Tradition meets contemporary:
The Glass Engraving Network
At a summer school in Bild-Werk Frauenau in 2012, Norbert Kalthoff, Wilhelm Vernim and Katharine Coleman were discussing the decline of glass engraving as a discipline in the schools and colleges of Europe.
They decided that something had to be done, and the best option was to create a selfhelp group for glass engravers – and to show the world that glass engraving is still relevant, still an eloquent, magical and inspiring art form, adopting new techniques and tools along the way and by no means ready to surrender!
The first step was to bring the protagonists together. Some 30 engravers from all over Europe met in September 2013 in Frauenau to assess the appetite for collaboration and discuss how the group could be progressed.
The meeting settled on the name for the Glass Engraving Network and decided to set up an open Facebook group (www.facebook.com/glassengravingnetwork/) that would function as a conduit for information and advice between members. It also determined that a regular programme of exhibitions in different locations around Europe would provide a public face for the group and the opportunity to bring members together.
The aim of these touring exhibitions is not only to show the possibilities of excellent contemporary glass engraving to a greater number of studio glassmakers, collectors and curators but also – and most particularly – to inspire young students, whose worlds are now sadly mostly devoid of inspiring teaching of both glass cutting and engraving.
Today the Glass Engraving Network is established as an international network of glass engravers, connecting important traditions with current practice.
