News

Tate Liverpool Exhibition of John Piper (1903-1992)

Fig. 1. The Baptistry Window at Coventry Cathedral, John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens.

Fig. 1. The Baptistry Window at Coventry Cathedral, John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens.

Tate Liverpool’s Winter exhibition programme includes a new exploration of the work of John Piper: a formidable, multi-layered British artist, travel writer and photographer.
A collection of 40 of his works covers Piper’s wide-ranging interests, inspirations and lasting legacy.  It shows his relationship with major international artists while revealing his pivotal influence on modern art in Britain from the 1930s onwards.
Piper had a deep understanding of and sensitivity to early art forms including medieval stained glass windows and Anglo Saxon stone carving.  His love of creating beautiful stained glass is shown in the centrepiece commission for Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathdedral of Christ the King which is seen by millions of visitors in its 50th anniversary year.  Piper was also instrumental in creating the spectacular stained glass at Coventry Cathedral in the post-war period.

Gloucester Council plans Stained Glass for Bus Station

Fig. 1. Detail of Tom Denny’s commission at Gloucester Cathedral.

Fig. 1. Detail of Tom Denny’s commission at Gloucester Cathedral.

Plans to install a £100,000 stained glass window in a new bus station in Gloucester have been approved.  A condition of the planning approval for the station was that it included a piece of public artwork. The window is scheduled to be created by artist Tom Denny, a designer of international merit already responsible for beautifully successful stained glass at Gloucester Cathedral.

Some feel that the cost of the artwork is excessive in a ‘cash-strapped environment’, but supporters of the project have said that its cost is a very small part of the overall build, budgeted at £7.5m, whilst Leader of Gloucester City Council, Paul James, has pointed out that it may also “potentially help” the council in its ambition of being City of Culture in 2025.

The Stained Glass Museum Study Weekend 2018: Suffolk

Thursday, 19th April – Sunday, 22nd April 2018

The Stained Glass Museum’s 2018 Study Weekend will take place in Suffolk, from lunchtime on Thursday 19th April to the morning of Sunday 22nd April 2018. Based in the historic market town of Bury St Edmunds, former home to one of the richest Benedictine abbeys in medieval England, the annual weekend will involve tours of a number of churches and other buildings to see stained glass in situ. The weekend will begin on Thursday afternoon with a walking tour in the town of Bury St Edmunds, and continue with coach tours in the surrounding area on Friday and Saturday. Optional visits by foot, exploring the Abbey ruins and Moyses’ Hall museum will be scheduled for Sunday morning.

Fig. 1. 15th century stained glass (window nXII 1c), Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk © Chris Parkinson.

Fig. 1. 15th century stained glass (window nXII 1c), Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk © Chris Parkinson.

Visits will include: St Edmundsbury Cathedral, the parish churches of St Mary and St John, and Council Offices, all in Bury St Edmunds. In addition, there will be visits to see medieval stained glass at Long Melford, Risby, Gipping and Hessett, an important collection of 16th and 17th century roundels at Nowton; 17th century heraldic glass at Clare, and High Victorian glass at Sudbury and Lavenham. There will also be opportunities to see some beautiful early Henry Holiday glass at Shimpling and fine Arts and Crafts stained glass at Horringer and Herringswell.

Booking is now open for the weekend, and prices are as follows:

Prices (per person)
Residential:
£495 Residential single occupancy
£445 Residential double/twin occupancy
Non-residential:
Please note Residential places have priority booking)
£250 Non-Residential and dinners
£150 Non-Residential (visits only) PLACES LIMITED

For more information and booking forms, please see the museum’s website.

The Belfast Society Lecture

Wednesday, 7th February 2018, 6.30pm.

Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe will present a lecture entitled, Wilhelmina Geddes (1887-1955), Belfast’s reclaimed treasure, “the finest stained glass artist of our time”?

Fig. 1 Crucifixion by Wilhelmenia Geddes, 1922, east window of St Luke’s Church, Wallsend. A memorial to the men of the parish killed during the First World War.

Fig. 1 Crucifixion by Wilhelmenia Geddes, 1922, east window of St Luke’s Church, Wallsend. A memorial to the men of the parish killed during the First World War.

Dr Bowe  has published, lectured and broadcast widely on aspects of the early twentieth century Arts and Crafts Movement and the Celtic Revival, on the revival of stained glass as an art form, on contemporary craft expression and on women in the arts. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Glass Society of Ireland and the British Society of Master Glass Painters. Her most recent publications include a revised and updated edition of her seminal biography Harry Clarke: The Life and Work, and a biography of Ulster-born stained glass and graphic artist Wilhelmina Geddes.

The lecture will take place in The Old Museum Building, 7 College Square North, Belfast BT1 6AR. Non-members are welcome.  For more information, see the Society’s website.

Lecture: Art of Light - Stained Glass in the City of London

Wednesday, 6th December 2017, 2.00-3.00pm

Alexandra Epps, City of London Guide and Tate Guide, will give an illustrated talk about the post-war stained glass found within some of Sir Christopher Wren’s historic churches.  The stained glass was created by a range of artists, in a variety of styles and colours, but all of it beautiful.

The talk will take place at the Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH, and is free of charge. For further information and to register, visit the website.

The Stained Glass Museum Specialist Workshops: A Reminder

The Stained Glass Museum holds a regular programme of hands-on workshops run by professional artists and craftsmen. Subjects include Leading, Fusing, Glass Painting and Copper Foiling. Workshops are usually held on Saturdays, and small classes of up to six people enable each participant to enjoy one-to-one attention from experienced tutors.

The workshops are suitable for individuals with a wide range of ability and experience; they all take place in Ely, and start at 10am with a break for lunch, before finishing by 5pm. Workshops cost £90 per day, inclusive of all materials, equipment and tuition.

Bookings are now open for the next round of workshops, commencing in February 2018. For further information, and details on how to book, see the museum website.

Worshipful Company of Glaziers Continuing Professional Development Awards 2018

The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is inviting applications for two Continuing Professional Development Awards for 2018.  The deadline for applications is 31st January 2018.

These awards are short duration help for practitioners with at least five years’ working experience to broaden their professional skills, whether by moving towards the attainment of accredited status as conservators, by obtaining tuition to increase their effectiveness and proficiency in practicing their craft or by developing their creative skills. The award could be used to assist attendance at a masterclass or an advanced glass painting course, to learn about mortars and stonework installation, to seek tuition about glass chemistry, to shadow a fellow professional to learn a new skill such as edge bonding or glass cleaning or whatever else the awardee can demonstrate that s/he needs to learn to enhance working practices.  These awards are particularly aimed at professionals unable to leave their work for long periods, so typically enable attendance at short courses or short studio placements under expert tuition.
As a charity The Foundation is obliged to consider favourably the most cost effective solutions to training needs, which usually means established courses. However, if no appropriate course is available the Company will naturally look favourably on suitable bespoke teaching alternatives.
Each award will offer up to £550 for tuition costs and £225 subsistence while learning.

Each candidate must submit a C.V. demonstrating that they have worked for at least the preceding five years full time in the craft in the U.K; a note on work completed; and an indication of their future aspirations in the craft. Employed persons must include a reference from their studio head including their permission for the person to take the time to undertake the tuition. Self-employed persons must supply a reference from a practicing professional in the craft. A detailed description of the tuition to be undertaken (tuition provider, dates, costs and learning agenda) together with a statement as to how this specific learning will enhance their professional practice should also be submitted.

Further details can be found on the Worshipful Company of Glaziers website.
Inquiries and entries should be sent to Emma Blount, Awards Coordinator, awards@worshipfulglaziers.com or The Glaziers Company, Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close, London, SE1 9DD.

The Prince's School of Traditional Arts: Stained Glass Techniques and Design

Courses for those interested in exploring working with glass will also offered by the Prince’s School in early 2018.  The courses are taught by Genista Dunham, a 2015 graduate of The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts with a fine art background, having studied at the Slade. She is interested in both Christian and Pagan themes, particularly allegorical stories, as well as in the transformation from matter to spirit using images of the natural world: flora, fauna and particularly birds. In her work, in ceramics and glass, she continues to experiment with painting techniques and explorations of surface treatments.

Saturday, 3rd February 2018, 10.00am – 4.30pm

This taster day will offer an introduction to a range of stained glass techniques including how to cut a section of glass, how to experiment with pigment methods and materials, and how to apply trace lines, shading and colour to create a piece of textural depth with light.
Costs for the workshop are £40 full price/£30 concessions. All materials with be pro-vided.

Saturdays, 17th March – 14th April, 2018.

This longer course will offer the opportunity to practise each stage of the stained glass process: line cutting, painting with prepared raw pigments, shading, highlighting, applying colour and final firing. Participants will choose from a selection of designs, and complete an A4 sized panel.
Costs for the course are £350 full price/£280 concessions. All materials are provided on this course.