A new biennial competition seeking to identify the most promising artists, designers and sculptors below the age of 35 working with glass is now accepting submissions. Organized by Milan’s Sforzesco Castle, in collaboration with the art collector Sandro Pezzoli, the juried award is named Competition-35. One artist will win a prize of € 3.500,00 (Approximately $4,200 US) as part of the “Aldo Bellini” award, named after the close associate of Pizzoli who died in 2006. That selected winner will also have their piece added to Sforzesco Castle’s collection. There is also the “Enrico Bersellini” innovation reward, which includes two stays in Murano, Italy, at the home of Murano Glassmaking. This award includes an internship for 30 to 40 days at the furnace La Cattedrale of A. Najean and a 30 to 40 day workshop on engraving, cameo manufacturing and copper-wheel engraving at Mattero Seguso. There is an additional “Inspirational Award,” and its winner will receive a 15-day stay at Silvia Levenson’s artistic studio to learn the lost wax casting technique.
Selected pieces will have the opportunity to be presented at the Art Applied Museum, the first public contemporary glass collection in Italy, located inside the castle next to the 1,500 piece collection on May 14, 2018. The collections is comprised of work by other international contemporary glass artists such as Bertil Valien, Jessica Loughlin, Baldwin-Guggisberg
Glass collector Sandro Pezzoli began the competition as a way to foster the talent of young artists. in the vision he and his close associate Aldo Bellini, who died in 2006, shared. The aim of the competition is to “[show] high level pieces that represents what young artists are making around the world” said Silvia Levenson, the artist who will be teaching the winner of the competition’s “inspirational award” in an email exchange with GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet. The competition hopes to give artists a platform and help establish themselves internationally in a material that is often out of reach to artists breaking into the art world.
The competition looks for glass pieces with no restrictions in its composition, using any technique with any material in conjunction with glass. Applicants must submit up to a maximum of three works in the form of high resolution images (300 dpi, 20cm base if horizontal) copyright free, equipped with captions and credits. Works made only in the last two years from the date September 10th may be submitted.
The jury will include a curator of Milan’s Civic Museums, an artist, an art historian, a designer, a design historian and an international investor. The jury will select finalists by the end of February.
The cost of shipping and insurance will be the responsibility of the sender (Costs exceeding €200.00. will be refunded to the artists by the promoter.) Works will be displayed and insured at promoter’s expense during the exhibition period at the historical Sforzesco Castle. At the end of the exhibition, works must be picked up six months after the closing of the exhibition.
Interested parties may submit their work here. For questions, comments, and information, please contact info@competition-35.com.