National Glass Centre, Sunderland doubles exhibition capacity for glass and ceramics

29-30/6

National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland reopens its doors in June 2013, following an ambitious £2.25 million redevelopment programme.

National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland is one of the UKs leading institutions for glass, celebrating Sunderland’s unique glass-making heritage, presenting a rich temporary exhibition programme and facilitating international level research in new approaches to glass and ceramics. This large scale redevelopment project will allow the Centre to fulfil its potential as a cultural venue of international standing.
The investment will contribute toward major improvements to the Centre’s gallery and learning spaces, doubling the exhibition capacity, upgrading and modernising the gallery spaces, education and resource rooms and enabling the Centre to better meet the needs of the visitor, schools and groups.

National Glass Centre Opening Weekend
Saturday 29 June – Sunday 30 June 2013

National Glass Centre will reopen on 29 June with a fantastic programme of new exhibitions, special events and family friendly activities, celebrating glass. A selection of fun, hands on, arts and crafts activities and themed tours and treasure hunts will be available for families and our ever popular free glass blowing demonstrations will run throughout the weekend. The Brasserie will be serving delicious, locally sourced meals by the riverside and visitors can choose a hand-crafted memento from our Shop.

National Glass Centre’s New Spaces and Exhibitions
The redevelopment sees a complete overhaul of the Centre’s exhibition spaces and will allow the Centre to present work by the highest calibre artists and to work in partnership with international museums and galleries. The Centre will host three major exhibitions annually and up to 15 smaller scale exhibitions in the new gallery spaces, we will also have a ‘rotating museum’ which will present a selection of high profile glass and ceramics collections on a yearly basis.

Gallery
This space will house our three major exhibitions each year.
Erwin Eisch
Clouds Have Been My Foothold All Along
29 June – 22 September 2013

National Glass Centre’s Gallery opens with a retrospective of the work of Erwin Eisch, featuring drawings, prints, paintings and of course glass, from the 1950s onwards, charting the artist’s work and his major influence on the foundation and growth of the international studio glass movement. Across all mediums Erwin’s work is highly distinct in style and in theme challenges theory, addresses social and political issues, combines humour and serious thought and explores the importance of human relationships.

Dan Klein and Alan J. Poole Private Collection
This space will be our ‘rotating’ museum and will present a selection of high profile glass and ceramics collections on a yearly basis.
29 June 2013 - Summer 2013

For 2013/14, this space will house the spectacular collection of Dan Klein and Alan J Poole, on loan to the Centre from The National Galleries of Scotland. This selection of 75 pieces from the collection presents the work of some of the leading British names in Studio Glass, outlining the progression of the British Studio Glass Movement from the 60s through to the present day.

Long Gallery
National Glass Centre houses a wide range of glass making equipment and our staff and tenants have world leading standards of expertise. In 2012 we began to explore our ability to support artists who are interested in developing their practice in glass. National Glass Centre’s Long Gallery will present six exhibitions per year, often linked to the major exhibition, supporting early career artists or showing experimental new work.
29 June – 11 August

The first exhibition in our Long Gallery will present work created through National Glass Centre’s production programme, this exhibition showcases four projects developed at National Glass Centre by artists Gijs Bakker, Katherine Dowson, Bruce McLean and Richard Slee.

Plinths
Luke Jerram
29 June – 22 September 2013
Plinths

To compliment Luke Jerram’s 6 meter tall National Glass Centre Chandelier, now on display between the floors of the building, we are displaying a range of his smaller scale work in glass, including sculptures from his Glass Microbiology series made at the National Glass Centre and exhibited and collected worldwide.

Stories of Glass in Sunderland
Permanent Exhibition

This permanent exhibition will be an interactive introduction to the origins of glass, the growth of the glass industry and the legacy of glass making in Sunderland. The exhibition highlights the creative legacy that Benedict Biscop patron saint of Sunderland left after he re-introduced glass making to the area. The exhibition has been created with help from the local community and includes stories from people who have worked in the glass industry in Sunderland.

Research Gallery

National Glass Centre houses the University of Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics Department, the International Institute of Research in Glass and the Ceramic Arts Research Centre at the University of Sunderland. The Research Gallery space will allow the Centre to showcase some of its groundbreaking work in research carried out by its students, academics and visiting artists.

Director of the National Glass Centre, James Bustard said ‘We are delighted that our partners at Arts Council England, The Heritage Lottery Fund and The Foyle Foundation have recognised the great potential of the National Glass Centre and invested so significantly in its future. This investment will strengthen the Centre’s reputation as a centre for excellence and enable us to play a major role in the growing cultural landscape of the City of Sunderland and celebrate the City’s rich glass-making heritage.’

Professor Peter Fidler, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, said: “National Glass Centre is such an important cultural venue for Sunderland and the wider North-East region. That is why we took over the running of the Centre in 2010 and put forward a vision that would make it a venue with national significance. We have been supported with this vision by a range of people and organisations. From day one the Arts Council backed our vision - firstly, funding the centre through the National Portfolio programme, and now with a £750,000 grant, for which we are extremely grateful. The Arts Council funding sits alongside a £337,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a £50,000 donation from the Foyle Foundation, for which again, we are extremely grateful. Along with university funds, the new National Glass Centre is benefiting from £2.25m worth of investment. Investment that will indeed raise the profile of the centre regionally, and nationally.”

National Glass Centre is a Centre for national excellence supporting the research, teaching, production, exhibition and enjoyment of contemporary glass – a centre valued by the local community in Sunderland and whose reputation stretches across the North East region as well as nationally and internationally. We want to share our knowledge and interest in contemporary glass by welcoming people to our iconic building on the North Shore of the River Wear in Sunderland. Here, they can learn how to make glass, watch glass being made, view exhibitions inspired by glass and find out about Sunderland’s links with this extraordinary material. Our teaching and research programmes also include ceramics and our exhibitions explore the potential of ceramics alongside glass. We use our expertise and specialist facilities to provide support for emerging and established artists to learn about and make glass to further their own practice. Part of the University of Sunderland, we are at the forefront of glass research and our academic staff and facilities are internationally recognised.

National Glass Centre will also be running a stand, featuring the work of five local artists at Collect International Arts Fair for Contemporary Objects at the Saatchi Gallery, London 10 – 13 May.

Visit www.nationalglasscentre.com for further information.

See >Luke Jerram
Visiting Senior Research Fellow at CFPR, University of West of England.
http://www.lukejerram.com/biography
www.lukejerram.com
www.streetpianos.com
www.skyorchestra.co.uk
www.aeolus.org.uk

The National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland
Liberty Way
UK-Sunderland, SR6 0GL
+44 (0)191-5155555
info@nationalglasscentre.com
Open: Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm
www.nationalglasscentre.com