See you at the beach!
Published on 11 February 2019
11 February 2019
For the first time, the New Zealand and Australian glass communities have teamed up to present the inaugural Art Glass conference titled The CoLab, to be held in Whanganui.
The international event, from 15-17 February, will bring together international glass artists and educators to present lectures, perform demonstrations, convene panel discussions and to teach masterclasses.
As well as the conference events for delegates, The CoLab Conference has created a dynamic and exciting public programme where the public can get involved:
The Beach Dig In: This event has been inspired by the traditional Castlecliff Beach Dig In’s which have entertained hundreds of local families since the 1950s. This event will combine with the beach furnace on February 17, 2019 from 2.00pm-5.00pm.
Local and international artists have donated glass work of various value to be found in the black sand at Castlecliff Beach. Don't worry we aren’t going to literally bury it - it's glass after all!
In its place will be numbered batons corresponding with the glass objects. The donated glass will be displayed at the Whanganui Surf Lifesaving Club on the day. Tickets to enter the dig in are $10 each and limited to one per person with 50 already pre-purchased by Progress Castlecliff to share with the local community and schools. Tickets will be sold at 2.00pm on the day from the Castlecliff Surf Lifesaving Club. There will be 100 treasures of art glass to be found.
Conference delegates, local iwi, school groups and interested public are all welcome to attend and encouraged to participate in this CoLab event.
The Beach Furnace: The New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass (NZSAG) and the Australian Association of Glass Artists (Ausglass) have invited Sui Jackson (Australia) to collaborate with New Zealand-based glass artists in the making and operation of a wood-fired glass furnace on the main beach at Castlecliff. The furnace and annealing chamber will be built from bricks salvaged from the old furnace at New Zealand Glassworks (NZG) which was demolished in 2018. Once the furnace comes to temperature and molten glass is produced, a series of glass-blowing demonstrations working in this primitive style will intrigue onlookers and challenge local and international glass artists.
Other events:
The Members Exhibition: Over 60 beautiful art glass works from artists across New Zealand and Australia are on display at the Sarjeant Object Space Gallery upstairs at the i-SITE until 3 March.
The Pop-up Exhibition: A no-frills pop-up exhibition run at the Community Art Centre, 19 Taupō Quay, 15-17 February.
The CoLab Collaboration Chandelier: The Crystal Chain Gang, using over 200 pieces donated from glass artists around New Zealand and Australia, have produced a chandelier: a beautiful collaborative creation on display at the Sarjeant on Quay, Taupō Quay from 15 February to 2 May.
Carmen Simmonds, NZSAG president, says the public events will provide The CoLab conference with intriguing and interactive events for all to enjoy; sharing art glass with the wider Whanganui community.