The hotshop at Ignite, a sprawling private glass studio in Chicago, will be one of the sites for demonstrations during the 2014 GAS conference in Chicago. This photo was taken in November 2012.
Shortly after announcing the cancellation of the 2013 Boston conference, the Glass Art Society’s board president, Jutta-Annette Page, told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet that the organization would “really concentrate on 2014, make that a terrific conference.” Less than two months later, it has done exactly that, issuing a call for proposals and information about what’s in store for next year’s gathering, which is slated to take place from March 20th through 22nd, 2014. An official press release issued yesterday stated that the theme for next year’s conference is “Strengthening Community, Collaboration, Forging New Bonds” and the place where it will happen is the city of Chicago. “The Glass Art Society is thrilled to announce that the 43rd conference will be held in the Windy City,” read the announcement.
With a deadline for proposals of April 7, 2o13, planning for the event is already well underway. Among the Chicago-area venues cited for the conference are the Palmer House Hotel and the Chicago Cultural Center, both within a block or two of Millennium Park, with its Jaume Plensa giant glass-block video-screen towers, and the Art Institute of Chicago with its important paperweight collection. Demonstrations will be taking place at the recently opened privately owned facility Ignite Glass Studios and West Supply Company, described in the announcement as “a unique facility that joins glass production with a foundry, which casts concrete and metals for some of the most notable collections in the high-end design, interiors, and gallery markets.”
Artist and Ignite’s director of hotshop and education Pearl Dick, pictured with Ignite co-owners Glenn and Trish Tullman during a 2012 event. photo: andrew page
Ignite was opened in the fall of 2012 as an ambitious privately-funded multimillion-dollar glass facility that offers glassblowing classes, workshops, demonstrations, team-building activities, professional bench rentals, and an artists’ gallery. It’s large industrial interior spaces and can accommodate large groups, and the upstairs roof deck offers stunning views of Chicago’s West Loop rooftops.
The Chicago Cultural Center, where exhibitions and lectures will presumably take place, is a landmark building that houses the world’s largest Tiffany dome, a 32-foot diameter glass masterpiece which was restored in 2008.
More information on the 2014 Glass Art Society conference can be found on the organization’s Website.