Press Release

26th July 2008

International Festival of Glass Preview at the Artlounge Birmingham

The Artlounge is pleased to be working in conjunction with the International Festival of Glass for this year’s British Glass Biennale. The Artlounge, situated in the prestigious Mailbox, Birmingham will preview a selection of glass artists involved in this year’s biennale from the 4th August and continuing throughout the festival. Among the artists previewed at the Artlounge will be Hannah Kippax and James Lethbridge.

The Artlounge can be found on level 3 of the Mailbox and operates the largest commercial gallery for contemporary art in Birmingham, exhibiting a huge selection of paintings, limited edition prints, sculpture, ceramics and glass. 

The Artlounge is open seven days a week, 10am until 6pm from Monday to Wednesday, 10am until 7pm Thursday to Saturday and 11am until 5pm on Sundays. 

The Artlounge
28-30 Wharfside Street, The Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1XL
T: 0121 685 2555           
F: 0121 633 3451
E:mailbox@artlounge.com
W: www.artlounge.com

Press Release

9th July 2008

UK’s major exhibition of contemporary glass select Mytton Williams to create new brand identity

The UK’s biggest selling exhibition of contemporary glass, the British Glass Biennale, is being launched with a new brand identity and visual language created by the Mytton Williams design consultancy of Bath. The exhibition runs from 22 August to 28 September 2008 and is the highlight of the International Festival of Glass held in Stourbridge’s historic glass quarter.

This is the third Glass Biennale and up till now has been promoted under the International Festival of Glass branding.  The event has grown significantly and the organizers/the client, Ruskin Glass Centre felt that the BGB needed to have its own identity communicating the high artistic value of glass.  “This was a stimulating project to work on,” explains Bob Mytton, creative director of Mytton Williams.  “The client wanted bold and challenging design ideas to indicate significant developments in the growth of the exhibition.  Creatively we were briefed to grasp the essence of the exhibition - the contemporary, varied and artistic value of glass” 

Mytton Williams added to this ‘contemporary’ starting point by emphasising the uniqueness and magical qualities of glass itself. The refractive and distorting qualities of glass were chosen as the underlying creative concept. The new ‘distorted’ BGB logo has been designed in black or white thereby highlighting the colour and artistic innovativeness of the glass in the promotional material.  The new identity and visual brand language is being applied to all British Glass Biennale 2008 promotional material including the exhibition catalogue (pub. August 2008), advertising, exhibition graphics and the newly launched website.

Editors notes:
For more information contact:
Rosemary Dawson
Mytton Williams
1-4 Daniel Mews
Bath BA2 6NG
01225 476476
www.myttonwilliams.co.uk

Mytton Williams
Mytton Williams is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Bath.  Established in 1996 by Bob Mytton and Sophie Williams the company is now 9 strong and works with national and international clients in a broad range of sectors from professional services and construction to public bodies and arts organisations.

British Glass Biennale Image Bank

Images of the artist's work for the 2008 Biennale are available via the IFG website on its image bank. Go to:

www.ifg.org.uk/imagebank.html

Then click on BIENNALE IMAGES.

Press Release

29th April 2008
BRITISH GLASS BIENNALE – ARTISTS ANNOUNCED!
The Ruskin Glass Centre, in association with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, is delighted to announce the artists for the 2008 British Glass Biennale exhibition.

Go to artists page...

Press Release

January 2008
BRITISH GLASS BIENNALE

Calling all artists – submission criteria for the 2008 British Glass Biennale has now been published on the new Biennale web site: www.biennale.org.uk. The Biennale is open to artists, designers and craftspeople, working in all areas of contemporary glass practice or using glass as a key design element.

This year the UK’s premiere selling exhibition of contemporary glass has £14,000 in prize money to be won alongside its growing international status as the leading showcase for British based makers.

The British Glass Biennale is delighted to be working in association with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers to offer three prizes, with a student section incorporated for the first time. The British Glass Biennale Award is increased to £8000 for the ‘best in show’; the Glass Sellers Award is worth £5000 and the Glass Sellers Student Award of £1000.

An expert panel will be judging the submissions; comprising:

Will Farmer	Director, Fieldings Auctioneers
Deirdre Figueiredo	Director, Craftspace
Jeremy Hunt	Editor, Art & Architecture
Kim Mawhinney	Curator of Applied Art, Ulster Museum
Angela Thwaites	Glass Artist

 

 

 

The names of the selected exhibitors will be published at the end of April 2008 with the prize winners announced at the Awards Ceremony on 21 August at the Ruskin Glass Centre.

In 2006 101 artists were selected to exhibit, with Max Jacquard winning the British Glass Biennale Award. This massive representation of established artists and emerging new talent not only offers a clear illustration of the strength of the current British glass scene, but also reflects an extraordinarily wide range of styles and methods of glass-making.

The exhibition has developed a reputation for displaying work that is rich and diverse in size, discipline and form; from intricate glass beads through to giant architectural kiln-formed pieces. Jurors will be looking for technical excellence and artistic quality.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm Friday 28 March 2008.

The exhibition starts on 22 August and is open 10am to 5pm daily until 28 September.

The Biennale is a highlight of the International Festival of Glass, a four-day public festival celebrating the rich and dynamic world of glass, taking place August 22 to 25 at locations across the Stourbridge Glass Quarter. www.ifg.org.uk

For further details and application forms please visit: www.biennale.org.uk.
British Glass Biennale, Ruskin Glass Centre, Amblecote, Stourbridge DY8 4HF.

[Ends]

For further information and images of previous winners, please contact:
Candice-Elena Greer e-mail: info@biennale.org.uk + 44 (0) 207 751 3435

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