The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is an association of artists, collectors, students,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

organisation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

s, galleries,

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

s and enthusiasts of

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

. Its aim is to support Artists working in the medium of glass and to promote the development of glass art, both Nationally and Internationally, while forging links within the glass community.

Background

Founded in 1997, by Peter Layton of the ''London Glassblowing Studio'', together with Colin Reid and Tessa Clegg, the Contemporary Glass Society rose from the ashes of ''British Artists in Glass'', an informal association of individual Glass Artists founded in 1976 by a group of artists including the glass sculptor David Reekie. Essentially an informal

Craft Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

, ''British Artists in Glass'' was composed almost entirely of artists working in blown and kiln glass. Since its demise in 1992, the representation of British Glass had been left to individual efforts. There was no overall organisation. Through discussions with other like-minded people, Peter Layton identified the need for a unified, ''National Society'', to represent the interests of enthusiasts of glass more generally, within the national and international community. The ''Contemporary Glass Society'' was the result. The first conference was held at the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mechanics' Institute founde ...

with over 100 attendees and a line-up of speakers including, Keith Cummings, Diana Hobson and Alison Kinnard.

Present work

In 2005 CGS became a non-profit making limited company. An Arts Council England funded organisation, CGS has a growing membership that now includes not simply Glass artists, but makers, collectors, students, trade and education establishments. CGS is run by a voluntary committee made up mostly of makers and its administrator, Pam Reekie. It publishes a quarterly newsletter Glass Network, designed by the artist Roger Kohn and runs its own website and produces material showcasing the work of glass artists throughout the UK.Contemporary Glass Society Journal The society organises a number of public activities including; international conferences and one-day symposiums as well as practical workshops covering a range of techniques, such as

Glass blowing Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

, hot glass, architectural glass,

glass engraving Engraved glass is a type of decorated glass that involves shallowly engraving the surface of a glass object, either by holding it against a rotating wheel, or manipulating a "diamond point" in the style of an engraving burin. It is a subgroup of ...

and

glass casting Glass casting is the process in which glass objects are cast by directing molten glass into a mould where it solidifies. The technique has been used since the 15th century BCE in both Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Modern cast glass is formed by ...

and

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

work. Current members of the Contemporary Glass Society include: Katharine Coleman, Emma Woffenden, Anna Dickinson, Fiaz Elson, Catherine Hough, David Reekie, Colin Reid and Tessa Clegg.

References

External links

Contemporary Glass Society

Emma Woffenden
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Anna Dickinson

Colin Reid

Katherine Coleman

The Creative Glass Guild
Non-profit organisations based in the United Kingdom