The club, launched by Artspeaks India, will provide glass the space and recognition it deserves by enabling artists, practitioners, writers, connoisseurs and collectors to explore the medium in different ways.
A childhood obsession, glass as an art form has always been a medium very close to my heart. It all began when I was eight years old on those long, lazy summer visits to the Mumbai I always knew as Bombay. A chance detour to the St Thomas Cathedral in Fort, the heart of Mumbai’s busy business district, paved the way for a lifelong appreciation of stained glass.
ARTSPEAKS India has launched India’s first ever Glass Maker’s Club, a platform and forum that is directed towards the medium of glass and its multiple avatars. At the core of the Club’s agenda will be to provide Glass the space and recognition it deserves; to bring together artists, practitioners, writers, connoisseurs and collectors exploring the medium in different ways; and to collectively address the infrastructural and other challenges that makers of glass continue to face. Though a niche field of practice, glass art in India is connected to a rich legacy of historical trade and courtly patronage, building community artisanship and crafting skills of a very high standard, particularly in blown glass techniques. Glass has made its presence felt in the space of contemporary art and design as well, with a few individuals and studios leading the way.