Contemporary Queensland Glass

MAIN GALLERY | 2 November 2024 - 1 March 2025

Artist: Megan Cope, Erin Conron, Lucy Quinn, Jarred Wright, Jo Bone.
Curators: Aimee Frodsham, Creative Director, Canberra Glassworks. Edwina Corlette, Director, Edwina Corlette. Simone Linssen, Program Director, artisan.

Events:
Opening event 1 November 2024 6-8pm
In Conversation and Networking Event 8 November 2024 6-8pm

Contemporary Queensland Glass is an exhibition celebrating the exceptional talent, innovation, and craftsmanship of five accomplished glass artists from Queensland. Despite limited local glass training opportunities and facilities, these artists have excelled in their craft. The exhibition showcases a wide range of techniques and aesthetics in glassmaking, from sculptural installations to functional objects, demonstrating the diverse practices of Queensland's glass artists.

The event marks a significant step towards nurturing Queensland's glass art community through the inaugural National Artisan Residency Program. This partnership between artisan and Canberra Glassworks, supported by Arts Queensland, aims to address the dispersed nature of Australia's glass art scene by providing vital opportunities and connections. It represents a crucial effort to advance the state's glass art community and showcase the exceptional talent that exists within Queensland.

Contemporary Queensland Glass explores unique Queensland narratives, using glass as a storytelling medium to capture the essence of the state's environments and experiences. More than just an exhibition, it's a celebration of resilience and passion, offering a glimpse into the future potential of Queensland's glass art scene. The exhibition not only celebrates the current achievements of these remarkable artists but also the immense potential waiting to be unlocked with increased support and resources.

THE ARTISTS

Erin Conron

Photograph of Erin Conron. Image courtesy of Erin Conron.

Tide, 2018, Erin Conron. Blown glass with multi fired enamel. 220H x 170W x 160D mm. Photo: Erin Conron. Image courtesy of Erin Conron.

Recipient of the inaugural Artisan Residency Program, Erin Conron travelled to Canberra Glassworks to learn new techniques and produce a new collection of works. Conron’s practice explores optical effects created by layering parallel lines on separate planes of glass, resulting in moiré patterns and illusions of movement. Wall-hung works and blown glass vessels challenge viewers' perceptions of space and form through innovative enamel application techniques.

Megan Cope

Megan and her dog Djalo in Minjerribah, Quandamooka Country (North Stradbroke Island), 2020. Photo: Rhett Hammerton. Image courtesy of Megan Cope and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.

Resist, Revive, Rehumanise (detail), 2020-2021, Megan Cope. 12 hand blown and carved glass shields. Dimensions variable. Photo: Brenton McGeachie. Image courtesy of artist and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.

Megan Cope is a Quandamooka woman (North Stradbroke Island) in South East Queensland. Her multidisciplinary practice includes site-specific installations and blown glass works that investigate issues relating to identity, the environment and mapping practices.

Cope’s glass works were created during her time with Canberra Glassworks. Reflecting on the catastrophic fires along the east coast, Cope carves through black glass revealing layers and markings of timber rings, akin to those on ancestral shields and coolamons. They speak to the responsibility and care that Aboriginal people feel for Country and our increased need for rights to protect it.

Lucy Quinn

Photograph of Lucy Quinn. Image courtesy of Lucy Quinn.

Diatom II, 2023, Lucy Quinn. Cast crystal glass, mirror. Dimensions variable. Photo: Aaron Micallef. Image courtesy of Lucy Quinn.

Lucy Quinn’s multidisciplinary practice focuses on sculpture and kiln-cast glass. Her work explores themes of memory and taxonomy through intricate glass objects.

Quinn presents an installation of tiny lost-wax cast glass pieces, delicately carved and finished facsimiles of collected objects, both natural and man-made. Arranged on reflective brass surface, creating dramatic projections of refracted light into the surrounding space. Quinn’s works pushes material boundaries, exploring the relationship between light, glass and metal, connecting the macro and micro.

Jarred Wright

Photograph of Jarred Wright. Image courtesy of Jarred Wright.

Yellow Vase, 2024, Jarred Wright. Blown glass. Photo: Ryan Dewsbury. Image courtesy of Jarred Wright.

Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Jarred Wright now calls (Meanjin) Brisbane home. As a scientific glass blower within the chemistry, nano-technology and microbiology industry, he brings a unique perspective to his artistic practice. Wright's work is inspired by organic forms, creating amoebic small-scale sculptures that blur the lines between creation and evolution. His works explore light refraction and manipulation through carefully crafted glass forms. All of his work is shaped by hand (and mouth) through traditional bench torch glass blowing techniques.

Jo Bone

Photograph of Jo Bone. Image courtesy of Jo Bone.

Sea Grass, 2017-18, Jo Bone. Blown glass. Dimensions variable. Photo: Aaron Micallef. Image courtesy of Jo Bone.

Jo Bone works with hot glass drawn from a furnace, shaping it into forms that are then meticulously cold-worked. Her practice focuses on pattern and repetition found in nature, particularly aquatic ecosystems. Bone’s mesmerising works capture the fluid movements of underwater flora, inviting viewers to contemplate the delicate balance of marine environments.

Featuring outcomes from the Artisan Residency Program

This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland

Proudly partnering with Canberra Glassworks

Image credits:

Banner: Tide (detail), 2018, Erin Conron. Blown glass with multi fired enamel. 220H x 170W x 160D mm. Photo: Erin Conron. Image courtesy of Erin Conron.

Video: Exhibition photography by Michelle Bowden

Image collage:

Image 1: Resist, Revive, Rehumanise (exhibition view), 2020-2021, Megan Cope. 12 hand blown and carved glass shields. Dimensions variable. Photo: Brenton McGeachie. Image courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.
Image 2: Yellow Vase, 2024, Jarred Wright. Blown glass. Photo: Ryan Dewsbury. Image courtesy of Jarred Wright.
Image 3: Resist, Revive, Rehumanise: Shield 12, 2020-21, Megan Cope. Hand blown and carved glass shield. Dimensions variable. Photo: Brenton McGeachie. Image courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.
Image 4: Sea Grass, 2017-18, Jo Bone. Blown glass. Dimensions variable. Photo: Aaron Micallef. Image courtesy of Jo Bone.
Image 5: Diatom II (detail), 2023, Lucy Quinn. Cast crystal glass, mirror. Dimensions variable. Photo: Lucy Quinn. Image courtesy of Lucy Quinn.
Image 6: Tide, 2018, Erin Conron. Blown glass with multi fired enamel. 220H x 170W x 160D mm. Photo: Erin Conron. Image courtesy of Erin Conron.
Image 7: Sea Grass (detail), 2017-18, Jo Bone. Glass. Dimensions variable. Photo: Aaron Micallef. Image courtesy of Jo Bone.
Image 8: Diatom II, 2023, Lucy Quinn. Cast crystal glass, mirror. Dimensions variable. Photo: Aaron Micallef. Image courtesy of Lucy Quinn.