Elizabeth McCleur's work Marui Bottle is her submission to the 2025 New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass exhibition.
Elizabeth McCleur's work Marui Bottle is her submission to the 2025 New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass exhibition.
A national glass art exhibition will open in Whanganui ahead of a national conference hosted at the Sarjeant Gallery.
The New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass (NZSAG), established in 1980, hosted a national conference biennially but Covid-19 put a pause on the event – making 2025’s “Gather” conference the first in five years.
“We’ve called the conference Gather, so the impetus really is for us to get together as a society and meet face-to-face again and to share ideas, have some great artistic dialogue, and really bolster the community,” NZSAG president Philip Stokes said.
The exhibition, which was open to submissions from all members of the society, will feature 33 pieces from a variety of glass-art disciplines.
Ainsley O'Connell's submission, What you see is not what you get, will be on show at the exhibition.
They include glass-blowing, lost wax casting – which involves creating a wax mould to shape glass – and kiln-forming, where separate glass pieces are fused in a kiln.
“We get a real survey of what’s happening in glass throughout New Zealand,” Stokes said.
“There’s a range of work. Some are just beginning and some have been doing it for a lifetime. So there’s a really diverse range of skill level, ability and technical practices.
“Having the work displayed at New Zealand Glassworks for three months is really beneficial for artists – it gives them optimal exposure.
“Part of having a conference is sharing the work that we do with the local and national community.”
Richard Landers' submission Double Compass.
The conference will also feature demonstrations from two international glass artists. Ben Edols (Australia) specialises in Venetian glass-blowing techniques and Katrina Hude (United States) will display her signature technique of intricate pattern-making.
Stokes said Whanganui was the ideal location for the conference.
“Whanganui is so perfectly suited, everything’s walking distance within town.
“A lot of the glass-blowing community is centred here in Whanganui – we have boots on the ground.”
The Gather Conference will be the first held in the newly-renovated Sarjeant Gallery, which Stokes labelled “a really big drawcard”.
The exhibition will have an official opening as part of the conference’s start on February 21, but it will be open to visitors at New Zealand Glassworks on Rutland St from February 1 to March 30.
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
