Welcome to the Glass Age

149 lack of initiatives to nurture Black and ethnically diverse makers. Examples of Racism and micro-aggression in craft spaces were also evidenced in the report findings. Finally, the perception of craft as a career was an issue. Many were discouraged from a career in craft by their families who viewed it as low paid, unstable work. Problems with the curriculum were also highlighted, with many courses dominated by a white, Eurocentric history. The report is an important move in the Crafts; how the Art Glass responds to this will be an important challenge to the field. Hot glass workshops and factories have historically been a prime space for gender inequality, with men often dominating the field of blown glass in particular. In past decades, many renowned international educational centres for glass making have profited from essentially male only displays of macho, technical prowess in front of large audiences, often side-lining female counterparts. In the last decade, things have started to change with many glass artists challenging the status quo and taking their work to new professional and often performative levels. Glass artists such as Danish artist Maria Bang-Espersen have refreshed the field with their astounding technical and experimental displays in glass. She actively challenges restrictive norms and established hierarchies through her work (Figure 9.7). Other artists that are actively challenging the status quo are El Cocal Glass Studio, a collective of all young women glassblowers based in Murano, Venice, a place renowned for its male dominated environment. They call themselves the Vetraie Ribelli, ‘Rebel Glassmakers’. The premise of their studio is simple— to eradicate a common prejudice that the profession of a glassblower is not suitable for women. The recent winner of ‘Blown Away’, a glass blowing competition aired by the online streaming service Netflix, is also a timely example. Deborah Czeresko, a feminist glass artist won the show in 2019 with her inclusive approach, through her sharp social commentary wowing audiences with her free blown glasswork, which combines traditional Venetian techniques mixed with her own social commentary on contemporary feminist issues. Czeresko’s ‘Man-Bun in the Oven’ project, created an external womb for men to wear to gestate and her feminist take on breakfast, which included a fecund fried egg and a chandelier of sausage links. Czeresko is a role model to many within the LCBTQI+ community and is keen to elevate the role of women in the field. She is well aware of the decades of patriarchy that has freely flown through the studio glass movement, stating: “While there are more women coming into the glass world now than ever before, it’s important to keep this momentum going and for women to begin occupying a space that’s been historically very macho” (Czeresko, 2019) [4]. Unique narratives and social commentary by women for women, that speak out about feminist issues through the medium of art glass is an exciting juncture for the Art Glass world. What is needed within the field is a wider range of voices, as teachers, mentors and role models to inform and lead the future generations of the international art glass movement. In reviewing the field of Art Glass, we still have a long way to go in terms of gender equity and diversity with many artists still discriminated against, under-represented and under-valued. Exhibitions, conferences and workshops are vital in raising awareness of the professional, high-level calibre of glass artists who are out there, possibly undiscovered. Finding new ways to represent them is a vital way to give their workspace to be seen and their voices heard. Exhibitions such as ‘Unbreakable: Women in Glass’ in Venice (2020) presented by Berengo Studio, which displayed a range of contemporary female artists working in glass. We should treasure spaces in which female artists are able to take centre stage… Many people in the art world would like to believe that we have achieved parity but the truth is we still have a long way to go. This is why spaces celebrating female artists remain so essential (Sterling, Fondazione