News

ARTISTS – GLASSWORKS AND WORKSHOPS

COLLECTION FROM THE HISTORY OF IGS HAS ARRIVED IN NOVÝ BOR

News that many eager fans of Czech studio glass and IGS have been awaiting.

The big dream and wish of glassmakers that at least part of the valuable objects from the historical collection of previous International Glass Symposium IGS years would come back to place of its birth, Nový Bor namely, has come true thanks to close and long-term cooperation of AJETO Art Glass Museum, Josef Viewegh Foundation, František Glassworks, beneficial company Cesty Skla (Ways of Glass), which manages František Glassworks, and Dr. Milan Hlaveš, curator of Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague

About ninety artifacts representing literally all IGS years, even the first ones held in the 1980s, were transported from the Foundation’s deposit to a newly built part of AJETO Art Glass Museum in Nový Bor on Monday 3rd August, 2015. During following days they will be taken out of the boxes and after many years presented to the public and fans to admire in the place where they were created…

Before that happens, there is still a lot to do since some of the objects were literally saved from destruction by the Foundation. They left Lemberk castle, where they were displayed for many years or just preserved in the place, in a desolate state and it is actually a miracle that people can once again see them. It was only possible to save the collection amounting to 1500 showpieces thanks to subsidy which the Foundation obtained from the Integrated Operational Programme; great number of the exhibits has been placed in the Glass Art Centre in František Glassworks in Sázava for over a year already.

This great opening of AJETO Art Glass Museum is logically and symbolically being prepared for this year’s October, for the next IGS year, when Nový Bor once again becomes the centre of international glass art for several days.

Regional museums and galleries will bring program full of side events during the IGS

Besides the open house day at glassworks and workshops on Saturday, where the IGS visitors will be able to see the world-renown stars at work, there will be many side events such as permanent exhibitions and short-term exhibitions in several regional museums throughout the whole symposium. Diverse events will be held by Glass Museum Nový Bor, Ajeto Art Glass Museum, Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov and also Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou. Glass Museum Nový Bor, which is one of the IGS organizers, will present the outcomes of the symposium. The exhibition opening will take place at the end of the symposium on Sunday 4th October, 2015 at 11 a.m. This exhibition, whose installation is very unique because of the limited time of only 15 hours in which it has to be carried out, will be open in the museum until the spring of the next year. The visitors can of course also look at the permanent museum exhibition which displays art and craft of local masters. Besides the historical and contemporary glass there are also models of workshops and illustrations of glass techniques. Museum will not only serve its usual purpose, but will also act as the accreditation and information centre for IGS participants and guests. It will also provide space for press conference with representatives of organizers, partners and the media on Friday morning 2nd October.

While the Glass Museum Nový Bor exhibits the outcomes of the IGS 2015, Ajeto Art Glass Museum will offer an exhibition of unique works of art created by glass artists from all over the world during previous symposiums, even those held and sponsored by Crystalex. This exhibition will be placed in a brand new space whose inauguration is part of the IGS program. At least till the end of the year 2015 visitors to Nový Bor will be able to see and compare present and history of the International Glass Symposium. Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov will have an exhibition of engraved and cut glass “Where do we come from, who are we and where are we headed?”, an exhibition of a Korean artist Song Mi Kim and an exhibition of a cartoonist Jan Vobr from Nový Bor.

Another place of interest to visit during the IGS is the state Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou which offers the largest exposition of glass and jewellery in the Czech Republic, the most extensive exhibition of jewellery in the world, seasonal exhibitions and additional projects, all at a space of thousand square meters. In the first exposition called “Magic Garden – Bohemian Glass in Seven Centuries” it will be possible to see a glass object Expo2 by René Roubíček, which the museum obtained from company PRECIOSA Lighting as a gift. The second exposition “Endless Story of Jewellery” presents the beginnings and historical development of the traditional world famous jewellery made in Jablonec nad Nisou. Besides the permanent exhibitions, for which the museum provides audio guides in Czech, English, German, Polish and Russian, visitors can also see a seasonal project “MOTION – EXPRESSION – EMOTION, Figures and Figurines in Bohemian and Czech Glass Art and Craft”. This exhibition, opened until 4th October, presents not only selection from the largest public collection of world-renown glass figurines made in Železný Brod in the world, which the museum administrates, but also examples of other options for capturing figures in historical and contemporary utility, decorative and studio glass. Until 4th October 2015 the museum also holds a design exhibition "HOT & COLD, Contemporary Drinking Glass and Porcelain from Central Europe”, or a display of unique glass medals from this year’s Hockey World Championship that took place in Prague.

Not only museums, but also galleries and studios specialized in glass will open their doors to visitors. The exposition of Glass School in Nový Bor will be open to public in the school gallery in T. G. Masaryka Street. Gallery Zikmundová - Bartko in Alšova Street will offer a look at contemporary modern glass and studio jewellery. It will be possible to purchase this fragile beauty in a small gallery of studio jewellery by a Nový Bor art group NATĚLO. Gallery DW at the Square Míru will show glassblowing and glassworking above a burner and an exhibition at an occasion of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of David Wünsch Company. Showrooms of other studios will also invite visitors; cutter and designer Aleš Zvěřina in B. Egermanna Street, company Astera in Smetanova Street, and HG Studio Design in Sklářská Street will invite people to exhibition MADE IN BOR. Vladimir Klein, who celebrates not only his life jubilee this year, but also 50 years of working with glass, will invite visitors to his studio in Liberecká Street and it will be also possible to visit an exhibition of his glass sculptures in gallery Pod zvonem in the Church sv. Ducha in Arnultovice. Gallery Jídelna at Vlastivědné (Regional) Museum in Česká Lípa will exhibit objects and glass images by Anna Polanská, Lada Semecká and Dagmar Šubrtová.

Those who love strolls can hit the new educational path “In the Footsteps of Glass Craft” which will take them around Nový Bor and its surroundings to places connected with the traditional craft of this region.

The Official IGS 2015 Gift Will Be a Book

Town of Nový Bor has an official gift prepared for the active participants of the symposium and its important guests. It will be a book “Nový Bor and Its Surroundings” which was published by the town at the beginning of the year. “Our goal is to show the world not only the fact that Czech glass lives, but also where it lives. It is an opportunity to present Nový Bor as a town of glass and as pleasant place for living. Nový Bor is surrounded not only by various glassworks, but many interesting touristic places as well and that is where the book takes us,” says mayor of the town and director of IGS 2015 in one person. There are photographs by professional photographers, but mainly by amateurs who capture the beauties of the region. Through the eyes of their admirers they tell stories of local places and people that lived here or still live.

„Capturing a moment that will never return is an undeniable truth of photography. Hundredths of seconds that human life is formed by,” writes Mayor Jaromír Dvořák in the introduction to the publication. “There are often places we pass by every day and we only come to see their true beauty when captured in a photo. I have to say that I am especially taken by those of the Forest Cemetery. That is where history meets the present, the death those alive, and it all happens in the middle of an everlasting nature,” concludes the mayor his contemplation on the book that we believe will bring not only joy, but will be a great promotion of the local region
 

Map of companies organizing IGS

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka Supported Nový Bor Glassmakers

The International Glass Symposium has received support from the top of the government. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic accepted the patronage over the International Glass Symposium. He wished all organizers good luck in preparing the symposium and the International Glass Symposium itself a smooth and successful course.

His attitude provided a moral support to a great number of glass companies which represent the most important industry of Nový Bor region, but above all to symposium organizers whose common goal is to maintain and expand the traditional craft of this region and to promote it at a worldwide level. He appreciated then the uniqueness of this glass fair, the importance of Czech glass in promoting the Czech Republic in the world, and the cooperation of public and private sector when preparing the symposium.

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. Dvořák, A. Forgáčová, D. Sobotka, P. Ajšmanová and M. Hlaveš 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.

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 Česká 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” (Čas 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.

CONCEPTION AND PLANNED IGS OBJECTIVES 2015

International Glass Symposium IGS is one of the most important creative world events in the art glass field, and without question the greatest one in size. Its ongoing tradition started in 1982, when glass artists came together for the first time with the glass craftsmen in Crystalex in Nový Bor to exchange experience and to get to know each other in a friendly, collegial and creative environment. Since then symposium has been held every three years. It has hosted several hundreds of artists from the whole world. Transformation and changes that have been happening in glassmaking in the Czech Republic over the last 25 years have naturally affected IGS in character as well. Over the last few symposium years it has been organized not only by Crystalex, but also by many other entities, including production ones, each of which offers a different work method and a unique atmosphere. The Town of Nový Bor is the main organizer, as for several times before. Through the IGS secretariat, and in cooperation with the Glass Museum in Nový Bor and Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, it secures everything necessary for a successful course of the symposium.

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 Šenov and Železný 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, Železný 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. Roubíček, who have so far participated in most of the IGS years. A motif from René Roubíček 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, Pačinek Lindava and Kunratice, Preciosa Lighting Kamenický Šenov, TGK Skalice by Česká 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 Hlaveš, Ph.D.
IGS 2015 Curator
Head of Glass, Ceramics and Porcelain Collections, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague