigates the texture and
distortion of the human form through glass.
She is drawn to the intensity, physicality and
unusual characteristics of glass, and integrates
plaster and casting to push her explorations of
the materiality of glass and the human body.
Perceptible explores the human form,
abstracting it through glass to create
uncanny mildly familiar forms. These textured
lifelike pieces are created through mould
blowing into casts taken of the artist’s wrists.
By transforming the body into a glass object
and segmenting it, it can be defamiliarised.
The unusual shapes and irregularities of the
wrist become more visible when seen on
these hollow forms. The texture of the skin
pores and the lines from where the palm
folds become obvious blemishes on the clear
glass. Through the transparency of glass,
direct replications of the human body can be
turned into imperceptible unhuman objects.
The translucent, luminous appearance of the
glass, devoid of colour enables the pieces to
maintain a ghostly, unreal quality.
52

Perceptible, 2023
mould blown glass, 155 x 170 x 60
Photo: Pippy Mount

Carman Skeehan
Carman Skeehan is a glass artist and
maker living in Adelaide. Having completed
JamFactory’s Associate Program in the
Glass Studio in 2023, Skeehan has hit a
milestone in her work, elevating her artistic
practice. Guided by meticulous creative
process, Skeehan centres her work on the
art of storytelling through glass, exploring
the intersection of narrative and materials.
She draws inspiration from early oil painting
and still life arrangements, creating a unique
likeness in glass materials. Skeehan’s work
is an exploration of these elements,
seamlessly blending them to create
unique and compelling pieces of art.
Sunday morning challenges viewers’
perceptions of reality, inviting them to
explore the intersection of memory and
material. It is poised to be unique, questioning
the make and material of each piece,
captivating audiences and redefining
the boundaries of glass art. This still life
transcends the conventional boundaries of
blown glass art. Each piece becomes a frozen
moment in time, inviting viewers to explore
the relationship of memory, material and
narrative, and challenging their perceptions
of handmade blown glass.
54

Sunday Morning, 2023
blown glass, solid glass colour, enamel paints, 600 x 320 x 250
Photo: Connor Patterson

Established Category Finalists

Kate Baker
Kate Baker is a contemporary artist whose
practice merges photo, print and moving
image technologies with studio glass.
A PhD Candidate of the Australian National
University’s School of Art and Design, her
practice is based in Sydney. Baker’s work has
been widely exhibited both nationally and
internationally including at the Smithsonian
American Art Museum, USA; Corning
Museum of Glass, USA; Toyama Museum of
Glass, Japan; Palm Springs Art Museum, USA
and New Mexico Museum of Art, USA.
Both a finalist and winner of national and
international art prizes, scholarships and
grants, Baker’s artworks are featured in
collections globally.
The maternal gaze embodies its own poetry
of love and longing. Saturated in intimacy, the
bond between mother and child transcends
material reckoning. In this series, I merge
the inky veil of the digital image with the
reflective material of silver glass mirror
to capture and abstract light, thereby
bringing into being that which is
otherwise beyond vision.
58

Untitled (André), 2024
digitally printed silver glass mirror, 730 x 30 x 1100 each panel
Photo: the artist

Clare Belfrage
Clare Belfrage has maintained a distinguished
arts practice for over 35 years. Her detailed
and complex glass drawings on blown glass
forms reflect the high-level skill and innovative
approach to her craft that makes her one of
Australia’s most renowned artists in this
medium. Inspired by nature and its various
rhythms and energies, Belfrage’s exquisite
sculptural objects express her fine attention to
detail, a fascination with pattern and rhythm
and deep connection to the natural world.
Belfrage has received several prestigious
awards including the inaugural JamFactory
FUSE Glass Prize in 2016 and the Tom Malone
Glass Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia
in 2005 and 2011. She was the featured artist
for the 2018 SALA Festival and celebrated as
one of South Australia’s most influential artists
working in a craft medium through
JamFactory’s ICON series, presenting a solo
exhibition, A Measure of Time, for a three year
national tour. Belfrage continues to exhibit
extensively and is represented in major public
collections throughout Australia, USA and
Europe including the National Gallery of
Australia, Canberra; Corning Museum of
Glass, USA; Tacoma Museum of Glass, USA:
Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark; Castello
Sforzesco Museum, Italy and Nijima Glass
Museum, Japan.
This piece was made in response to a research
period spent in the rainforests of Eastern
Australia. In a dim light that glowed green,
the vibrancy of surface growths and
coverings, particularly moss, lichen and bark
are astoundingly beautiful. It is about the
layering of time, the life, death and decay,
and re-generation that is ever present in
the rainforest landscape. Expressing our
connection to the natural world is as
important as ever, but perhaps with a new
kind of urgency attached. I am moved and
inspired by forces in nature that are quiet
and gentle, powerful and profound.
60

In the Glow of Green Collection, 2023
blown glass with cane drawing, sandblasted and pumice polished, 1590 x 350 x 440
Photo: Pippy Mount

Annette Blair
Annette Blair is a glassmaker based near
Canberra, where she works of out the
Canberra Glassworks as well as her home
studio in Burra, New South Wales. She is a
maker who has dedicated her 24 year
practice to refining technical processes in
order to celebrate the beauty and movement
of glass as a material, while also exploring
connections with people, place and the
narratives of objects. With a broad skill-set,
Blair also works regularly as a gaffer,
fabricating glass works for other high-profile
artists as well as traveling to teach
glassblowing and glass painting nationally
and internationally. Completing her Bachelor
of Arts (Honours) at the Australian National
University’s School of Art in 2004, Blair then
relocated to Adelaide where she completed
JamFactory’s Associate Program in the Glass
Studio. Returning to Canberra in 2008, Blair
works with a talented team of glassblowers
and continues to grow her diverse practice.
In stillness explores the residues of passing
time and our connection to people and place.
Referencing familiar, functional objects which
are often overlooked, I celebrate their life of
purpose, the quiet stories held within, and the
traces left behind by people who may have
lived with and used these objects. Building up
layers of glass enamels and rust, I honour the
imagined narratives of these objects and their
decay, while further exploring the potential of
the medium by utilising and expanding upon
traditional glass-working techniques. I employ
both control and surrender to the material
when creating these works, using heat and
material knowledge to engage with the work
while allowing the glass to have its own voice.
The malleability and permanence of the
material allows me to reimagine these forms
while at the same time preserve them.
62

In stillness, 2024
blown, cold worked, enamelled and rusted glass, 490 x 470 x 330
Photo: Adam McGrath

Mel Douglas
Mel Douglas has worked as an independent
studio artist since 2000. In 2020, Douglas
was awarded her PhD from the Australian
National University for practice-lead research
investigating how studio glass can be
understood through the aesthetics of
drawing. In addition to winning the 2014 and
2020 Tom Malone Prize, a prestigious award
through which a work is acquired each year
into the collection of the National Gallery
of Western Australia, Douglas has received
several major awards including the Ranamok
Glass Prize in 2002 and Glasmuseet Ebeltolft’s
International Young Glass Award in 2007, as
well as her selection as the Art Group Creative
Fellow at the Canberra Glassworks. In 2019,
Douglas’ work was the inaugural acquisition
for the National Gallery of Australia’s Robert
and Eugenie Bell Decorative Arts and Design
Fund. Her work is held in the private
collections and public institutions both
nationally and internationally, including the
National Gallery of Australia; Corning Museum
of Glass, USA; Chrysler Museum of Art, USA
and Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark.
Objects and drawings are often thought of
as two separate entities. My work explores
and interweaves the creative possibilities of
this liminal space, where the form is not just a
support for drawing, but a three-dimensional
drawing itself. Using the unique qualities of
the material, and the rich potential of mark
making on and with glass, I am using line
as a way to inform, define and enable
three-dimensional space.
Overshadow I, II, III, 2024
framed glass drawing on hand rolled glass
770 x 50 x 500 each panel. Photo: David Paterson
64

Hannah Gason
Hannah Gason is a visual artist living and
working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country.
Since graduating from the Australian National
University’s School of Art and Design in 2015,
Gason has been working from her studio at
the Canberra Glassworks. She has exhibited
both nationally and internationally, holding
solo exhibitions at the Canberra Glassworks
and Drill Hall Gallery as well as featuring work
at Sydney Contemporary. Gason has also been
commissioned to create large-scale works in
public settings, such as an installation for the
Canberra Centre to coincide with Floriade,
and a painted ground mural in response to
Frank Hinder’s ceiling mosaic for Design
Canberra. Her glass work was included in
Canberra’s Enlighten Festival, in 2020, with a
light projection on Parliament House. Gason’s
work is housed in the Australian Parliament
House Art Collection, Australian National Art
Glass Collection and Australian National
University Art Collection.
My practice is an exploration of perception
and space through glass, colour and light.
I am interested in subtle shifts of colour,
repeating patterns and contrasts between
flatness and depth that occur around changes
in light. I am fascinated by the materiality
of glass and the way in which is interacts
with light through qualities of transparency,
opacity, surface texture and form. My
practice has consistently explored these
qualities through carefully arranged
compositions, layering of glass and
considered light application. Light has the
unique ability to both articulate and create
an illusion of space. I create works that
contain tonal variations and colour contrasts
that suggest subtle movement and illusions
of a three-dimensional space.
The Shaping Light series features illuminated
sculptures that convey an illusionary space
and perspective using glass, colour and light.
Kiln formed and architectural glass panels
consist of geometric forms and repeating
patterns that shape and hold light within the
work. The circular motif is used throughout
the layers and the forms gently touch and
align when viewed from a single point. As
viewers interact with the illuminated works,
the textures and forms create a constantly
shifting view of space and perspective.
Shaping Light V, 2023
glass, aluminium frame, LED lighting, 75 x 260 x 365
Photo: Rohan Thomson
66

Katie-Ann Houghton
Katie-Ann Houghton is an artist, designer
and maker who works between Canberra
and Sydney. Her contemporary works are
inspired by early twentieth century design
and embody a decade long passion for
traditional Venetian glassmaking techniques.
Houghton’s design philosophy is based on
the idea that the objects we use every day
should engage our senses and bring us joy.
Designed and handcrafted by Houghton,
KAH aims to challenge the culture of mass
consumption by creating work with innovative
design and handmade quality. With a range
designed to be both practical and functional,
KAH aims to change the conventional
expectations of tableware, and have
us view each piece as both a piece of
contemporary design and an object of use.
BUILT TO emerged from memories of the
architecture in Harajuku, Japan, with long
windows that mirrored the light from the
clouds. These six objects capture and distort
light, and as the viewer moves around the
body of work create a relationship of intrigue
to the vessels. Inspired by the reflections on
tall glass buildings, this work serves as a
sanctuary of serenity and contemplation in a
world of constant motion and noise. Light is
my accomplice in the pursuit of representing
the relationships happening across space,
and conversations taking place between
architecture, art and design. Light is brought
in to play by the shapes of these objects. Like
architecture itself, this work interacts with its
environment, inviting viewers to contemplate
the interplay of light, form and space.
68

BUILT TO, 2024
blown and cut glass, 1000 x 450 x 300
Photo: Adam McGrath

Tom Moore
Tom Moore is a glass artist based in Adelaide.
His time is divided between working within
the hot glass community at JamFactory, from
his own home studio and at the University
of South Australia as an Adjunct Research
Fellow, where he is undertaking practical
investigations in glass focusing on hybrid
life-forms, humour and the anthropocene.
Moore’s work has been featured in exhibitions
at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney;
Gallery Of Modern Art, Brisbane; National
Gallery of Australia, Canberra and Art Gallery
of South Australia, Adelaide. He was the focus
of JamFactory’s ICON series in 2020, which
was celebrated through a major national
touring exhibition, Abundant Wonder, and
has received a number of awards for his
glass artworks.
This group of glass characters are the result
of continued exploration into representational
blown glass. They are influenced to varying
degrees by vessel-making traditions,
making particular reference to historical
figurative bottles. Two of the five are
theoretically usable as containers, though
intentionally impractical, ludicrously delicate
and not dishwasher safe. The others, though
partially hollow, depart from the utilitarian
vessel altogether. They continue to function
as mischievous ornaments that might provoke
curiosity about the cultural legacy of craft
processes. These objects demonstrate
respect for and dedication to ancient
decorative techniques developed in Venice.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to
learn and practice these methods and am
conscious of how lucky and unlikely it is to
be working in this way on this land. The
antipodean nature of glassmaking in this
country is central to the reason that I make
characters with their legs in the air. Of course,
I also find them delightful companions.
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Dandy Lion among the Antipodes (Handsome Duckling, Sweet Boots,
Quadravian Cyclops, Dandy Lion & Kohl Canary), 2022 & 2023
glass, silver leaf and HXTAL epoxy to attach the stoppers to the bottle toppers
1300 x 230 x 405. Photo: Grant Hancock

Nick Mount
Nick Mount was among the first generation
of artists to be introduced to glass in
Australia in the early 1970s. He went on to
establish Victoria’s first private hot glass
studio and subsequently developed an
internationally renowned arts practice that
continues to reach new levels of technical
and artistic achievement today. Mount’s
longevity as a leading glass artist and
designer is testament to his virtuosity with
the medium and intuitive ability to let it
speak for itself. Founded in the historic and
cultural traditions of the Venetians, inspired
by the collaborative nature of studio glass
and cultivated by the local and international
glass community, Mount’s work tells a
uniquely Australian story. It is a story of
partnership and persistence, industry and
innovation, experimentation and growth. In
the traditions of the studio glass movement,
Mount is an advocate for communal training
and production. He has a reputation for being
a generous mentor and regularly collaborates
with a team of highly skilled glassblowers.
In a career spanning almost 50 years, Mount
has made a significant contribution to the
development of studio glass as an artistic
medium in Australia and is celebrated as a
master of his craft.
I intend my work to be recognised for its
homage to the techniques of hand working
in hot glass. For the value of making by hand
and for the contemporary statement I can
make through concentration on sculptural
compositions. Lean In is a composition
referencing figurative abstraction. A small
vessel sits votively at the foot of a pair of
supportive forms characterised by their
intimacy. Positioned companionably on a
charred timber plinth they wear their crests
as a symbol of serenity and dignity, shining
for the makers and their cultural history.
Lean In, 2023
blown glass, cane, murrini, surface worked, charred oak base
320 x 210 x 650 Photo: Pippy Mount
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Ian Mowbray
Ian Mowbray’s addiction to glass started
in the mid-70s and hasn’t left.
1981 - leased workshop in JamFactory, SA.
1989 - established Moto Glass with
Vicki Torr, SA.
2002 - established World Glass in
Melbourne, Vic.
2022 - setup glass workshop with
Yvette Dumergue, Vic.
Mowbray’s glass making has two parts:
1. How to realize an object in glass.
2. To make objects in glass that hopefully makes
the viewer question and think about the subject
matter, opening dialogue.
Racer 502 Cirrus is a 1.1 replica of a paper
glider designed by Dr. Yasuaki Ninomiya.
His paper gliders held the record for the
longest flight in 1980. This glass replica will fly
with sufficient thrust on takeoff. The reason
for making a glass version of Dr. Yasuaki
Ninomiya’s paper glider is two-fold:
One – the challenge of replicating the grace
and elegance of a paper glider in glass.
Two - understanding that the flight won’t end
well. Will the proud owner launch the glass
glider into the air to see how far it will fly?”
The Subjects and Collections of work
Mowbray has engaged in and created are:
“Panacea for the Addle Mind”
(Spikey Glass Objects).
Masculinity and the meaning off
(Plunged Glass Blocks).
Gender and especially the areas in between
(Plunged Glass Blocks).
The home and the domestic realm
(Snow Domes).
The family “Family Souvenirs”
(Specimen Jars).
Venereal diseases (Petri Dishes).
Conquering the fear of handling glass and its
fragility (Spines).
Will you destroy one off expensive piece of
glass to satisfy curiosity? (Gliders).
These subjects have always intrigued Mowbray
and making the work is a very cathartic process.
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Racer 502 Cirrus, 2024
glass, 235 x 201 x 40
Photo: David McArthur

Kirstie Rea
As an independent artist, Kirstie Rea’s
work over the past 35 years has investigated
her exploration of the Australian bush
environment beyond the urban fringe. At
the core of this investigation lies a desire to
seek an understanding of our often-tenuous
connections to place. Walking in these places,
seeking solitude and distance from the
everyday, Rea has drawn on her photography
and writing to inform her making. Recent
years have seen her turn to spending
considerably more time in the garden,
where the delights of seasons and nature,
of growing and producing, have given her as
much reward as the bush walks of previous
years. Inspiration from the interconnectedness
within nature, alongside simple garden
narratives, are embedded in recent works.
Having established her studio in 1987
following her graduation from the Australian
National University’s School of Arts with
a Bachelor of Arts (Visual), Rea has
continued to develop her practice and
become internationally recognised and
respected for her works in glass. She was a
lecturer in the Australian National University’s
Glass Workshop from 1987-2003, and was
the inaugural Creative Director at Canberra
Glassworks. Teaching and mentoring have
played a major role in Rea’s arts practice.
She has taught in her field of kiln formed
glass and cold working techniques across the
world since 1987. Rea’s glass practice has been
recognised by awards such as the Ausglass
Honorary Life Membership Award (2009),
artsACT Creative Arts Fellowship (2004),
CAPO Fellow Award (2014), Canberra
Glassworks Fellowship (2016), Klaus Moje
Glass award and, most recently, a World
Crafts Council Asia Pacific Region, Craft
Master Award (2024).
Complexity and variety nourished with effort
and return, a reminder of the importance for
daily connections to our natural world. This
work abstracts the awe and surprise that is
found in nature, in the garden, things that
delight and offer us a sense of wonder.
To flourish 6, 2024
folded glass, painted wood frame, 90 x 230 x 980
Photo: David Paterson
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Layla Walter
New Zealand born artist Layla Walter has
maintained a full-time career in glass since
1998. The technical capacity in her work is due
in part to fifteen years of experience working
for glass casting pioneer Ann Robinson. Walter
has a Bachelor of Design – 3D Glass from
Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland,
New Zealand (1994-1998), where Elizabeth
McClure was her first tutor in glass. Justine
Olsen, Curator of Decorative Art and Design,
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
wrote: “The visual simplicity of Layla Walter’s
forms belies complex conversations around
New Zealand’s history, our environment and
the importance of people and place”. Walter
has a solo exhibition at Sabbia Gallery, Sydney,
in May 2024.
Walter’s work is held in both distinguished
private collections, notably those of Sir Elton
John and Sir Peter Jackson, and in public
institutions such as the Auckland Museum
and Te Papa Tongarewa. Her work is held in
museums, galleries, and cultural embassies
around the world including in Australasia,
Africa, Europe and USA. Walter has also
been invited to teach, demonstrate, and talk
about glass casting and New Zealand glass
in Australia, America, Canada, Germany,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and New Zealand.
Most recently, the work Emily’s Hydrangea
has been featured in FLORA, which is
published by Te Papa Press. In 2019,
Walter represented Aotearoa at the First
International Festival of Handicrafts in
Uzbekistan. Since then she has established
Mahi ā Ringa - Craft New Zealand Aotearoa
and is currently working with World Crafts
Council Australia and is vice president of the
World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region -
South Pacific.
Having cast glass for 30 years, this work
reflects a recent jump in my technical and
conceptual practice. Supported by Creative
New Zealand, I worked out a way to avoid
wax in the design stage, eliminating the need
for wax steam out and enabling both the
moulds and glass artworks to go up in scale.
Moulds could now made in two parts to give
greater access to the internal walls of the
vessel, so I can apply pattern in a new way
and introduce the human form for the first
time into my work at scale. At 460 mm across
and up to 45 kilograms in the casting, these
are the largest I have made.
The seed to these advancements happened
due to alternate thinking space and lack of
studio access during the 2020 COVID
lockdowns, when I utilised basic materials
at hand like playdough to make body
impressions. There is a surreal nature to the
over-scaled flowers and allusive body parts
floating on the inside of this glass bowl,
which are befitting of the disjointed
experience and suspension of life as usual
which lockdowns provided. It took two years
to test the evolution of my process. Layla
Dahlia is the result and a new starting point.
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Layla Dahlia, 2023
Reichenbach 45% lead crystal, cast glass, 460 x 460 x 365
Photo: Fotoarte

Kathryn Wightman
Kathryn Wightman’s journey with glass began
in 2000 during her time as a student at the
University of Sunderland, England. There,
she earned a Bachelor of Arts (Glass and
Ceramics) in 2004 followed by a Master
of Arts (Glass) in 2005. Wightman’s dedication
to her craft earned her a Craft Council
placement in 2006, where she contributed
to establishing a creative practice. This
experience fuelled her pursuit of a PhD
focusing on integrating glassmaking and
printmaking processes, which she completed
at the University of Sunderland in 2012 with
funding from the Arts Humanities Research
Council in England.
Following her research, Wightman shared her
expertise as a visiting lecturer at the University
of Sunderland and worked as a glassmaker
at the prestigious National Glass Centre in
Sunderland. In 2012, she made the significant
move to New Zealand, taking on the role of
Glass Lecturer at the Wanganui Glass School.
Since then, her artistic prowess has garnered
recognition, including awards such as the
Emerge Glass Prize (Gold Award), Ranamok
Glass Prize (2014), Young Glass Kvadrat Prize
(2017), and winning the Whanganui Arts
Review in both 2018 and 2019. She Wightman
became the inaugural recipient of the Patillo
Project, which led to a solo showcase at the
Sarjeant Gallery Whanganui.
Wightman’s current practice is centered
around the exploration and representation
of human behaviour, whether that be through
the eyes of a mother and or as a member
of society. Perception, memory and emotion
are key aspects that inform the work
alongside the use of pattern, texture and
colour. In this triptych the decorative has
become the vehicle for expression and the
idea is realised through the unique sifting and
sintering glass powder process Wightman
has developed throughout her career.
Layering through the use of halftone
gradients has been used to alter what can
and can’t be seen by the viewer. The work
prompts us to consider the contrast between
things as well as what might exist in the space
in-between. An emptiness full of possibility.
Wightman’s achievements extend to
being a selected finalist in prestigious
competitions such as the FUSE Glass Prize in
2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, and her work has
been featured in publications such as New
Glass Review. Beyond her artistic endeavours,
she shares her knowledge globally through
workshops and lectures, contributing to
multiple creative areas within the UCOL
Whanganui Creative Industries.
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In-Between, 2024
screen printed glass powder on sheet, kiln-formed, 3000 x 150 x 1000
Photo: Michael McKeagg

First Published in Adelaide, Australia in 2024.
Published to coincide with the exhibition of
finalists’ works for the 2024 FUSE Glass
Prize, shown at JamFactory, Adelaide from
10 May to 7 July; at the School of Art and Design
Gallery at the Australian National University in
Canberra from 8 August to 6 September 2024;
and at Australian Design Centre in Sydney from
3 October to 13 November 2024.
Copyright for texts in this publication is held by
JamFactory and the authors. Copyright on all
works of art featured belongs to the individual
artists. All images, unless otherwise credited,
are courtesy of the artists. Copyright for
photographic images is held by the individual
photographers as acknowledged.
All measurements have been given length
before width before height or height by diameter
and have been rounded to the nearest millimetre.
Published by JamFactory
19 Morphett Street, Adelaide SA 5000
jamfactory.com.au
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means
without the prior permission in writing from
the publisher. Please forward all enquiries to
contact@jamfactory.com.au
© JamFactory, 2024
82

Ian Mowbray, Racer 502 Cirrus (detail), 2024
Photo: David McArthur

JamFactory supports and promotes outstanding
contemporary craft and design through its widely
acclaimed studios, galleries and shops. A unique
not-for-profit organisation located in the
Adelaide city centre and Seppeltsfield in the
Barossa. JamFactory is supported by the South
Australian Government and recognised both
nationally and internationally as a centre
for excellence.
JamFactory acknowledges the support of the
South Australian Government through Arts South
Australia and the assistance of the Visual Arts
and Crafts Strategy, an initiative of the Australian,
State and Territory Governments. JamFactory’s
Exhibitions Program is also assisted by the
Australian Government through the
Australia Council.
JamFactory gratefully acknowledges the
generous donors who have made the 2024
FUSE Glass Prize possible; Jim Carreker and
Helen Carreker, Pamela Wall OAM and
Ian Wall AM (1931 - 2022), the David & Dulcie
Henshall Foundation, David McKee AM and
Pam McKee, the Hon Diana Laidlaw AM,
Susan Armitage, Sonia Laidlaw, Maia Ambegaokar
and Joshua Bishop.
JamFactory also acknowledges the generosity
of the supporting sponsors and presenting
partners for the 2024 FUSE Glass Prize.
Arts South Australia
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