Happy Australia Day!

Glass Kangaroos; blown glass figurines created by Kevin Prochaska, a Disneyland glass blower for 10 of his 35 years experience.

Wishing all me mates in Oz a Happy 'Stralia Day! Looking for appropriate imagery caused me to reflect. For 10 years, essentially, the 1990's, my wife and I lived in Australia. Working in design in Brisbane, Queensland is where I first was introduced to cast glass. Love the place and the people.

I've become nostalgic for the carefree time I was in Australia, happily riding me favourite 'Roo - "Bazza" - around the Sydney Opera House.

All was fun and games until some unspoken line is crossed and it got ugly.

In Oz, McDonald's are called Macca's... and they serve hamburgers with slices of violently purple beetroot.

And that is normal.

And these friendly critters are considered "little".

Apply for 2014 Stephen Procter Fellowship in Glass

The Stephen Procter Fellowship was established in 2001 in memory of Stephen Procter, Head of the Glass Workshop at The Australian National University 1993–2000. The aim of the Fellowship is to assist international and Australian artists working in glass to work/study abroad. Travel and the experience of other cultures were very important to Stephen and this Fellowship is intended to be a significant and exciting link between glass communities around the world. The Stephen Procter Fellowship is now open for proposals for 2014. 

Stephen Proctor Fellowship

Click Here for Stephen Proctor Fellowship outline and online application.

Each year the Fellowship provides $5,000 (AUD) and a residency (4 to 8 weeks) within the glass workshop at ANU to an artist working with glass. Typically used to assist with the costs associated with overseas travel, the fellowship award aims to support artists with working or educational opportunities significant to their artistic practice. In 2012 this money will be made available for an international artist to travel overseas and take up a residency at the Glass Workshop of the Australian National University in Canberra upon their return. 

Guidelines for International artists: 

• Travel can commence anytime from the end of February 2014.
• Applicant should be a practicing artist seeking time to develop their work, undertake research and / or technical experimentation around a specific project as highlighted in their fellowship application proposal.
• The Fellowship proposal should outline the nature of the intended travel: it should communicate the connections between the overseas activities, the ongoing artist’s practice and the 2014 residency project.
• The successful applicant will be selected based on artistic merit and the relevance of the fellowship proposal.
• The residency at the School of Art must take place in 2014. The duration of the residency is 4 to 8 weeks, and must partly take place during the academic teaching period. The dates of the residency will be negotiated with the ANU staff according to the successful project’s time frame.
• The Fellow will be provided with on-campus accommodation, studio space and scheduled use of equipment to carry out their work. Limited supplies will be provided.
• The Fellow will be expected to have direct interaction with students through workshops and/or seminars/critiques/tutorials and presentations.

Closing date for applications for the 2014 Fellowship: Monday 2 September 2013

For enquiries, please email: richard.whiteley@anu.edu.au

The facilities offered by the Glass Program at ANU rank among the best in teaching institutions throughout the world. The Workshop includes a fully equipped hot shop with tank furnace, 3 glory holes and 4 annealing kilns. A complete complement of coldworking equipment; extensive facilities for a wide range of wax and mould making process for glass casting and an extensive fleet of kilns covering the range of kiln-formed processes. In addition to Workshop facilities, through the Complementary Studies Program, students can access the resources of other Workshops within the School and University.

Aussies Into Glass

Family glass fusing workshop

A visiting Australian family did a fused glass workshop this past weekend. The Spiliopoulos family worked with glass as part of their trip across the USA. Washington, DC's museum culture had them looking for ways to get hands-on in art media. 

Two of the students - Victoria and Olivia are from Somerville House in Brisbane, Australia, and lively discussions on the nature of art, craft and design were the order of the day at the glass school. The influence of Australia in the history of fused glass was also touched upon, and the girls were keen to give it a go!

Victoria discuses craft vs art as the workshop continues.

Younger brother Tom incorporated his favorite theme - Angry Birds Star Wars. The couple hours at the studio was the first time since they arrived stateside that he has put down the ipad. 

Tom watches Olivia cut glass, and dons protective eyewear.

The Somerville students impress the instructor with their skills at glass cutting.

Mum gets some quiet time working with the ball of energy that is Tom.

Tom makes his tribute to Angry Birds

Looking for some pigs to shoot.

The girls load the kilns with their glass artwork.

References to Klaus Moje? Contemporary Aboriginal art? After annealing the glass work is presented.

Stephen Procter Fellowship offering $4,200 travel stipend for 2010 Canberra artists in residence

The Stephen Procter Fellowship was established in 2001 in memory of Stephen Procter, Head of the Glass Workshop at The Australian National University 1993–2000. The aim of the Fellowship is to assist Australian and international artists working in glass to work and study abroad.

Each year the Fellowship provides $5,000 AUD (approximately $4,200 US) to assist an artist to travel overseas, helping them to explore working or educational opportunities. In 2010 this award will be made available for an International artist to travel to Australia to be a resident in the Glass Workshop at the School of Art, Canberra. The fellowship will take place in 2010.

Applications must be postmarked by October 31, 2009, and the award will be announced on November 27, 2009.

Gordon Bull

Head of School

School of Art, Australian National University

Childers Street, Acton, ACT

0200

Australia

Guidelines for the 2010 Stephen Procter Fellowship

For International artist:

• The Fellowship will preferably take place during the teaching period of 2010 (our semesters run late Feb through May and late July through to October). We may be able to accommodate a different schedule upon specific requests.
• The residency period is expected to be between 4–6 weeks.
  • The Fellowship will assist travel to Australia for a residency within the Glass Workshop at the Australian National University in Canberra. This residency aims to support the development of a body of work or a research project.
  • The residency in the Glass Workshop must partly take place during the academic teaching period. The Fellow will be expected to have direct interaction with students through workshops and/or seminars/critiques/tutorials and slide presentations. We recommend that the applicants describe how they would like to interact with the Glass Workshop’s students in their proposal.
  • Travel arrangements will also be encouraged to visit other Australian glass programs whenever possible.
    • The Fellow will be provided with on-campus accommodation, studio space and scheduled use of equipment to carry out their work. Limited supplies will be provided; additional materials can be drawn against the fellowship allocation.
    • Applicants should be practising artists seeking time to develop their own work, research or experiment around a specific project.
    • The successful applicant will be selected based on artistic merit and their proposal. Please also include a small amount of information describing how you will work/interact with the students while you undertake your residency.

    For more information, please email: richard.whiteley@anu.edu.au

  For more information about the ANU Glass Center click HERE