GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE SYMPOSIUM HERE!
Started in 2013, this international gathering of esteemed educators, innovative artists, and learned scholars promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking event that continues to delve into the critical issues facing glass education.
Get ready to be inspired as experts from around the globe converge to discuss the latest trends and developments in the world of glass education. With its focus on innovation and creativity, the symposium is a must-attend event for anyone looking to stay at the forefront of this exciting field.
Scheduled to take place from November 6nd to the 8th, 2025, in the vibrant city of New York, the UrbanGlass Crafting Mastery Symposium is the perfect opportunity to network, experience the cultural landscape for the city, exchange ideas, and gain fresh insights into the world of glass education.
Day 1, November 6, 2025 starting around 4:30 PM at a yet to be disclosed location in NYC a curated gallery tour followed by a gathering with location TBD.
Day 2, Friday November 7, 2025 opening remarks begin at 9:30 AM to kick off a day of engaging presentations by:
Stuart Kestenbaum, Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Hand, Care Work as Craft Work
Radhika Krish, Glass, Grit, & Jugaad: My glass journey beyond the grid.
Richard Whiteley, The Glassmaking Institute: Expanding Access and Approaches in Glass Education
Kim Harty, Embodied Lineages and the Hidden Curriculum
Judith Schaechter, UArts: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Day 3, Saturday November 8, 2025 more presentations continue in the studio on the 3rd fl of UrbanGlass starting at 9:30 AM with:
Kristin Imre, Amanda Gundy, Anna Riley, Boyd Sugiki, Emery Wenger, and Lisa Zerkowitz, Defining Success for Educators and Students
Shongee Mantangira, Neurodivergent Healing Through Beading: Sensory Craft as Alternative Learning
River Valadez, James Akers, Games to Generate Play
Kris Rumman, Glass Tales from the Levant
Erin O'Connor, Mastering & (Un)Mastering Mastery: knowledge acquisition in studio glass
Marica Whittemore, Creatively Aging: A Community Centered Approach to Glass Art Education
The symposium wraps up around 6:00 PM on Saturday November 8 following by the closing reception of A Madeleine Moment with the Burnt Ashphalt Family in the Agnes Varis Art Center at UrbanGlass.
Light refreshments will be available each morning prior to the start of the talks and throughout the day as well as a catered lunch for a midday break.
Don't miss out on this incredible event – buy your tickets today!
Keynote Speaker
UrbanGlass welcomes Stuart Kestenbaum as keynote speaker or the 2025 symposium presenting How We Make Work: Ingenuity and Imagination.
Stuart Kestenbaum is the author of six collections of poems, most recently Things Seemed to Be Breaking (Deerbrook Editions 2021), and a collection of essays The View from Here (Brynmorgen Press). A Quiet Book (Brynmorgen Press), collaborations in writing and visual art done with visual artist Susan Webster, was published in 2024.
He was the host of the Maine Public Radio program Poems from Here and the host/curator of the podcasts Make/Time and Voices of the Future.
Stuart Kestenbaum was the director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts for 27 years, where he established innovative programs combining craft and writing and craft and new technologies. He is an honorary fellow of the American Craft Council and a recipient of the Distinguished Educator’s Award from the James Renwick Alliance.
More recently, working with the Libra Foundation, he designed and implemented a residency program for artists and writers called Monson Arts. Stuart Kestenbaum has written and spoken widely on craft making and creativity, and his poems and writing have appeared in numerous small press publications and magazines including Tikkun, the Sun, the Maine Arts Journal, the Beloit Poetry Journal, the New York Times Magazine, and on the Writer’s Almanac and American Life in Poetry. He served as Maine’s poet laureate from 2016-2021.
Former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser has written “Stuart Kestenbaum writes the kind of poems I love to read, heartfelt responses to the privilege of having been given a life. No hidden agendas here, no theories to espouse, nothing but life, pure life, set down with craft and love.”
Advisory Committee
The symposium's advisory committee consists of leading educators, artists, and scholars who help shape the event's vision, guide the selection process, and ensure diverse perspectives are represented. Given their extensive knowledge and contributions to the field, their insights and expertise are invaluable to the success of this event. The Advisory Committee plays a pivotal role in shaping the symposium’s content, selecting key speakers, and ensuring that the event resonates with the global glass community.
The 2025 Advisory Committee
Katherine Gray
Jessica Jane Julius
Corey Pemberton
Richard Whiteley
Benjamin Wright
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
Sponsorship Opportunities
By sponsoring the 2025 Crafting Mastery Symposium, your company will have the opportunity to connect with a dedicated community of glass professionals, curators, educators, and students. Your support will directly contribute to making the symposium a meaningful and accessible experience for all attendees, covering honorariums for speakers, event costs, and more.
We offer several levels of sponsorship, each with unique benefits tailored to increase your organization’s visibility and engagement.
Learn more about Sponsorships HERE