Since its inception in 1983, the ANU School of Art Glass Workshop has continualy received national and international recognition through the quality of its graduates and their work. Seeds of Light showcases the highly talented School of Art Glass Workshop staff and selected graduates over the past two decades.

Seen from the outside the achievement of the Australian glass community is a remarkable one. At the heart of it has been the Glass Workshop at Canberra School of Art, at the Australian National University. There its founder Klaus Moje laid a philosophical groundwork that has both established a strong homegrown tradition and encouraged an international approach. At Canberra making skills remain all important. But the four workshop leaders Moje, Stephen Procter, Jane Bruce and now Richard Whitely, who have brought things to where they are today, have all insisted that skill be accompanied by the fundamentals of artistic creation. Culture, taste, truth to materials and critical awareness all count for a great deal in this school. There is much more to self-discovery as an artist than just learning to make glass. Canberra encourages students to think as much as to make.

The results of this approach are self evident in a body of work in this exhibition by artists at many different stages of their career. By learning glass processes in the unique way they are taught at Canberra each artist has found a convincing voice for the 21st century. Their contribution to the world of contemporary glass is a significant one. Well taught practical skills allow them to express themselves with sensitivity, humour and a lot of feeling. The Canberra influence is seen both in the professionalism of each work and in the highly individual approach of every artist whether responding to landscape, light or personal history. New ideas, and there are plenty of them, mix and merge comfortably with a deep respect for what has gone before. Innovation and tradition go hand in hand. Sculpture, painting, design and poetry merge seamlessly into one continuum to create the Canberra look.

Dan Klein
Author and founding director of
Northlands Creative Glass, Scotland
London, April 2005

Seeds of light   room brochure

Craft Australia has featured a number of exhibitions that were presented during the GAS@Ausglass: Matters of substance conference.