Major global glass artist to feature at museum launch
An internationally renowned glass artist and scholar has been announced as the first visiting exhibitor at Stourbridge Glass Museum when it opens next month.
Inspired by her daily coastal walks during lockdown, Vanessa Cutler’s Journeys and Horizons exhibition depicts the process of arriving at new beginnings in a thought-provoking display befitting the current turbulent age.
Vanessa uses the latest technologies and techniques to produce her pieces which, when presented alongside resident artefacts spanning four centuries, will give visitors to the museum at the former Stuart Works a unique and fascinating insight into the long evolution of glass making.
Museum director Ollie Buckley said: “Vanessa Cutler is a hugely respected UK artist and her creativity and expertise are celebrated internationally. We’re delighted that she has chosen to support Stourbridge Glass Museum as our inaugural artist, setting the tone and quality of displays for years to come.
“Indeed, whether you’re a long-time fan of glass art or are simply a member of the public interested in this new local visitor attraction, I’m absolutely confident that you will really enjoy our displays and learning about the incredible story of glass making in the Stourbridge and Midlands area.”
Vanessa said: “I’m delighted to share this special moment in Stourbridge’s glass making history and I’m very much looking forward to engaging visitors to this fantastic new museum with Journeys and Horizons.”
She added that her daily lockdown walks had provided the inspiration for the exhibition.
“Whether calm or stormy seas, or the vivid sunsets over my home city, the natural elements of these surroundings have had a big influence on this exhibition," she added.
"For example, the sunrises and sunsets that I witnessed on my walks created poignant memories and these have been built into each piece.
“This in turn demonstrates how every piece of work requires a journey of some kind, whether at the beginning or through to the end process of making. I’m hoping this will resonate with people right now as we attempt to find ways to adapt to a whole host of unprecedented situations.”
A registered charity, Stourbridge Glass Museum has been made possible thanks to a range of community funding, including support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Vanessa’s Journeys and Horizons exhibition employs digital and water-jet technology alongside traditional casting processes.
Vanessa specialises in using abrasive water-jet cutting, and exhibits around the world.
She has presented at numerous conferences in Europe and America, helped many artists apply different technologies to their practices, and produced the formative book “New Technologies in Glass”, Bloomsbury 2012.
