Gone but not forgotten…

Evidence in Possession: The formative years of Australian Studio Glass, an exhibition celebrating the first 10 years of the movement in Oz, has wound up now – but for those you unable to make it Michael’s sent through a very sweet visual bouquet…

EVIDENCE IN POSSESSION

The formative years of Australian Studio Glass

The National Art Glass Collection’s historical and international significance was the focus of this exhibition in early 2015. This exhibition was presented in the National Art Glass Gallery in conjunction with the fortieth anniversary of the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.

Curated by Dr Denis O’Connor and the Gallery’s curator of glass, Michael Scarrone, Evidence in Possession reveals the key role that Wagga Wagga played in the promotion and encouragement of studio glass in Australia. Australian glass artists are now world-renowned for their skills, and Wagga Wagga Art Gallery’s eagerness to support this artform as it emerged helped shape its future.

Studio glass activity began in Wagga Wagga in the mid 1970s, with visits from American glass craftsmen such as Professor Bill Boysen, Richard Marquis and Sam Herman. At the Riverina College of Advanced Education (now Charles Sturt University), lecturer John Elsegood established one of Australia’s first hot glass teaching studios. And in 1981, the Gallery’s director Judy Le Lievre launched the first national exhibition of Australian contemporary glass – the first of many and the foundation of the National Art Glass Collection.

Prominent glass pioneers whose work is celebrated in Evidence in Possession include David Wright and Klaus Zimmer for their ground-breaking flat and stained glass pieces; Richard Clements and Peter Minson for their lampworking and flameworking; Anne Dybka and Helmut Hiebl for their specialised cold glass engraving processes; and the complex sandblasted surfaces of Tony Hanning.

Also featured in the exhibition were the multi-faceted kiln-formed works of Neil Roberts and Warren Langley, alongside the free-blown hot glass of Peter Docherty, Con Rhee, Gerry King, John Elsegood, Julio Santos, Nick Mount and Denis O’Connor. Further displays showcased the innovative approach to concept and technique of Brian Hirst, Richard Morrell and Rob Knottenbelt, as well as the invaluable experience, processes and passion of international visitors Sam Herman, Richard Marquis and Bill Boysen.