Contemporary Canadian Glass

By Kirstie Rea

Alberta College of Art and Design, April 2011

It’s April and it is still snowing in Calgary. I am about to complete the winter semester at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) as a sessional instructor/visiting artist in the glass studio. It has been a fantastic experience.

I have taught the 1st and 2^nd year classes and it is these students who often come to our material with eyes wide open and no preconditioned thoughts about what glass can or should do. These are exciting and challenging classes to teach. I am often forced to push out the boundary fence as to how an idea is realised or to take a new track. Hopefully the students are being inspired by new knowledge and learning as much as I am. Getting to know the students and understanding the ideas behind their work is a part of what lets me ‘in’ to a society, a culture and a landscape.

Since graduating from the Glass Workshop at the Canberra School of Art, Australia in 1986, I have tried to balance my practice between making in my Canberra studio and teaching. The majority of my studio work has been focused on exhibition work. I have taught in my field of kiln formed glass since graduating and for me now the teaching and the making are so closely linked that each sustains the other. Teaching makes me want to know more, it breaks patterns that I settle into and it’s a chance to ‘gather’. It balances the ‘gathering’ I do when out bushwalking, on a road trip or when just out and about.

As the years have gone by, the teaching, residencies and exhibiting have increasingly taken me away from home and the studio. I have taught and made work in many studios other than my own. So how does being away from home, often for lengthy periods and experiencing other cultures and landscapes, affect the making part of my practice – what are the pros and cons of this and why do I feel so comfortable in Alberta?

Whilst Calgary winter skies have been anything but the brilliant warm blue of home and the temperatures have plummeted to minus 30 degrees, I definitely feel ‘at home’ here in a city of over one million folk.  At this time of year I would usually be sweating it out in an Australian summer of 30+ degrees, working in the farm shed that is my studio on the edge of a city of 350,000 people – a flat, open space around me – a space that allows a pace that is slower than many, despite being in a busy city. Alberta has a similar feel. It is a place which, I believe, has created a pace that is reflected in daily interactions, conversations and expectations. It is one I recognise and fit into.

Walking the corridors of ACAD each day between the kiln room, cold shops and classrooms, I cover quite a distance and pass quite a few folk. Our exchanges are very similar to those I would have back home – friendly but brief, maybe a joke. There’s a casualness that is similar to back home. Fewer words are spoken but with just as much meaning and care. Cultural similarities abound and parallels are closer than I have felt anywhere else. Being in Calgary has allowed me to reflect on this and how it could influence what we make.

Do we translate this sense of space into our art? Maybe.  And is the well-versed saying, “less is more,” relevant here? Do we have a physical and mental space to distil our ideas and translate this into our making? Is part of this ‘space’ the fact that there are only four choices of milk in the supermarket here rather than forty-four as in the USA?

Luckily, I have managed to get out and about Alberta in the last four months.  I am in awe of the Rockies to the west and how they tower over and rise out of the prairie. Travelling into them only reinforces the sense of openness and space left behind me. I am sure that this sense of space seeps into those who live in that landscape. As artists, our work often reflects elements of this whether we plan it or not. Travelling south, east and west from Calgary has only confirmed this feeling of space.

But I do miss some things being away from home. In Calgary right now, it is colour in the landscape that I search for. It is my first full northern winter and I am missing green! I realise it is winter and everything is in hibernation except us. I am told this will change radically when spring arrives if it ever does.

The view from my window on the 12^th floor of my campus apartment is of a big open horizon across Calgary. I witness the most beautiful subtle changes in colour each morning and evening. This subtlety in colour really stands out as beyond that there really is not that much colour in the landscape/cityscape, all very different from the warm Australian greens and the warm blue of the sky back home in winter. The only colour out there is manmade – signs and traffic lights, so not ‘from’ the land. Even the cars have lost their colour due to their accumulated patinas of mud. When I look beyond the movement of the city, I am encouraged to focus on the horizon and its ever-changing soft blues, pinks, ambers and salmons of the early morning and evening. I wonder if this will seep into my work in the future.

I have had some time between classes to work in the studio here.  Has my work changed in any way? No; not yet, anyway. I have explored ideas and made works that I already had in the planning. Below the surface, the similarities to ‘home’ that I have experienced here have enabled me to strengthen and to consolidate the thoughts behind my work, finding clarity to some of the concepts. Bouncing ideas around between the Head of the programme, Natali Rodrigues, and Jane Bruce (UK/USA), who is here as the Rawlinson Visiting Artist for 2011, has been invaluable.

The semester at ACAD has been a wonderful experience not only for the teaching but also for both the opportunity to work alongside fellow faculty and for getting to know a small but amazing part of Canada and those here that work with glass.

 

Surfaces Différentes

Par Kirstie Rea

Collège des Arts et du Design d’Alberta, avril 2011

Nous sommes en avril et il neige encore sur Calgary. Le semestre d’hiver est sur le point de se finir au Collège des Arts et du Design d’Alberta (ACAD) où j’ai pu enseigner en tant qu’artiste intervenante pour l’atelier verrier. Cela aura été une expérience merveilleuse.

Les élèves de première et deuxième années auxquels j’enseignais abordent bien souvent notre matériau les yeux grands ouverts et sans aucune idée préétablie sur le verre et ses possibilités ou ses fonctions. Il est à la fois excitant et challengeant d’enseigner au sein de ces classes qui m’amènent souvent à repousser des barrières afin de réaliser tel ou tel autre projet et me poussent à emprunter de nouvelles voies. J’espère que les étudiants inspirés par ce savoir nouveau en ont appris autant que moi. Connaître les élèves et parvenir à comprendre les idées derrière leur travail m’aide à m’intégrer dans une société, une culture et un environnement.

Depuis l’obtention d’un diplôme de l’Atelier Verrier à l’Ecole des Arts de Canberra en Australie en 1986, j’ai cherché à alterner entre travail à mon atelier de Canberra et l’enseignement. La plupart de mon travail d’atelier concerne la réalisation de pièces d’exposition. Comme j’enseigne dans le domaine du thermoformage depuis la fin de mes études, à présent apprentissage et création sont pour moi tellement proches qu’ils se complètent mutuellement. Le fait d’enseigner me donne envie d’en savoir plus, ce qui casse mes habitudes et crée l’opportunité de collecter de nouvelles données. Cela contrebalance avec les informations recueillies habituellement en sortant me promener dans le bush, en roadtripant ou simplement en vadrouillant par ci par la.

Au fil des années, l’enseignement, les résidences artistiques et les expositions m’ont progressivement éloignée de chez moi et de mon atelier. J’ai enseigné et pratiqué dans beaucoup d’ateliers autres que le mien. J’en viens à me demander si être souvent loin de chez soi pendant des durées prolongées et vivre dans d’autres cultures et d’autres paysages peut influencer la partie créative de notre travail – quels en seraient les pour et les contre et pour quelles raisons le fait de vivre en Alberta me met tant à l’aise?

Avec ses températures avoisinant parfois les moins 30 degrés, le ciel hivernal de Calgary est bien différent du bleu chaud et radieux de celui de chez moi, et pourtant je me sens décidément bien dans cette ville de plus d’un million de gens. En temps normal à cette période de l’année, je serai en train de suer par plus de 30 degrés sous un été australien de plomb en travaillant dans le hangar d’une ferme qui me sert d’atelier sur les abords d’une ville de 350 000 habitants – rien que de grands espaces plats atour de moi – espaces qui me permettent d’adopter un rythme autrement plus lent, malgré l’animation de la ville. Ce même genre de ressenti émane de l’Alberta. J’ai l’impression que cet endroit a créé un rythme se reflétant dans les interactions quotidiennes, les conversations et les aspirations. Un lieu qui m’est familier et dans lequel je me sens bien.

Chaque jour pour me rendre de la pièce de l’arche, aux ateliers de travail à froid et aux salles de classe, je longe les longs couloirs de l’ACAD où j’y croise des personnes. Les échanges que nous entretenons sont similaires à ceux que je pourrai avoir de retour chez moi – amicaux mais brefs, et pourquoi pas avec une petite plaisanterie au passage. Une atmosphère décontractée y règne comme chez nous. Peu de mots échangés, mais avec tout autant de signification et d’attention. Les ressemblances culturelles sont nombreuses et les comparaisons plus vraisemblables que pour n’importe quel autre lieu ou j’ai pu résider auparavant. Vivre à Calgary me porte à y réfléchir et à me demander de quelle façon cela pourrait avoir une incidence sur notre créativité.

Est ce que nous transmettons cette sensation d’espace dans notre art? Peut être bien. Le dicton qui prône que “moins vaut souvent mieux ” est-il vrai dans ce cas? Y a t-il un espace physique et mental dans lequel nous éparpillons nos idées et les retranscrivons ensuite dans nos oeuvres? Le fait qu’il n’y ait que 4 choix de lait ici au lieu de 44 aux Etats-Unis contribue-t-il aussi à cette notion d’espace?

Au cours de ces 4 derniers mois, j’ai eu la chance de pouvoir sortir et m’aventurer un peu en Alberta. À l’ouest je suis en admiration devant les Rocheuses et leur façon de dominer et d’émerger par derrière les prairies. Quand on les traverse, cela renforce l’impression d’ouverture et d’espace laissé derrière soi. Je suis sûre que cette sensation d’espace s’imprègne sur ceux qui vivent dans un tel panorama. Que ce soit voulu ou non, nos œuvres d’artistes en reflètent souvent des éléments. En voyageant aux sud, est et ouest de Calgary, cette sensation d’espace n’a eu de cesse de se confirmer.

Certaines choses me manquent malgré tout en étant loin de chez moi. En ce moment à Calgary par exemple, c’est de la couleur dans les paysages qu’il me faudrait. C’est mon premier véritable hiver nordique et le vert me manque! Je me rends compte qu’à peu près tout est entré en hibernation durant l’hiver excepté nous. Mais on me dit que tout cela devrait changer radicalement à l’arrivée du printemps, s’il arrive un jour bien sûr.

Sur le campus j’ai vue de la fenêtre de mon appartement au douzième étage sur un grand horizon ouvert s’étendant sur tout Calgary. Chaque matin et soir, je contemple les plus jolis et délicats changements de couleurs. Cette subtilité dans les couleurs ressort vraiment car au delà de ça, le paysage et la ville sont peu colorés comparés aux verts chaleureux et au chaud ciel bleu de notre hiver australien. Ici, la seule couleur que l’on retrouve est créé par les hommes – panneaux de circulations et feux tricolores- elles ne provient donc pas vraiment “de” la terre. Même les voitures ont perdu leur coloration à cause des flaques de boues accumulées. Lorsque mes yeux se portent au-delà de l’activité de la ville, je scrute l’horizon et ses douces teintes changeantes de bleu, rose, ambre et saumon tôt le matin ainsi que le soir. Et je me demande si cela transparaîtra plus tard dans mon travail.

Entre les cours ici, j’ai pu prendre le temps de travailler dans l’atelier. Mon travail a-t-il changé de quelque façon? Non, pas encore en tout cas. J’ai exploré des idées et créé des œuvres qui étaient déjà prévues dans mon planning. Sous la surface, les similarités avec “chez moi” que j’ai pu découvrir ici m’ont permis de renforcer et de consolider les idées derrière mon œuvre, apportant de la clarté à certains de mes concepts. Pouvoir aussi débattre d’idées avec la directrice du programme Natali Rodrigues et Jane Bruce (UK/USA), présente en tant qu’artiste intervenante du Rawlinson pour 2011 fut une chance en or.

Ce semestre à l’ACAD a été une fabuleuse expérience, pas seulement pour la possibilité d’enseigner mais aussi pour avoir été l’occasion à la fois de travailler avec une faculté partenaire et de découvrir une petite mais au combien fascinante partie du Canada ainsi d’avoir rencontré ceux qui travaillent le verre ici.

By Nancy Schnarr

The birth of the studio glass movement in North America began during the 1960s with glass blowing courses offered first by Harvey Littleton in 1962 in Toledo, Ohio.^[i] The movement moved quickly North, and during the 1970s studio glass became part of Canada’s artistic consciousness.^[ii] This development was marked by the establishment of glass programs across the country, which have trained or employed some of Canada’s most prominent glass artists, including many of those featured in Glass Factor: Luminaries in the Canadian Art Glass Scene, curated by Christian Bernard Singer. These programs, along with private galleries and arts organizations, encouraged artists and increased access to glass as an artistic medium, jump-starting glass sculpture in Canada.

The studio at Sheridan College in Mississauga, Ontario, the first educational glass studio in Canada, was founded by Robert Held, a Californian potter who headed Sheridan’s Ceramics Department.^[iii] Held began working at Sheridan in 1968 and, after studying at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina with Mark Peiser,^[iv] opened the hot glass studio at Sheridan in 1970.^[v] Sheridan’s glass department flourished and, after only one year, students had the option of choosing glass as a Major. In 1975, Karl Schantz joined the faculty after being invited by Held to participate in glass blowing demonstrations in Toronto.^[vi] Up to this point, the focus of the Department was on the basics of glass blowing and the manipulation of the material. Schantz infused his own interests into the program, establishing a cold-working studio and introducing glass blowing techniques that used traditional methods in modern ways.^[vii]

The end of the 1970s brought with them major changes in the Department at Sheridan. Robert Held left in 1977 to work in Calgary at Canadian Art Glass, eventually travelling to Vancouver where he established the Skookum Art Glass company, now known as Robert Held Art Glass Inc.^[viii] Karl Schantz became studio master and then left Sheridan in 1979 for the Ontario College of Art (OCA) to develop their glass department, which would provide training to Alfred Engerer, Irene Frolic, Kevin Lockau, and John Paul Robinson.^[ix] After Held and Schantz left Sheridan, the program was taken over by Daniel Crichton, an influential glass artist in his own right, who was the Head of the Department until his death in 2002. Crichton was responsible for designing the studio space that the program occupies today, under the direction of Koen Vanderstukken. The program has expanded to include instruction in a wide variety of glass art techniques, along with the courses originally initiated by Held and Schantz.^[x] Since its creation, Sheridan has been a very important educational facility; former students include Laura Donefer, Catherine Hibbits, François Houdé, Donald Robertson, and Susan Rankin.^[xi]

While it is widely acknowledged that the studio glass movement in Canada began with Held’s work at Sheridan, there were prominent artists working with glass in other areas of Canada around the same time. After seeing Czech glass art at the Expo in Montreal in 1967, Gilles Desaulniers was inspired to work with glass, and founded a second glass educational program in Canada. Desaulniers went to Europe and studied glass in Prague with Stanislav Libensky, a European glass artist, before returning to Quebec to open a cold-working studio at the Université du Quèbec à Trois-Rivières in 1971, followed by the establishment of a hot glass studio and glass blowing classes.^[xii] The studio is currently run by Jean-Paul Martel who took over as the Head of the program after Desaulniers retired, and offers a Fine Arts Degree with a glass focus, the only program of its kind in Eastern Canada.^[xiii]

The 1970s was a decade of major activity for studio glass schools in Canada. In 1971, the same year that glass became an available Major at Sheridan, Roman Bartkiw left the school to set up a program at Georgian College in Barrie, which was responsible for introducing Francis Muscat and John Paul Robinson to glass.^[xiv] Also during the 1970s, the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) was the first school in Western Canada to add glass art to its curriculum. The program was created in 1974 by Norman Faulkner, who was working as Sheridan’s ceramic technician when he attended a workshop given by Mark Peiser, and changed his artistic focus to glass.^[xv] ACAD is now considered one of the major Canadian glass art schools, offering students a BFA in glass. The program, currently headed by Natali Rodrigues,^[xvi] has had many prominent artists as instructors, including Marty Kaufmann who served as Head of the program from 2004-2006, and Tyler Rock who was Department Head from 2006-2009.^[xvii]

One of the prominent features of the Canadian glass art community is the exchange of talent and technique driven by the movement of artists across Canada and North America. Many glass artists have travelled between the major Canadian glass departments as students, artists, and teachers.^[xviii] It was perhaps the impulse to work amongst other artists that led to the establishment of schools like Espace Verre, which was started in 1987 by François Houdé and Ronald Labelle with the opening of the Centre des métiers du verre du Québec in Montreal. The aim of Espace Verre was to support glass artists by providing them with studio space as well as access to the latest in glass art technology.^[xix] The school encouraged the interaction between professionals and students, bridging the gap between educational space and functional studio, allowing artists the opportunity to learn, teach, and create.^[xx] The original mission is still relevant at the school today, which has facilities to develop a wide range of glass art techniques. There is no designated department head, allowing the program to adjust according to student interest and instructor expertise, which has included the talents of Susan Edgerley and Michele Lapointe.^[xxi]

Many students of Sheridan, OCA, ACAD, and Espace Verre went on to become some of Canada’s most prominent glass artists, often becoming teachers at the same institutions that they studied.^[xxii] One of the interesting things about the glass art education community is that it was very common for artists to go elsewhere to teach or continue their own education, after completing a formal program. Many of the initial founders of the major Canadian glass schools collaborated with each other, and taught at what could be considered “rival” schools at some point during their careers. François Houdé, for example, studied at Sheridan and taught at the Ontario College of Art before moving on to co-found Espace Verre.^[xxiii] The desire for collaboration and interaction amongst glass artists is demonstrated by the movement of artists between schools, as well as membership in associations like the Glass Art Association of Canada, or GAAC, which currently has Brad Copping as its president.[xxiv]

GAAC is another way for artists to interact with one another, as well as continue their glass education. Established in 1983, the main purpose of GAAC is to coordinate conferences, exhibitions, and seminars that provide artists with an opportunity to learn and teach, no matter the stage of their careers.^[xxv] GAAC has involved artists such as David James and Peter Powning as speakers, administrators, and article authors.^[xxvi] They also produce a quarterly magazine that keeps members informed about glass art in Canada and around the world.^[xxvii]

The establishment of formal training programs was undoubtedly an important part of the development of Canadian glass art, but there were also private galleries and studios that made their mark on the Canadian glass community, and many important artists received their training outside formal institutions, such as Ione Thorkelsson,^[xxviii] and Orest Tataryn, who took courses in neon at Robert Reichhardt’s neon studio in Toronto. Reichhardt was also responsible, along with Alfred Engerer, for starting an unofficial program to teach hand-blown neon tube production to OCA students working at both the OCA studio and Reichhardt’s studio.[xxix] Artists working in Canada can also learn at places like the Craft Studio at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, which offer workshops and classes for anyone interested in learning about glass.^[xxx] The Craft Studio supports glass artists by providing access to partially subsidized studio space for artists-in-residence, including space to work, exhibit, collaborate with visiting artists, and sell their work.^[xxxi] The studio space is unique because the studio is in full view of visitors and gives the public an opportunity to see how glass sculpture is made,^[xxxii] which ultimately increases the public’s understanding, and awareness of contemporary Canadian art as a whole. It can be considered an educational as well as commercial space, but exists outside a formal educational institution. Other places in Canada that offer glass courses include the Haliburton School of the Arts, as well as Red Deer College in Alberta, which has included Lou Lynn as an instructor,^[xxxiii] and the Red Barns Studio in Prince Edward County, Ontario.[xxxiv] These institutions offer courses and intensive programs in glass, allowing access to training outside the more formal programs.^[xxxv]

The use of glass as a creative medium in Canada is still relatively new, but since its introduction Canadian artists have made glass art their own, and the enthusiasm for the material has made the rapid growth of educational programs possible. Unfortunately some of the glass programs established during the early period of growth are no longer available. The program established at Georgian College in 1971 ran until the mid-1980s, and the glass program founded by Karl Schantz at OCA was shut down in 1996.^[xxxvi] The OCA studio was taken over by Alfred Engerer and others to found the Geisterblitz studio – Toronto’s only hot glass co-operative – which, thanks to new patronage, continues to support experimentation and collaboration among glass artists as it works toward moving into a larger space, projected to open soon. Many of the first glass programs have, however, not only survived but continue to develop their programs. Today glass artists can still train at Sheridan, ACAD, Espace Verre, and the Université du Quèbec à Trois-Rivières, as well as through apprenticeships, workshops, and courses.

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^[i] Frantz, Susanne K. Contemporary Glass: A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc:1989), 50. For more information about the American studio glass in the context of the movement’s international development, see the chapter “The 1960s: Studio Glass blowing as a Technique for Artists.”

^[ii] Layton, Peter. Glass Art (London: A&C Black, 1996), 68.

^[iii] Hickey, Gloria. “Gathering Momentum: The Studio Glass Movement in Canada,” in Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution (North York, ON: Koffler Gallery, 1988), 7.

^[iv] “A Short History of Penland School of Crafts” from Penland School of Crafts, http://penland.org/about/history.html retrieved 08/24/10. The Penland School was established during the 1920s, and added glass as a medium during the 1960s when the enthusiasm for glass in the United States was high, Mark Peiser was the first artist-in-residence at the glass studio there.

^[v] Hickey “Gathering,” 7.

^[vi] Morrison, Rosalyn J. “A Study of Canadian Glass” from Canadian Glassworks 1970-1990 (Toronto: Ontario Crafts Council, 1990), 5.

^[vii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass,” 6.

^[viii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass,” 6

^[ix] Layton, Glass Art, 68.

^[x] Julia and Yolande Krueger “A Brief History of Glass Education in Canada.” Contemporary Canadian Glass 5, no. 3, Winter 2006,  25.

^[xi] “Laura Donefer Bio” GAAC Artist Directory, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=83%20\%20bio retrieved 08/24/10.

“Catherine Hibbits Glass – About” http://catherinehibbitsglass.com/%20/%20/about/ retrieved 08/24/10

Koffler Gallery, Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution, North York, ON: Koffler Gallery, 1988. p. 76.

^[xii] Layton, Glass Art, 68

^[xiii] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 25.

^[xiv] Hickey “Gathering,” 6

“John Paul Robinson” XEXE Gallery, http://www.xexegallery.com/artist_individual.php?artist_id=69, retrieved 08/24/10.

“Francis Muscat – Glass Artist in Sunderland, Ontario” http://www.aisg.on.ca/gallery/67b7360107bebb29b1c38d0e0a82e204ddfc9ccb.html retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xv] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 26

^[xvi] “ACAD Glass” Alberta College of Art + Design, http://www.acad.ab.ca/glass.html Retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xvii] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 26

^[xviii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass,” 17 – The genealogy chart shows the movement of artists between schools during the early years.

^[xix] Layton, Glass Art, 68

^[xx] Morrison, “Canadian Glass,” 9

^[xxi] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 26

“Michele Lapointe Bio” GAAC Artist Directory, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=286%20\%20bio, retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xxii] Hickey “Gathering,” 11

^[xxiii] Hickey “Gathering,” 8

[xxiv] “Contact GAAC” Glass Art Association of Canada, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/contact.php, retrieved 09/13/10.

^[xxv] Layton, Glass Art, 68

^[xxvi] “Peter Powning Resume” http://www.powning.com/peter/resume.html%20/%20workshops, retrieved 08/24/10.

“David James Bio” GAAC Artist Directory, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=48%20\%20bio, retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xxvii] “Contemporary Canadian Glass: Magazine of the Glass Art Association of Canada” Glass Art Association of Canada, http://mag.glassartcanada.ca/ Retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xxviii] “Ione Thorkelsson Bio” GAAC Artist Directory, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=48%20\%20bio, retrieved 08/24/10.

[xxix] Engerer, Alfred. From an interview with Alfred Engerer on September 1, 2010.

^[xxx] “Harbourfront Centre – Visual Arts & Craft – Craft Studio” Harbourfront Centre, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm Retrieved 08/24/10.

“Living Arts Centre – Adult Courses”  Living Arts Centre Mississauga, http://www.livingartscentre.ca/courses_camps/community/adult_courses/index.php?id=25 Retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xxxi] Hickey “Gathering,” 15

^[xxxii] “Harbourfront Centre – Visual Arts & Craft – Craft Studio” Harbourfront Centre, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm Retrieved 08/24/10.

^[xxxiii] “Lou Lynn” Evergreen Cultural Centre, http://www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/ART+GALLERY/Past+Exhibitions/Lou+Lynn.htm, retrieved 08/24/10.

[xxxiv] Engerer, Alfred. From an interview with Alfred Engerer on September 1, 2010.

^[xxxv] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 25-26 – This article also offers a brief outline of the available schools.

^[xxxvi] Krueger and Krueger, “Glass Education,” 26.

 

Bibliography

 

“ACAD Glass” Alberta College of Art + Design, http://www.acad.ab.ca/glass.html retrieved 08/24/10.

“Catherine Hibbits Glass – About” http://catherinehibbitsglass.com/#/about/ retrieved 08/24/10.

“Contact GAAC” Glass Art Association of Canada, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/contact.php, retrieved 09/13/10.

“Contemporary Canadian Glass: Magazine of the Glass Art Association of Canada” Glass Art Association of Canada, http://mag.glassartcanada.ca/ retrieved 08/24/10.

“Directory of Canadian Glass Artists,” Glass Art Association of Canada, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist_directory.php?type=pro%20\%20alphabetical, retrieved 08/24/10.

“Francis Muscat – Glass Artist in Sunderland, Ontario” http://www.aisg.on.ca/gallery/67b7360107bebb29b1c38d0e0a82e204ddfc9ccb.html retrieved 08/24/10.

Frantz, Susanne K.  Contemporary Glass: A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1989.

“Harbourfront Centre – Visual Arts & Craft – Craft Studio” Harbourfront Centre, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm Retrieved 08/24/10.

Hickey, Gloria. “Gathering Momentum: The Studio Glass Movement in Canada,” in Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution, North York, ON: Koffler Gallery, 1988. 6-16.

“John Paul Robinson,” XEXE Gallery, http://www.xexegallery.com/artist_individual.php?artist_id=69, retrieved 08/24/10.

Koffler Gallery, Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution, North York, ON: Koffler Gallery, 1988.

Krueger, Julia and Yolande. “A Brief History of Glass Education in Canada.” Contemporary Canadian Glass 5, no. 3, Winter 2006. 24-27.

Layton, Peter. Glass Art, London: A&C Black, 1996.

“Living Arts Centre – Adult Courses”  Living Arts Centre Mississauga, http://www.livingartscentre.ca/courses_camps/community/adult_courses/index.php?id=25 Retrieved 08/24/10.

“Lou Lynn,” Evergreen Cultural Centre, http://www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/ART+GALLERY/Past+Exhibitions/Lou+Lynn.htm, retrieved 08/24/10.

Morrison, Rosalyn J., “A Study of Canadian Glass” from Canadian Glassworks 1970-1990, Toronto: Ontario Crafts Council, 1990, 3-10.

“Peter Powning – Resume” http://www.powning.com/peter/resume.html%20/%20workshops, retrieved 08/24/10.

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L’Enseignement du Verre au Canada – Une Histoire Fluide

 

Par Nancy Schnarr

 

Les ateliers verriers devinrent populaires en Amérique du Nord à partir des années 1960 lorsqu’ Harvey Littleton proposa les premiers cours de soufflage en 1962 à Toledo en Ohio.^[i] Le mouvement s’étendit alors rapidement vers le nord au cours des années 1970 et se fit une place dans la conscience artistique canadienne.^[ii] Cet essor fut marqué par le développement de programmes éducatifs verriers dans tout le pays, qui ont formé et employé certains des artistes actuels les plus en vue du Canada, dont beaucoup prennent aujourd’hui part à l’exposition Glass Factor: Luminaries in the Canadian Art Glass Scene (Le Facteur Verre: Les Lumières de l’Art du Verre Canadien) organisée par Christian Bernard Singer. Ces formations, ainsi que les multiples organisations d’arts et galeries privées, ont encouragé les artistes et ont accrut l’accès au verre en temps que moyen artistique, lançant la sculpture du verre au Canada.

Le premier atelier de verre éducatif au Canada fut fondé au Collège Sheridan à Mississauga en Ontario par le potier californien Robert Held qui y dirigeait à l’époque le département des céramiques.^[iii]  Après avoir étudié à l’école des Arts de Penland en Caroline du Nord avec Mark Peiser ^[iv], il  entra à Sheridan en 1968 et ouvrit un atelier de travail du verre à chaud en 1970.^[v] Le département Verre de Sheridan s’épanouit rapidement et au bout d’un an, les étudiants eurent la possibilité de choisir le verre en matière principale. Karl Schantz rejoignit le département en 1975 après que Held l’ait invité à venir faire des démonstrations de soufflage à Toronto.^[vi]  Jusque là, le but de l’atelier était d’enseigner les bases du soufflage ainsi que la manipulation du matériau. Schantz greffa ses propres intérêts au programme en y ajoutant un atelier de travail à froid et en introduisant des techniques de soufflage modernes basées sur des méthodes traditionnelles.^[vii]

La fin des années 1970 marqua un tournant pour le département verre de Sheridan. Robert Held parti en 1977 pour travailler au Canadian Art Glass (Art Verrier Canadien) de Calgary, puis finit par s’établir à Vancouver où il fonda la compagnie des Arts du Verre de Skookum, plus connue à présent sous le nom de Robert Held Art Glass Inc.^[viii] Karl Schantz devint maître de l’atelier puis quitta Sheridan à son tour en 1979 pour développer un département Verre au sein du Collège des Arts d’Ontario (OCA), où Alfred Engerer, Irene Frolic, Kevin Lockau et John Paul Robinson y ont par la suite fait leur apprentissage.^[ix] Ce fut Daniel Crichton, un artiste verrier très remarqué à juste titre, qui reprit le programme verre de Sheridan au départ de Held  et de Schantz et qui en tint la direction jusqu’à sa mort en 2002. Crichton fut à l’origine de l’espace atelier utilisé actuellement sous la direction de Koen Vanderstukken. Le programme s’est désormais élargit pour inclure l’enseignement d’une grande variétés de techniques d’art verrier en plus des cours initiaux prévus par Held et Schantz.^[x]  Depuis sa création, Sheridan a été un établissement scolaire important et compte parmi ses anciens élèves Laura Donefer, Catherine Hibbits, François Houdé, Donald Robertson, et Susan Rankin.^[xi]

Bien qu’il soit reconnu que la naissance des ateliers verriers au Canada débute avec l’initiative de Held à Sheridan, d’autres artistes influents évoluaient dans le verre au même moment de part et d’autre du Canada. Inspiré par sa visite de l’exposition des Arts Verriers Tchèques à Montréal en 1967, Gilles Desaulniers s’intéressa au verre et fut le fondateur du deuxième programme éducatif verrier au Canada. Il se rendit à Prague en Europe pour étudier le verre avec l’artiste européen Stanislav Libensky avant de retourner au Québec et d’ouvrir un atelier de travail du verre à froid à l’Université du Québec de Trois-Rivières en 1971, puis d’un atelier à chaud proposant des cours de soufflage. ^[xii] A son départ en retraite, ce fut Jean Paul Martel qui reprit la direction du programme et s’occupe à présent de l’atelier qui propose un Diplôme d’Arts Plastiques avec spécialité verre, le seul endroit de l’Est du Canada à offrir cette option.^[xiii]

Les ateliers verriers au Canada connurent une grande activité au cours des années 1970. Tandis que le verre devenait une matière principale au collège Sheridan, cette même année 1971 vit Roman Bartkiw quitter son école pour ouvrir un programme au Collège Georgian de Barrie, qui révéla plus tard Francis Muscat et John Paul Robinson.^[xiv] De même, le Collège des Arts et du Design d’Alberta (ACAD) fut le premier à ajouter l’art du verre à son programme dans l’Ouest du Canada. Le programme fut créé en 1974 par Norman Faulkner qui travaillait au Sheridan en tant qu’assistant en céramiques avant de participer à une formation pratique donnée par Mark Peiser qui orienta son profil artistique vers le verre. ^[xv] L’ACAD est maintenant un des établissements de l’enseignement du verre les plus reconnus au Canada, permettant à ses étudiants d’obtenir une Licence en Arts Plastiques. Beaucoup de grands artistes sont intervenus en tant que professeurs dans ce programme maintenant géré par Natali Rodrigues^[xvi], dont Marty Kaufmann et Tyler Rock qui furent respectivement directeurs du programme de 2004 à 2006 et de 2006 à 2009. ^[xvii]

L’une des particularités de la communauté canadienne du verre est son échange de talents et de techniques grâce au mouvement des artistes à travers le Canada et l’Amérique du Nord. Beaucoup d’artistes verriers ont voyagé entre les principaux départements verriers du Canada en tant qu’étudiants, puis qu’artistes et professeurs.^[xviii]  Cette envie de travailler avec d’autres artistes fut probablement à l’origine de la création d’écoles comme Espace Verre, qui fut créée par François Houdé et Ronald Labelle à l’ouverture du Centre des Métiers du Verre du Québec à Montréal, dans le but de soutenir les artistes verriers en leur fournissant  un espace de travail ainsi que l’accès aux dernières technologies en matière de verre. ^[xix]  L’école favorise l’interaction entre professionnels et étudiants, créant un pont entre l’espace éducationnel et l’atelier fonctionnel, et permettant aux artistes d’apprendre, d’enseigner et de créer. ^[xx]  Cette intention initiale a été conservée et l’école dispose des équipements nécessaires à la pratique d’une vaste gamme de techniques de l’art du verre. Comme aucune direction n’est attribuée, cela permet aux programmes de s’adapter en fonction de l’intérêt des étudiants et de l’expérience des enseignants qui comprend les talents de Susan Edgerley et de Michele Lapointe. ^[xxi]

Bien des étudiants du Sheridan, de l’OCA, de l’ACAD et de l’Espace Verre sont devenus des artistes verriers canadiens reconnus, enseignant souvent eux même dans les institutions où ils ont jadis étudié. ^[xxii] Point intéressant concernant la communauté de l’enseignement du verre; il n’est pas rare de voir un artiste partir enseigner ou poursuivre par lui-même ses études ailleurs à la fin de sa formation initiale. Beaucoup des fondateurs des principales écoles de verre canadiennes ont collaboré ensemble et ont enseigné dans des écoles “rivales” à un moment donné de leur carrière. Par exemple, François Houdé a étudié à Sheridan et enseigné au Collège des Arts d’Ontario avant de co-fonder l’Espace Verre.^[xxiii] Ce désir de collaborer et d’interagir entre artistes verriers se constate par le flux d’artistes allant entre les différentes écoles ainsi que leur appartenance à des associations telles que l’Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre  ou GAAC, présidée actuellement par Brad Copping.^[xxiv]

La GAAC est un autre moyen pour les artistes d’interagir les uns avec les autres ou de poursuivre leur apprentissage. Elle existe depuis 1983 dans le but de coordonner les conférences, les exposions et les séminaires qui sont autant d’occasions pour les artistes d’apprendre ou d’enseigner, peu importe le degré d’évolution de leur carrière. ^[xxv] Certains artistes comme David James et Peter Powning sont intervenus en tant que conférenciers, administrateurs ou auteurs.^[xxvi] La GAAC produit aussi la rédaction d’un magazine trimestriel dans le but d’informer ses membres de l’actualité artistique verrière au Canada et dans le monde entier. ^[xxvii]

La création de programmes d’enseignement scolaires joua sans aucun doute un rôle important dans le développement de l’art verrier au Canada. Cependant, d’autres galeries et ateliers privés eurent aussi leur impact sur la communauté du verre canadien et de nombreux artistes connus ont fait leur apprentissage en dehors de ces institutions scolaires, comme Ione Thorkelsson ^[xxviii] et Orest Tataryn, qui ont suivi des cours à l’atelier de néons de Robert Reichhardts à Toronto. Reichhardts eut avec Aflred Engerer l’idée de créer des programmes indépendants pour apprendre à souffler manuellement des tubes néons à ceux qui étudiaient parallèlement à l’OCA. ^[xxix] Les artistes pratiquant au Canada peuvent aussi apprendre dans des endroits tels que le Craft Studio (Atelier d’Artisanat) au Centre Harbourfront de Toronto et au Living Arts Centre (Centre des Arts Vivants) de Mississauga qui propose des ateliers et des cours pour qui souhaite découvrir l’art du verre. ^[xxx] Le Craft Studio apporte son soutien aux artistes en leur donnant accès à des espaces de travail au sein de l’atelier, ainsi que la possibilité d’exposer, de collaborer avec d’autres artistes intervenants et de vendre leurs œuvres. ^[xxxi] L’atelier est unique car il est ouvert aux visiteurs, ce qui donne au public l’occasion de voir de quelle façon on sculpte le verre, ^[xxxii] et accroît ainsi sa compréhension et sa connaissance du milieu du verre artistique canadien à plus grande échelle. Le Craft Studio peut donc être perçu comme un espace éducatif et commercial bien qu’indépendant aux formations scolaires. D’autres endroits au Canada proposent aussi des formations sur le verre, comme l’Ecole des Arts d’Haliburton, le Collège Red Deer en Alberta où Lou Lynn fut professeur^[xxxiii] et l’atelier Red Barn dans la province du Prince Edouard en Ontario.^[xxxiv] Ces institutions proposent des cours et des programmes verriers intensifs, permettant d’accéder à des formations en dehors des programmes scolaires. ^[xxxv]

L’utilisation du verre en tant que matériau créatif au Canada reste encore relativement nouveau, mais depuis son introduction, les artistes canadiens en ont pris possession et leur enthousiasme pour cette matière a permis d’augmenter rapidement le nombre de programmes d’enseignements. Malheureusement, certaines des formations établies au début de cette période n’existent plus aujourd’hui. Le programme créé au Collège Georgian en 1971 s’est terminé au milieu des années 1980 et celui fondé par Karl Schantz à l’OCA fut fermé en 1996. ^[xxxvi] L’atelier de l’OCA fut repris par Alfred Engerer et d’autres pour devenir l’atelier Geisterblitz – unique coopérative du travail du verre chaud à Toronto – qui grâce à un nouveau mécénat, continue de soutenir l’expérimentation et la collaboration au sein des artistes verriers, et emménage dans un plus grand espace dont l’ouverture est prévue pour bientôt. Beaucoup des premiers programmes éducationnels verriers ont cependant non seulement survécu mais continuent de se développer. De nos jours, les artistes verriers peuvent continuer d’apprendre à Sheridan, l’ACAD, l’Espace Verre, et à l’Université du Québec de Trois-Rivières, ainsi qu’avec des apprentissages, des formations et des cours.

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^[i] Frantz, Susanne K. Contemporary Glass: A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass (Verre Contemporain: Enquête internationale du Musée du Verre de Corning) (New York: Harry N.Abrams Inc: 1989), 50. Pour plus d’informations concernant l’atelier verrier américain dans le contexte de son mouvement de développement international, voir le chapitre “The 1960s: Studio Glass blowing as a Technique for Artists” (Les années 1960: Le Soufflage en Atelier comme Technique pour Artistes.)

^[ii] Layton Peter. L’Art du Verre (Londres: A&C Black, 1996), 68.

^[iii] Hickey, Gloria. “Gathering Momentum: The Studio Glass Movement in Canada,” (Rassembler l’Elan: Le Mouvement des Ateliers Verriers au Canada) dans Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution (Le Verre dans la Sculpture: Une Contribution Canadienne) (North York, ON: Galerie Koffler, 1988), 7.

^[iv] “A Short History of Penland School of Crafts” (Brève Histoire de l’Ecole des Arts de Penland) de Penland School of Crafts, (Ecole des Arts de Penland) http://penland.org/about/history.html  extrait le 08/24/10. L’école de Penland fut établie durant les années 1920 et ajouta le support verre au cours des années 1960 lorsque le verre devint populaire, Mark Peiser fut le premier artiste-résident de cet atelier verrier.

^[v] Hickey “Gathering,” (Rassembler) 7.

^[vi] Morrison, Rosalyn J. “A Study of Canadian Glass” (Etude sur le Verre Canadien) de Canadian Glassworks (Travaux de Verre Canadiens) (Toronto: Conseil des Artisans d’Ontario, 1990), 5.

^[vii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass” (Le Verre Canadien), 6.

^[viii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass” (Le Verre Canadien), 6.

^[ix] Layton, Glass Art (L’Art du Verre), 68.

^[x] Julia et Yolande Krueger “Brève Histoire de l’Enseignement du Verre au Canada”, Contemporary Canadian Glass 5 (Verre Canadien Contemporain 5), n° 3, Hiver 2006, 25.

^[xi]“Biographie de Laura Donefer”, Annuaire des Artistes de la GAAC, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=83#bio extrait le 08/24/10.

“Catherine Hibbits Glass – About” (Verre de Catherine Hibbits – A Propos) http://catherinehibbitsglass.com/%20/%20/about/ extrait le 08/24/10.

Galerie Koffler, Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution, (Le Verre dans la Sculpture: Une Contribution Canadienne) North York, ON: Galerie Koffler, 1988. p. 76.

^[xii] Layton, Glass Art (L’Art du Verre), 68.

^[xiii] Xiii Krueger et Krueger, “Glass Education” (L’Enseignement du Verre), 25.

^[xiv] Hickey, “Gathering” (Rassembler), 6.

“John Paul Robinson” Galerie XEXE, http://www.xexegallery.com/artist_individual.php?artist_id=69, extrait le 08/24/10.

“Francis Muscat – Glass Artist in Sunderland, Ontario”(Artiste Verrier à Sunderland, Ontario) http://www.aisg.on.ca/gallery/67b7360107bebb29b1c38d0e0a82e204ddfc9ccb.html extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xv] Krueger et Krueger, “Glass Education” (L’Enseignement du Verre), 26.

^[xvi] “ACAD Glass” (Verre à l’ACAD) Collège des Arts et du Design d’Alberta, http://www.acad.ab.ca/glass.html Extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xvii] Krueger et Krueger, “Glass Education” (L’Enseignement du Verre), 26.

^[xviii] Morrison, “Canadian Glass” (Le Verre Canadien), 17 – Le graphique généalogique montre le mouvement des artistes entre les écoles au cours des premières années.

^[xix] Layton, Glass Art (L’Art du Verre), 68.

^[xx] Morrison, “Canadian Glass” (Le Verre Canadien), 9.

^[xxi] Krueger et Krueger, “L’Enseignement du Verre”, 26.

“Biographie de Michele Lapointe“, Annuaire des Artistes de la GAAC, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=286#bio , extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxii] Hickey, “Gathering” (Rassembler), 11.

^[xxiii] Hickey, “Gathering” (Rassembler), 8.

^[xxiv] “Contact GAAC” Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/contact.php, extrait le 09/13/10.

^[xxv] Layton, Glass Art (L’Art du Verre), 68.

^[xxvi] “Curriculum de Peter Powning” http://www.powning.com/peter/resume.html#workshops, extrait le 08/24/10.       

“Biographie de David James”, Annuaire des Artistes de la GAAC, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=48%20\%20bio, extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxvii] “Contemporary Canadian Glass” (Verre Contemporain Canadien): Magazine de l’Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre), GAAC, http://mag.glassartcanada.ca/, extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxviii] “Biographie de Ione Thorkelsson” Annuaire des Artistes de la GAAC, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist.php?id=48%20\%20bio, extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxix] Engerer, Alfred, tiré d’un entretien avec Alfred Engerer le 1^er Septembre 2010.

^[xxx]“Centre Harbourfront – Visual Arts & Craft (Arts Visuels et Artisanat) – Craft Studio” Centre Harbourfront, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm extrait le 08/24/10.

“Centre des Arts Vivants – Cours pour Adultes” Centre des Arts Vivants de Mississauga, http://www.livingartscentre.ca/courses_camps/community/adult_courses/index.php?id=25 extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxxi] Hickey, “Gathering” (Rassembler), 15.

^[xxxii]“Centre Harbourfront – Visual Arts & Craft (Arts Visuels et Artisanat) – Craft Studio” Centre Harbourfront, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm, extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxxiii] “Lou Lynn” Centre Culturel Evergreen, http://www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/ART+GALLERY/Past+Exhibitions/Lou+Lynn.htm, extrait le 08/24/10.

^[xxxiv] Engerer, Alfred. Tiré d’un entretien avec Alfred Engerer le 1er Septembre 2010.

^[xxxv] Krueger et Krueger, ” Glass Education” (L’Enseignement du Verre), 25-26 – Cet article donne aussi une brève description des différentes écoles existantes.

^[xxxvi] Krueger et Krueger, ” Glass Education” (L’Enseignement du Verre), 26.

Bibliographie

 

“ACAD Glass” (Verre ACAD) Collège des Arts et du Design d’Alberta, http://www.acad.ab.ca/glass.html, extrait le 08/24/10.

“Catherine Hibbits Glass – About” (Le Verre de Catherine Hibbits – A Propos) http://catherinehibbitsglass.com/%20/%20/about/ extrait le 08/24/10.

“Contact GAAC” Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/contact.php, extrait le 09/13/10.

“Contemporary Canadian Glass (Verre Canadien Contemporain): Magazine de l’Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre” Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre, http://mag.glassartcanada.ca/ extrait le 08/24/10.

“Annuaire des Artistes Verriers Canadiens”, Association Canadienne des Arts du Verre, http://www.glassartcanada.ca/artist_directory.php?type=pro%20\%20alphabetical, extrait le 08/24/10.

“Francis Muscat – Glass Artist in Sunderland, Ontario” (Artiste Verrier à Sunderland, Ontario) http://www.aisg.on.ca/gallery/67b7360107bebb29b1c38d0e0a82e204ddfc9ccb.html extrait le 08/24/10.

Frantz, Susanne K. Contemporary Glass: A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass (Verre Contemporain: Enquête internationale du Musée du Verre de Corning), New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1989.

“Centre Harbourfront – Visual Arts & Craft (Arts Visuels et Artisanat) – Craft Studio ” Centre Harbourfront, http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/craftstudio.cfm, extrait le 08/24/10.

Hickey, Gloria. “Gathering Momentum: The Studio Glass Movement in Canada,” (Rassembler l’Elan: Le Mouvement des Ateliers Verriers au Canada) dans Glass in Sculpture: A Canadian Contribution (Le Verre dans la Sculpture: Une Contribution Canadienne), North York, ON: Galerie Koffler, 1988. 6-16.

“John Paul Robinson,” Galerie XEXE, http://www.xexegallery.com/artist_individual.php?artist_id=69, extrait le 08/24/10.

Galerie Koffler, Gathering Momentum: The Studio Glass Movement in Canada (Le Verre dans la Sculpture: Une Contribution Canadienne), North York, ON: Galerie Koffler, 1988.

Krueger, Julia et Yolande. “A Brief History of Glass Education in Canada.” (Brève Histoire de l’Enseignement du Verre au Canada) Contemporary Canadian Glass 5 (Verre Contemporain Canadien 5), n°3, Hiver 2006. 24-27.

Layton, Peter. Glass Art (L’Art du Verre), Londres: A&C Black, 1996.

“Centre des Arts Vivants – Cours pour Adultes” Centre des Arts Vivants de Mississauga, http://www.livingartscentre.ca/courses_camps/community/adult_courses/index.php?id=25 extrait le 08/24/10.

“Lou Lynn,” Centre Culturel Evergreen, http://www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/ART+GALLERY/Past+Exhibitions/Lou+Lynn.htm, extrait le 08/24/10.

Morrison, Rosalyn J., “A Study of Canadian Glass” (Etude sur le Verre Canadien) de Canadian Glassworks (Travaux de Verre Canadiens) 1970-1990, Toronto: Conseil des Artisans de l’Ontario, 1990, 3-10.

“Peter Powning – Curriculum” http://www.powning.com/peter/resume.html%20/%20workshops, extrait le 08/24/10.

Jamie McDonald Gray

From the growing variety and multitude of talented people evident in the Canadian glass scene, you’d think Canada has a glass school in every major city churning out master glass craftspeople with factory efficiency.  Not so.  Canada has only three schools providing a focus on glass technique.  And each of these cuts loose only a handful of graduates every year.  What is it then that makes glass students stick to their chosen medium in higher numbers and go on to be great representatives of Canada on the world glass scene?  Is it any particular school’s exit strategy?  Ex-school support?  Glass community networking and mentoring?  Is it simply an extreme love of the craft?  It’s worthwhile to examine what makes each of our great glass schools tick.

Firstly, it’s important to note that there is no doubt whatsoever that there are many glass artists and craftspeople who have never set foot within institutionalized art education, and yet are nevertheless making interesting work, providing great teaching, and being key contributors to networking in their communities.  That’s a given.  Passion and commitment to our medium does not require formalized education.  However, a small handful of people in Canada choose each year to pursue a structured, academic method of learning glass techniques to the exclusion of all else.  In order to provide an in-depth report on these, three students, one from each of Canada’s glass schools, have been polled.  Alexandre Hupe at Espace Verre, Jen Van Herten at Sheridan College, and Jeff Rodier at the Alberta College of Art + Design have all contributed key information on the current state of affairs in their schools’ glass departments.

Espace Verre, Montreal

Montreal is home to Espace Verre, founded in 1983 by a collective headed up by glass masters Ronald Labelle and François Houdé.  In 1989, Espace VERRE joined up with the Cégep du Vieux-Montréal and so now offers a Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in fine crafts with a glass option.  Espace Verre is the only school in Canada where the focus is entirely on glass.

Alexandre Hupe, Espace Verre student representative to the Glass Art Association of Canada, says the atmosphere is very positive because everyone there loves what they do.  There is much shared curiosity and discussion, with technical questions answered freely by anyone who has the information.  Teamwork is strong and the students are free to choose projects that interest them for any particular technique being taught.  Graduating students show as a group at the end of the year at a local gallery.  Also at the end of each year, the students’ work is celebrated with a Journée Critique (Critique Day) in which students exhibit their final projects, and both students and instructors weigh in with comments in order to help everyone else with their artistic development.  The school has a solid administrative team headed up by Christian Poulin.  Alexandre says that the school technician, François Perrault, is integral to the success of the program.  Fundraising activities assist the students to attend functions such as the GAAC conference.  It’s exciting that the conference will be hosted by Espace Verre this year.

Sheridan College, Oakville

The glass department at Sheridan College is part of the Craft and Design Program, which is part of the School of Animation, Arts and Design.  Current student Jen Van Herten says that the program is evolving in exciting ways. While Dan Crichton was certainly a central character to the original development of the Sheridan glass program, today’s students would likely point to Koen Vanderstukken as a major influence.  Koen came to Sheridan from Belgium, bringing with him an extensive knowledge of teaching, working with glass, working internationally, and working collaboratively.  Under his guidance, the program has adopted a sharper focus on content and quality.  He calls on each of his students to challenge what they believe about art history, and to push the boundaries of what is being done in the art world today.

Jen says that she believes the best part about the glass program at Sheridan is the breadth of artistic focus.  While the program has historically been focused around glass blowing and the hot shop, a new strategy has allowed for students to focus on their own areas of specialty.  This can now include kiln forming, flameworking, sand casting / hot casting, engraving and coldworking.  Students are encouraged to think as seriously about concept as technique.  And Sheridan’s knowledgeable faculty is always on hand to advise students on the most effective way of creating their work.

Sheridan’s glass students have opportunities to show their work a minimum of twice per year within the school’s own gallery facilities. Those in their graduating year have even more opportunities to exhibit, both within and outside the school environment, including galleries in Toronto and Hamilton.  This is just one way in which Sheridan provides its graduates the necessary tools for success upon graduation.

Alberta College of Art + Design, Calgary

Calgary is a bit of a dichotomy.  A growing and evolving city of more than a million people, it has nevertheless preserved its small-town feel.  Jeff Rodier, ACAD student representative to GAAC, says that that outlook is reflected well at ACAD, where the studios are filled with a friendly, helpful vibe.  The glass community is small but strongly connected both within the school and to the overall glass scene outside of it.  This is largely due to both the regular return of glass alumni to the college as visiting artists as well as the influx of international glass artists-in-residence.  The exciting diversity this provides offers a variety of challenges for the students, pushing them to new limits in concept, design and technique.  This year alone, the glass department welcomed Dante Marioni, Paul Marioni, CUD (John Drury and Robbie Miller), and Carrie Iverson as short-term artists-in-residence, and Jane Bruce has been in residence for the full winter term helping mentor this year’s graduates through their final projects and out the door.  The faculty and technicians of the glass department are a cast of key players in their own right in the glass world, providing a wide spectrum of expertise to the students.

ACAD’s glass department was founded by Norman Faulkner in the late 1970’s, where it began as a sub-set of the ceramics department.  Jeff notes that the glass department still shares the same floor in the college as the ceramics, sculpture, and print media departments, who make great neighbours.  The first graduate of the program was Marty Kaufman in 1982.  ACAD became a degree-granting institution in 1995, putting into place a four-year BFA program making ACAD the only school in Canada offering a BFA in glass.

Jeff says that yearly events such as the ever-popular Glass Olympics, Mug Nights, the BBQ, the Hotshop Roast, and SmartNight, serve to bring the students, faculty and alumni together as a community to have purposeful fun.  Some of those events serve as fund-raisers, which help raise money so that students can be subsidized for travel expenses to international glass schools and conferences.  The students show both in groups and individually and everyone celebrates when someone is recognized with a grant, award or other honours.  The glass community both within the school and outside of it is close-knit and supportive.

With only three glass schools across the width and breadth of our great country, you might expect competition to be fierce, but no.  Competition does indeed exist but just like Espace Verre’s Journée Critiques, Sheridan’s collaborative shows, and ACAD’s Glass Olympics it’s friendly, cooperative and encouraging.  There is definitely pride of school but not to the exclusion of an implicit acknowledgement that we’re all in this together; both those who’ve taken the academic track and those who’ve discovered glass on their own.  Our glass communities tending to cluster are nevertheless all-inclusive.  This makes it easy to explain how it is that when we gather together from all over the country for a conference or meet up at various glass meccas around the world, we often know to whom we’re talking.  It never takes us Canadian glass artists long to seek out the other Canucks and get talking shop.  It’s a tribute to our glass schools, which help turn out glass artists and craftspeople knowledgeable about the history of our craft, curious to explore new processes and techniques, well-supported as alumni, and well-connected to the outside glass community.  Class acts indeed.

Many thanks to the three students who generously took time out of their busy academic schedules to contribute information about their schools.  Alexandre, Jen and Jeff, your key insights into your schools’ inner workings have helped us to know and understand better both Canada’s history and future in glass.

 

Jamie McDonald Gray is a recent graduate of the glass program at the Alberta College of Art + Design, as well as coordinator of the Calgary Warm Glass Guild, contributor to the Calgary Glass Initiative, and on the Board of Directors for the Glass Art Association of Canada.  Clearly, to her, networking in the glass community matters!

By Brad Copping

With two years of steady work under his belt, Steven Tippin has completed his MFA at RIT and produced a very impressive body of work in the process.  Tippin completed the three year Advanced Diploma in the Craft and Design Program in Glass at Sheridan College in Oakville, before heading down to Rochester, New York to work with Robin Cass and Michael Rogers.  He will be speaking at the Glass Art Association of Canada Conference in Montreal as part of the Graduates Presentation on Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 9 am.  Here he talks a bit about the work he has made for his MFA exhibition (by the way, the piece Force is 50 kilos of glass).

I think that my glass artwork is very similar to the techniques that inspire it. When I view the work I see elements of printmaking, sculpture, painting, photography, graphite drawing, halftone imagery and text. I also think that the repetition, overlapping, lack of vivid color and misleading perspective found in the work is very important when I create and critique my glass panels.

I make the glass panels by fusing together individual pieces of glass, called murini, into a thin flat panel. The “tubes” in the glass are a result of how the murini are made in the hot shop and are inside the glass, not painted on the surface. The finished panels have the illusion of depth that is much deeper than the physical ¼” of space created by the movement of the glass at a liquid state.

I feel that each work of art shown in this exhibition best showcases the elements found in my work that I feel are most important.  The highlighted characteristics of the work include the elements of painterly movement, sculptural form, contrasting visual versus physical texture, illusion of condensed space and the way that the work acts like a lens and distorts the world behind it. Although each piece is very different, a common color palette and a similar creation technique unite them. Studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology for my Masters of Fine Arts has allowed my to pursue work that would never have been possible otherwise. During my two years there I was able to push the movement in the work, the scale and use new techniques such as water jet cutting.

Tippin’s MFA Thesis Exhibition ran from April 2 to April 27, but is being held over for the month of May, 2010.  The exhibition is being held at Booksmart Studio, 250 North Goodman St, Rochester, NY 14607.  The gallery is open Monday to Friday 10am – 5 pm.

For more on Steven Tippin check out his website at www.steventippin.com

By Rika Hawes

This article has been recently edited, having been initially published in the Glass Gazette in 2005

So you want to go to grad school?  Here’s what you need to know.

As one of a handful of Canadian glass makers who continued studies outside the country, I’ve encountered a number of people who ask me why I chose to go to grad school, how I paid for it, whether it’s been worth the change in lifestyle and the specifics of where to get information about acquiring a graduate degree in glass. This article is for all of you who have been asking me these questions, and for those of you I have yet to meet who are curious about your options for acquiring an MFA in glass.

Before all else should be the question of why. Why go to the trouble and expense of acquiring a graduate degree in a discipline that does not require it of you in order for you to make your work? The answers to this question vary from person to person, but some of the most common responses include the desire to study abroad, wanting to teach college or university level education, wanting to be taken more seriously by collectors and galleries and, of course, wanting more time to dedicate to the development of your work. While graduate degrees are fairly standard practice in the USA, it is not necessary to have a degree of any sort in order to create really fabulous and fulfilling work. The truly remarkable thing about grad school is that you have 1-3 years to focus entirely on your own studio practice. Moving to a new place and devoting yourself to your studies can be a wonderful release from the pressures of producing work to pay the bills, or of the everyday responsibilities of your life. A time of extended study may provide a cathartic experience that leads your creative and professional life in new directions. It also releases you from having to pay off your previous student loan debt until you’ve completed your studies. Depending on the school you choose to attend, you may or may not have a heavy academic course load or studio and teaching responsibilities. Some graduate students I’ve spoken with have had the experience of having to devote more time than they’re comfortable with to responsibilities associated with their funding sources, such as teaching or technical assistantships. If your own interests include acquiring more technical experience in a glass studio, or in teaching, this may be the sort of funding arrangement you’re looking for. Different schools offer different degrees, ranging from one, two, or three-year graduate programs in Fine Art, Philosophy, or Arts. The exact title of your degree often depends on which country you choose to conduct your studies, although the programs are often quite similar in that they provide a studio-driven experience in glass education.

For those of you who are interested in acquiring a degree in Canada, you won’t find a MFA program for glass on our native soil. Other options include pursuing a degree in sculpture or industrial design at one of the many universities that offer those programs. York University (Toronto) began a pilot graduate program in 2005, catering to practicing professional artists who have their own studios. Students pay tuition and fees, but continue their studio practice outside of the school facilities. Their involvement with York University consists of academic coursework and critiques with their peers. This may be a viable option for glass makers whose primary focus is sculpture, as the program is associated with specific academic departments, such as sculpture, photography, new media, etc. NSCAD University (Halifax) had plans for a glass program, slated to begin in 2006. Paul Greenhalgh stated in an interview with me in 2001 that a graduate program in glass would follow a few years after the successful launch of an undergraduate program in glass at that institution. (This did not happen, nor does it seem likely.)

Canadian glass makers have several options for studying abroad, including Australia, Japan, Finland, England, Scotland, the USA and other countries whose programs I have not researched. While the USA is closest and perhaps the easiest country for which to find information, graduate programs around the world accept international students and have strengths which may meet your needs. In the USA, there are 12 or more graduate programs in glass to look at. There is a list of glass programs on the Glass Art Society (GAS) website, with links to their urls. The GAS list is not comprehensive, as the list includes only those schools that have an active membership with the Glass Art Society. Getting on-line, or attending a GAS conference are excellent opportunities to meet heads of programs and students who are or have attended schools you’re interested in. Most schools have websites with information about the application process, required courses, program duration, tuition, funding opportunities, alumni, and gallery pages that allow you to see a selection of work created by students and faculty. Sometimes the reputation of a school is well known. Other times you may need to dig a little to find information about the program. The message boards on the GAS, craftweb and warmglass websites are all excellent spots to meet people who have an opinion or story they are happy to share with you. Long-standing members of the glass community are another excellent source of information, as they often have experience working with the faculty of various schools through the course of their careers, having conducted workshops or been visiting artists at the schools you are interested in knowing more about.

Language is a major consideration when contemplating study in a country that does not speak your first language. Some students choose to conduct their studies in a foreign language because of reputation alone, or because the challenge of learning a new language / refreshing your skills in one you may already know is part of their academic goals. It is also possible that there are no graduate programs taught in the language with which you are most comfortable. There is the potential that your language proficiency will be questioned before you are accepted to a program, and that you will be asked to prove your skills using one of the internationally accepted tests, such as TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language).

Once you have decided that you want to apply for grad school, there are several bits of information you need to acquire. Get online and order catalogues and application forms from all of the schools you are interested in. Understand that application deadlines vary from country to country and remember that the academic year does not always begin after Labour Day in other parts of the world.  Deadlines in Australia and the UK are quite different from the USA, where deadlines generally fall anywhere from November to March. International students generally have earlier deadlines than resident applicants, in order to process the application and assess foreign transcripts etc. You will need to acquire official transcripts from all schools attended after high school, digital images (and/or, god forbid, slides!), letters of recommendation, a statement of intent, a passport and some cash for the application fee and postage.

Your images, statement of intent and your letters of recommendation are crucial to the success of your application. Get the very best photographs that you can afford, and save .tiff copies of your originals. Label them using the standard labeling method of the country to which you are applying, and adhere to labeling and image list criteria as described in your application forms. Use systems of measurement that are common to the country to which you are applying. (metric or imperial). Schools that receive dozens or hundreds of applications have little patience for applicants who do not follow guidelines posted in graduate application packages. Professionalism in your presentation is very important as first impressions really do stick. Understand that your images are generally the most important criteria in the eyes of a prospective graduate program. If your work is amazing, and comes across that way in your images, and you are exactly the type of artist a head of program is looking for to round out their graduate program, they may give less weight to other parts of your application that don’t shine quite as brightly.

You should spend as much time as possible writing your statement of intent. Cater each statement to the school to which you are applying. If one school offers technical assistantships to grads in order for them to run the studio, include your technical experience in glass studio technology, or in other industrial areas, such as welding or construction. If you are hoping for a teaching assistantship, include prior teaching experience. Your statement of intent describes your intention in attending grad school, describes the creative energy behind your work, what you can bring to their program, and illustrates your writing skills. Once you have completed your draft, have a literate friend (or 2 or 3) review your statement for content, grammar and spelling. Remember that some countries spell things different than we Canadians, and they will think you can’t spell if you use Canadian spelling for words that are not nouns. Harbourfront Centre will always be Harbourfront Centre, but grey may be gray.

Letters of recommendation are the tangible result of all the encouragement you are quite likely to experience in support of your desire to attend grad school. Carefully consider your decision about who you ask for letters of recommendation. Ask not only if someone will write a letter for you, but also whether they feel confident in being able to support your application 100%. Your first thought about who to ask for letters of recommendation may not be the best person for your application. Although it is assumed that current and former faculty should definitely be on your list of referees, it may not be beneficial if they are unaware of your current studio practice or interest in attending grad school. It may be more advantageous to your application to receive letters from a combination of arts professionals, employers, artists and faculty who support your work, your interest in attending grad school, who see promise in you and who write well. You will need to provide your referees with a form letter provided in your application package, which they will need to mail to the school you are requesting the letter for. They may also be asked to submit a letter online, using a password protected website. Keeping all the paperwork straight can be very confusing if you are applying to several schools, all with different deadlines and referee forms. Make it as easy as possible for your referees. Provide pre-paid, addressed envelopes. I used Express Post, and my referees had only to drop their envelopes in the mail and their letters were tracked to their destinations. After your applications are sent in, thank your referees profusely, acknowledging their time and energy spent on your behalf. A good referee will have worked hard on your letters and will appreciate your thanks. Also be sure to keep referees apprised of your progress in attending school. Let them know if you get accepted!

It is in your interest to send applications by courier, or by a method that you can track. Aside from being assured of your application arriving by the deadline, it is more likely to actually arrive. International postal service can be very slow.

Some schools require applicants to submit scores from a test called the GRE, or Graduate Record Exam. A few graduate MFA programs require all applicants to complete the test, and some ask for it from international students, or from students who attended schools that grade with a letter grade, or low pass / pass / high pass system of evaluation. If your undergraduate degree is from NSCAD University during the years of the pass / fail system, there is a strong chance of your having to take the GRE. The GRE is similar to the American SATs, but for aspiring graduate students. There are sections of the test that evaluate your language, writing, analytical and deductive reasoning skills. The test is widely available worldwide at regional testing centers. The cost is a few hundred dollars. Study guides are available at bookstores and on-line resources from the GRE website include sample tests, and demographic data relating to the performance of thousands of students, organized by discipline and testing section. If you need to take the GRE, book an appointment as soon as possible. The test is conducted via computer and spots fill up quickly once deadlines for applying to school approach. Be sure you study for this test. Some schools will not consider your application if your scores are too low, and some schools may base scholarships and fellowships on a combination of your grade point average and GRE scores. I studied for four months, having had to re-learn high school math and learn how to take the test. Many of these types of tests are much easier if you understand the way questions are structured. They follow a pattern of testing your reasoning skills more than your innate knowledge.

If you are interested in applying for funding from an independent source, be aware that deadlines for some of the big scholarships can be up to a year before your studies begin. Get on-line and start looking for funding right away. It will take up a huge amount of your time, but can be worth it if your ability to attend grad school is dependant on outside assistance. Be aware that provincial and federal student loans will provide a mere $4000 per year to Canadian students studying abroad. (This amount may have changed since 2005.)  Personal loans are another option if you are unable to secure funding or choose to attend a school that does not provide funding to graduate students.  Commonwealth Scholarships (for study in other commonwealth countries) are some of the most lucrative and the most difficult to attain, and there are another 1000 or so people applying for the same scholarship. If your undergraduate grades are very high (GPA of 3.85 or better), it may be worth applying for this particular scholarship.

Many of the schools in the USA provide full or partial funding to graduate students. Some schools abroad offer funding as well, but it is not as common as in the USA.

Admittance to funded glass programs tends to be much more competitive than non-funded graduate programs in the USA. Schools that have full funding for graduate students include Ohio State University, Alfred University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Champagne-Urbana, Bowling Green State University and Tulane University. There may be more that I’m unaware of. Other schools may have partial funding, or funding for one of a two or three-year program. Most schools also provide other sources of funding than departmental assistantships and fellowships. Many offer graduate fellowships targeted to specific demographic groups, such as international students, students of colour, or students with very high grade point averages. I attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and although the program does not offer full funding to all graduate students, I was able to secure a first year University Fellowship based on my grades and support of the department, and a second year academic internship as the glass studio technician and instructor, based on my grades, faculty selection and technical/teaching experience. These two sources of funding paid for all of my tuition and student fees, health insurance, and a monthly stipend that covered my cost of living. The fellowship also offered me the opportunity to travel and volunteer for the summer between first and second year, and the role of studio technician provided valuable experience in running a glass studio.  Many schools also have sources of funding that are unadvertised.

Once you have done your research, completed the paperwork and sent off your application, it is a good idea to get to know the programs you’re interested in attending personally more intimately. Visiting different campuses just before or right around the time your applications are due is important. Seeing facilities and meeting faculty and students one-on-one can be the deciding factor in your decision about which school to attend, should you be accepted to more than one program. It’s also quite likely that your visit and the impressions you make will facilitate the process for the faculty of your chosen program in deciding whether to offer you placement or funding in their program. You should be prepared to present your images, and speak about your work and intentions in attending grad school. My visits to different schools and telephone contact were the deciding factor in my choice to attend Tyler. The information I was able to glean through viewing the campus and meeting with faculty and students were crucial to my decision making process If it is not possible for you to visit the schools of your choice first-hand, speak to the head of the department by phone or e-mail and ask for the contact info of students so you can get a different perspective.

After receiving an offer from a graduate program, it is important to stay in touch with them, and contact the other programs to which you have applied. Because of different deadlines and selection processes at different schools, it is possible that you will hear from one school long before another. Schools sometimes compete for students, especially if they really, really want you, and expect that other schools will want you too. You don’t have to say yes or no right away, especially if you are waiting to hear from another school, although if you are unsure, it is in your interest to think about how to respond to offers in a way that is honest, yet keeps your options open. There is a code of conduct in the USA that pertains to the offer of placement to graduate students, to which all universities must adhere. If you are treated in a way that makes you the least bit uncomfortable, find this document on-line and find out what your rights as a potential graduate student are.

After you’ve accepted placement in the graduate program of your choice, there are some immigration issues that you need to start dealing with right away. Canadians have a pretty easy time getting a student visa for the USA (you can get it at the border, if you have the right paperwork), but getting a visa for any other country may be a time-consuming and laborious process, involving lots of paperwork, interviews, financial documents etc. Find out what you need to do and get it done as early as possible. If your citizenship is Canadian, but you were not born in Canada, you may experience some extra hassle getting a student visa to the USA. If your citizenship is not Canadian, you need to check into whether you need to return to your country of citizenship in order to acquire a student visa.

Although it may seem daunting to pursue this level of research and preparation for applying to grad school, the pay-off at the end is well worth the work. You may well end up changing your life, traveling the world and moving your creative studio practice in a direction that leads to wonderful things. If this is the path you wish to follow, then pursue your goals with vigour and resolve, be committed to having the best application package you can assemble and good luck to you.

If you would like more information or have questions, feel free to contact me at

rikahawes@gmail.com

Rika Hawes completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in the Ceramics and Glass Department at Tyler School of Art, Temple University in 2006. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Glass Art Association of Canada, for which she co-ordinates the Project Grant Program and the website. Rika has remained in Philadelphia since graduation, where she maintains a very busy studio practice and cold working business, teaches at Temple University, Salem College (where in September 2009 she was named Assistant Professor of Glass Art at Salem Community College and is the head of the Glass Art and Industrial Glass Design programs, further developing these two areas and providing world-class instruction to students at the new Samuel H. Jones Glass Education Center in Alloway, New Jersey) and East Falls Glass Studio and takes care of a 250 year old mansion in the middle of a city park. If you’d like to visit, bring ketchup potato chips!

www.rikahawes.com