Nový Bor, and its beautiful Northern Bohemian surroundings, is historically a traditional place of glass production; it is literally a land of glass. Today there are over one hundred and twenty glass producers offering all kinds of glassworking technologies, from machine production, handmade glass at glassworks, to a great variety of refining techniques. Such concentration and richness of glass production is not to be seen anywhere else, not even in the international context. This is one of the reasons why glass symposiums IGS are still taking place. Their purpose, among others, is to draw attention to this diversity. Liberec region, to which Nový Bor belongs, can be proud of its significant and numerous glass producers, but also of its three internationally known secondary schools of glass (Nový Bor, Kamenický Senov and Zelezný Brod), Glass School of Higher Education (Nový Bor) and a university glass studio at the Technical University of Liberec (Jablonec nad Nisou). The region also offers plentiful of museum expositions of historical and modern glass collections opened to public (Nový Bor, Kamenický Šenov, Jablonec nad Nisou, Liberec, Zelezný Brod, Harrachov etc.). There are also private collections, some opened to public as well. It is possible to visit many showrooms of glass producers, galleries at glass schools, and temporary exhibitions, which all prove the living presence of glass production in Liberec region. Many prominent glass artists live and work here. Chandeliers, lights, vases, glasses, goblets, flacons, jewellery and costume jewellery, prizes and trophies, vitrages, historical glass replicas, glass sculptures and other objects, architecture segments, semi products…these and many others can be made in this region, thanks to craftsmanship of glassmakers and aptitude of businessmen, technologists and last but not least the teachers. Nový Bor and its surroundings is the leader at doing so.

From 1st to 4th October 2015 the world will meet for the twelfth time at the IGS. Seventy glass artists are going to be invited. They will be provided with full service needed for their work. The program of XII. IGS will not be composed only of creating works of art, but also of various kinds of entertainment (glass show, exhibition, new exposition, exhibition opening, lectures, projection, concerts, performances, parties, fashion show, glass market, and attractions for children etc.). On the open house day, places of creation, many glassworks and other places will be opened to public. There will be special IGS shuttle buses within so called Glass Path taking visitors to and among these places. As every three years, Nový Bor and its surrounding areas will become the centre of the glass world, creative space and mutual meetings. The symposium will be closed with an exhibition of its outcomes at the Glass Museum in Nový Bor (where IGS Check Point will be located throughout the symposium) and exhibition of results of the IGS Student Section. Preparation of such a demanding event of course continues for the whole time in between individual IGS years. Tens to hundreds of professionals participate on it. Terms are negotiated, finances are solicited through grants from partners, IGS visual style, media and other public relations activities, artists’ nominations including dividing them to glassworks, souvenirs, social program and many other practical things are dealt with. All these are necessary for the symposium to be successful.

When selecting artists for the symposium, the IGS organization team sees to dividing all the participants evenly, attractively and in a diverse way (famous and beginning artists, men and women, half from the Czech Republic, half from countries all over the world, artists with various artistic approaches etc.). The names should not be repeated too often and the selected artists should be likeable and communicative if possible. To make the IGS more attractive to a wider public, we have also decided to invite people from different areas than art glass is – designers, painters, sculptors, architects, even pop stars. Many instructors, mainly from universities, have also been invited. When selecting glassworks and workshops for the artists, we take into consideration how much the places with their technical equipment are close to the artists, if they fit their nature of work and enable them to experiment and therefore create something absolutely new and surprising. This year we are going to introduce the IGS Hall of Fame. The first to enter will be legends of world art glass, Mr. and Mrs. Roubícek, who have so far participated in most of the IGS years. A motif from René Roubícek work of art will also become the main motif of IGS 2015 visual style. This time there will be several themes linking the IGS (Dialogue, Return, Glass schools). We are also changing the traditional Student Section of the IGS. Students will have the opportunity to creatively express themselves, but will be also invited to take an active part in the creation of famous artists and glassmakers.

The artists invited to active participation in IGS 2015 will have at their disposal organization base at the symposium secretariat, but more than that, the industrial capacity of overall eleven entities (Ajeto Lindava, Ave Clara Polevsko, Pacinek Lindava and Kunratice, Preciosa Lighting Kamenický Senov, TGK Skalice by Ceská Lípa, in Nový Bor Ajeto /BON/, Crystalex, Egermann, Kolektiv, Sklárna Slavia and Glass School). The artists will be informed in advance about their placement at glassworks and workshops, technical equipment, all production details and side program to have enough time for arrangements and preparation of their art work.

You can get an idea of what our symposium is like on websites of previous IGS years: IGS 2009 at www.igsymposium.cz/2009 and IGS 2012 at www.igsymposium.cz/2012. There are photographs of art work, list of participants and photographs of their works of art, short documentaries etc. From the last year’s IGS there is also a two-volume catalogue with detailed information and a photo book.
Come see the art glass and its creators for yourself at XII. IGS in Nový Bor.
You are cordially invited. Czech glass lives!
Milan Hlaves, Ph.D.
IGS 2015 Curator
Head of Glass, Ceramics and Porcelain Collections, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
 
Art and Music Will Come Together in Nový Bor in October
The International Music Festival Lípa Musica and the International Glass Symposium IGS 2015 have a lot in common this year. Both events belong among traditional art and cultural events of the region. The glass world will meet in Nový Bor from 1st to 4th October 2015 for the twelfth time, and Lípa Musica has already entered its fourteenth year of existence in 2015. Both events are well established on the domestic festival scene, have their faithful visitors, and are perceived by public, professional and art scene as a permanent part of the local culture. However, their cultural impact goes far beyond the regional borders. This year both of these events receive a great financial support from the Town of Nový Bor, and there is also a mutual cultural cooperation between these two subjects. The municipal council granted a subsidy amounting to 300,000 CZK to Lípa Musica for the year 2015 at its March meeting, which has greatly contributed to the survival of this festival since the Town of Ceská Lípa stopped supporting it. Due to this exceptional support, the final concert of the whole festival will take place in Nový Bor theatre, and so will the concert which will close the International Glass Symposium. On Saturday 21st November the philharmonic orchestra of Hradec Králové together with joined choirs of Wiesbaden and Brno will end Lípa Musica festival. At the end of the glass symposium on 4th October, the public will see the concert of the Eben Brothers and their concert “The Time of Rubber Boots” (Cas holin). The tickets for both these concerts and the whole festival can be purchased starting 1st June at usual advance-sale places in Nový Bor.
 
IGS 2015 Is Right behind the Corner
The International Glass Symposium, which has been an essential part of the past 30 years of Nový Bor history, is once again almost here. From 1st to 4th October 2015 the town will welcome about 70 participants. The preparation of the symposium has been going on for some time. Individual organizers are preparing the symposium alone at their own companies and meet regularly and privately with the team made up of J. Dvorák, A. Forgácová, D. Sobotka, P. Ajsmanová and M. Hlaves to exchange information. In April there was a meeting of the full organizing team.
The four day symposium programme will look as usual. A special programme had been prepared for participants and guests of the symposium, for media and for public as well. We expect the Open Day to be the most interesting part for most since the organizing subjects will open their space to public and the showrooms will disclose its hidden glass beauty. The aim of the organizers is to prepare a symposium programme that will provide manifold experiences and entertainment to all guests no matter what their age, profession or social standing might be. It will not only show to the public the beauty of the glass craft and art, but will also present the town of Nový Bor as a pleasant and interesting place to visit. The International Glass Symposium bears a great potential to increase tourism and therefore we plan to promote the glassmaking but other touristic attractions as well. At the moment we are intensively preparing the advertising campaign and discussing promotion possibilities in the media. We can proudly say that we have registered quite a lot of interest already. The official symposium website will bring updated information on regular basis. The official town website will also inform about the course of events, and this year we newly introduce a Facebook website.
 
Students
The IGS organizers have again included Student Section in the program of the symposium this year. The organizer of this section is Glass School Nový Bor. The organizers consider traditional participation of students as an important part of the symposium since it provides a refreshing confrontation of youth and experience. The students will meet well-known artists and craftsmen, which can become a very important experience before they start their own professional careers. The past has also shown that those most talented are able to create original art pieces in the inspiring symposium atmosphere.
As last time, the Student Section in painting techniques will take place at the workshops of company Crystalex CZ. Crystalex will not only provide help of its skilled glass masters and other experts but also their own glass shapes to participants from among high school students of the Liberec region. The number of students will be settled by Crystalex representatives based on the agreement with schools; individual students will be chosen by school managements.
Students of glass studios at universities and colleges of the Czech Republic will have an opportunity to work in the workshops of Glass School Nový Bor. Each studio’s master will choose one representative who will have a chance to realize his or her design in engraved or cut glass, fusing, stained glass, painted glass, or other complementary techniques. Hand shaping and blowing of glass can be carried out only before the symposium itself due to capacity reasons; other techniques can be done in real time of IGS 2015.
During the Student Section of IGS 2015 there will be a rich program presenting young artists, e.g. a drum show of a band “Hluchá parta” (Deaf Band), music performances of “Jazzová farma” (Jazz Farm) and a fashion show of students from Textile High School Liberec who will present their own fashion designs together with jewelry made at Nový Bor Glass School.
Schools have received an e-mail proposal to participate, a printed invitation letter and an application form for individual participants. Glass School Nový Bor requires the filled-in application forms to be sent by mid June 2015.
(Students from Nový Bor will partake in the symposium also as assistants during its organization or as personal assistants to famous artists and masters of the craft at glassworks. Students from Glass School in Kamenický Senov will be helping due to a partnership with Preciosa Lighting during the symposium at their glassworks. This attractive proposition awaits also a group of students from Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, who will get an extra assignment to react with their own art work to work of the artists that will be entrusted in their hands during the IGS.)
 
Programme
OFFICIAL SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
1st October - Thursday
10.00 - 22.00
Registration of the artists and guests – Check point IGS, Glass Museum
nám. Míru Square 105, Nový Bor
16.00 - 18.00
Lectures and presentations of artists – Glass School
Revolu?ní Street 500, Nový Bor
19.00
IGS Opening Ceremony – Town Theatre
Revolu?ní Street 480, Nový Bor
2nd October - Friday
6.00 - 14.00
Work of artists at glassworks / workshops – Glassworks and companies organizing IGS
9.00
Press conference – Glass Museum
nám. Míru Square 105, Nový Bor
Open Day for the media – Glassworks and companies organizing IGS
15.00 - 19.00
Lectures and presentations of artists – Glass School
Revolucní Street 500, Nový Bor
3rd October - Saturday
6.00 - 14.00
Work of artists at glassworks /workshops – Glassworks and companies organizing IGS
8.00 - 15.00
Open Day for the public – Glassworks and companies organizing IGS
15.00 - 19.00
Lectures and presentations of artists – Glass School
Revolucní Street 500, Nový Bor
20.00
Farewell Party – Crystalex Hall
B. Egermanna Street 634
4th October - Sunday
11.00
IGS Exhibition Opening Ceremony – Glass Museum
nám. Míru Square 105, Nový Bor
 
The official programme is complemented by a series of accompanying events that will take place throughout the whole symposium.
 
See the website for the participants>