The International Student exhibition attracted more than 75 entries and included mutli-media works, such as this work by Jeremy Thompson that took second place,
The second day of the Glass Art Society annual conference featured notable lectures and demos, including Einar & Jamex de la Torre, David Schnuckel, Guido Gerlitz, Carmen Lozar, Cappy Thomson, April Surgent, Dnte Marioni, Jim Mongrain, Ana Thiel, Ruth King, Richard Meitner, Richard Whitely, Mark Zirpel among other well-established artists. One of the more exciting aspects of every conference is the student juried exhibition that showcases the next generation of talent. Friday saw the announcement of three winning works as judged bythe curator of the Ebeltoft Museum in Denmark, Dagmar Brendstrup, GAS Lifetime Membership Award recipient Scott Benefield, and GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet editor Andrew Page.
Kaila Mock (Emporia State University), Play Things, 2011. Kiln cast glass. (Price: $500).
First prize went to Emporia State student Kaila Mock’s thought-provoking and elegantly resolved work Play Things, a kiln-cast assortment of identical plugs and a glass socket, both framed by rough-hewn hand-made wooden boxes. Displaying a combination of Pop-art sensibility with strong symbolism and skilled execution, it took top honors at the exhibition.
Jeremy Thompson (University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point), Oil Lamp Tearin. Blown glass, live plants. (Price $375)
Wisconsin Stevens Point student Jeremy Thompson took second prize for his Oil Lamp Tearin, a blown glass, live plant sculpture that presented a thoughtful take on the origins of fossil fuels as the product of plant life from eons earlier. Fragile, historical, and reflecting the challenges of energy systems, it was a provocative work that revealed greater ambition than simple object making.
Hyo Young Oh (Hong-ik University, South Korea), Monodrama, 2011. Cast, acid-etched, coldworked glass. (Price $800)
From Korea, Hong-ik University student Hyo Young Oh took third prize for her sculpted work Monodrama, that explored the light-filtering qualities of glass for powerful effect. Employing acid-etching and coldworking techniques to manage the transmission of light, the work revealed great promise, and hopefully the artist will further refine her technique into work that doesn’t require artificial lighting.