Interns lured by glass art
Programme at NZ Glassworks pathway to a career for pair
Two emerging glass artists will have the chance to take their careers to the next level when they embark on a Creative New Zealand-funded internship programme at Whanganui’s Te Whare Tū hua O Te Ao New Zealand Glassworks.
Whanganui District Council libraries and community manager Pete Gray says he’s pleased to announce Nathan Moore and Bindi Nimmo are the interns for 2024.
“New Zealand Glassworks in Whanganui is nationally recognised as the centre for art glass and is committed to encouraging innovation and growing the next generation of glass artists. During the course of this internship programme, which is funded by Creative New Zealand, five professional glass artists will be on hand to share their knowledge from March to December this year.”
The mentors on this year’s programme are George Agius, Katie Brown, Elizabeth McClure, Madeline Prowd and David Traub.
Moore and Nimmo say hearing the names of the mentors was exciting as they’re some of the biggest names in New Zealand glass and will bring a huge diversity of knowledge.
The hands-on aspect will be supplemented with a capability-building programme delivered by Whanganui & Partners. Dr Emma Bugden, strategic lead of creative industries, and Ben Blain, business growth adviser, will work with the interns over the year, supporting their development in business planning, marketing and funding.
Both interns say the programme comes at a good time for them.
Moore finished studying in 2023 and was looking to enter the art glass industry and get himself established.
“Right out of school I went into trades as a welder, and did that for quite a few years before quite a nasty car crash put me out of work for a while. It was during that time that I decided to go into the creative sphere. When I started studying for a bachelor of design and art at UCOL, I took glass as an elective and got hooked.”
He enjoys art glass because it’s a unique and challenging medium with liquid and solid elements and you have to learn the technical skills to make the material do what you want.
“In one recent work — titled Cubes: glass doesn’t like to be square — I put blown glass and cast glass together and it was quite exciting to see how they interacted with each other. The trick was to get the cast glass up to a heat where blowing fresh glass into it didn’t cause it to crack or explode.”
Nimmo submitted her internship application on her way back to New Zealand from an overseas internship and was hugely relieved it was successful,
allowing her to continue in the art glass field and work towards making it a career.
“When I initially started at UCOL, I was looking for a creative outlet and never imagined I’d end up doing glass — but in the first few days senior lecturer Dr Kathryn Wightman took me in and got me started on the art glass path.”
Since then it’s been a “beautiful flow” with opportunities opening up for her.
“After graduation, I didn’t have the time or money for art glass but Katie Brown, director of Brown & Co lighting and design store,
hired me to work in the hot shop so I could still have access to the medium.”
Nimmo completed a six-month internship in North Carolina last year before applying for the New Zealand Glassworks internship.
She says her work is fuelled by colour and how it harmonises to imply emotions.
“One of the techniques I enjoy is creating murrine for my work. By layering glass colour and pulling this into long canes it can then be cut into smaller pieces when the glass is cooled. This is a way to create playful detail within layers, I use these in blown work and fusing. In a recent exhibition, I fused colourful murrine pieces to make 2D works, these reflected cellular emotion.
“I’ve also made blown glass vessels cut in two in the final stages to create double neck forms – I’ve called these Glizzard Vessels.”
The two interns say art glass involves a lot of teamwork and the connections they make on the programme will stand them in good stead.
New Zealand Glassworks
Te Whare Tū hua O Te Ao New Zealand Glassworks, in Whanganui, is nationally recognised as the centre for art glass. Established in 2015 by the Whanganui District Council, it offers a fully operational and high-standard hot glass facility, retail shop and gallery as well as supporting glass education at a tertiary level. New Zealand Glassworks plays a vital role in promoting and advocating for the art glass sector in New Zealand.
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George Agius started her glass journey in Whanganui before being accepted into the world-renowned JamFactory Glass programme in Adelaide. Her work is entrenched in sculptural practices using hot and cast glass processes to create artworks that form a personal narrative. She has exhibited in China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany and is keen to pass on her expertise to the next generation.
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Katie Brown is the director of Brown & Co lighting and design store on Drews Ave in Whanganui. She has 27 years’ experience as a glass artist and a long history of teaching glassmaking. She has an international following for her work, which includes homeware, sculptural objects and bespoke lighting commissions.
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Since her initial studies in glass at the Edinburgh College of Art, Elizabeth McClure has had a long career as an exhibiting and commissioned studio glass artist and is highly acclaimed for her art and for teaching and guiding emerging makers and artists. Now a New Zealander, she has previously lived, worked and taught in Scotland, England, Ireland, the United States, Japan, Iceland and Australia.
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Madeline Prowd is an Australian glass artist now based in New Zealand. She has travelled extensively for her work, with residencies in Australia, Germany and Sweden, and has been an instructor and gaffer at Pilchuck Glass School in the US. Her work uses traditional cane techniques to explore patterns and optics unique to glass.
■ David Traub
David Traub grew up in New York and has worked in glass for 50 years. Selftaught as a glass blower, his work is featured in public and private collections both here and abroad. For over 20 years he has taught glass at the tertiary level and in 1995 moved to Whanganui to lead the glass programme at the polytechnic. His work can be found in dealer galleries around the North Island and at his studio in Whanganui. He has received numerous awards and his work has been featured in major exhibitions and publications.