Contemporary Glass Society

Contemporary Glass Society Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Contemporary Glass Society, Nonprofit Organization, 29 Heron Drive, Northamptonshire, NN3 6QE, Brackley.
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CGS is a vibrant non-profit inspiring excellence in glass, educating international audiences, and proudly promoting 1300+ makers, collectors, suppliers, and experts working with glass as a dynamic medium in contemporary art, craft, and design.

Glass artist Andrea Spencer finds inspiration along Northern Ireland's North Antrim Coast not far from her studio in rur...
16/06/2026

Glass artist Andrea Spencer finds inspiration along Northern Ireland's North Antrim Coast not far from her studio in rural Ballintoy. Working primarily with flameworked glass and mixed media, she creates delicate sculptural objects and ephemeral installations inspired by nature and organic forms, exploring connections to the human condition. Andrea exhibits nationally and internationally, with recent shows including Collect 2026, Collect Open 2024, the British Glass Biennale, and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Her work is held in major public collections, and she was recently commissioned by National Museums Ireland.

We asked Andrea for some advice for someone starting out or who is inspired to try glass as a result of these films, here are some of her words of wisdom.

Ben Seale from Directed by Good created a beautiful film of Andrea's practise for the Contemporary Glass Society, made possible through funding from The Space, Arts Council England and The Glass Sellers’ Charity, the film series offers an insight into the diverse ways artists work with glass. From lampworking and kilnforming to glassblowing, coldworking, industrial and digital processes, it celebrates the breadth and creativity of the contemporary glass community.

Watch the film here: https://youtu.be/m349rM0_ZgY?is=1nwwWLbEFL7SullW

12/06/2026

Join glass artist Andrea Spencer in her Ballintoy studio as she shares how the North Antrim coastline, its natural treasures, and a chance encounter with a mermaid’s purse helped shape her journey into lampworking and contemporary glass.

A beautiful insight into process, place, and the power of inspiration.

Filmed by Ben Seale of Directed by Good for the Contemporary Glass Society and funded by The Space, Arts Council and The Glass Sellers Charity.

Watch the full film now! https://youtu.be/m349rM0_ZgY


05/06/2026

The Contemporary Glass Society are delighted to share that something very exciting is coming to our YouTube channel in the coming weeks. We received funding from The Space, Arts Council and The Glass Sellers Charity to produce a series of films sharing glassmaking in the UK, showcasing some of the different techniques artists use, their inspiration, industrial processes and our fantastic community too!

See the full trailer here: https://youtu.be/sK44jYSRxl4?si=V3BFh7IvhhdQ5uxd

We worked with Ben from .by.good to storyboard our ideas, and bring them to life on locations up and down the UK. Getting up close to huge industrial processes and seeing tiny details being formed in studios, the variety of starting points for each of the artists and the many, many hours of learning, dedication and patience put into producing stunning pieces of glass.

Many Thanks for all of your support to realise this project! The Space Arts, Arts Council England, The Glass Sellers Charity and Directed by Good

02/06/2026

The Contemporary Glass Society are holding an exhibition at The International Festival of Glass this year in The World of Glass, St Helens. The theme is “A Cabinet of Curiosities” which is an open call to all CGS members!

We invite you to embrace curiosity, experimentation, process-led exploration, and storytelling—whether entirely factual or imaginatively fictional—within your glass pieces.

The work will be available for sale, and for the first time in our IFOG exhibitions, we will be able to display 3D objects as well as 2D works!

This exhibition is a sequel to our much-loved Postcard Exhibitions, previously held in Stourbridge.

With the new location and format, we are thrilled to open this popular opportunity to everyone at any stage of their making and using any glass technique.

Deadline 21st June - make sure you are a part of it and tell your friends!

The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is delighted to announce the launch of the 2026 Glass Sellers’ CGS Graduate Prize a...
26/05/2026

The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is delighted to announce the launch of the 2026 Glass Sellers’ CGS Graduate Prize and New Graduate Review. This prestigious competition is designed to support emerging graduates as they embark on their careers in contemporary glassmaking. Open to all graduates from the UK and Europe (exact list can be viewed via the link)

Thanks to the continued generosity of The Glass Sellers Charity and our esteemed sponsors — Creative Glass, Pearsons Glass and Warm Glass — we are offering an exceptional opportunity for new glass graduates to showcase their work on a global stage.

Further details and how to apply can be found in the link below - deadline 12th July!

https://www.curatorspace.com/opportunities/detail/glass-sellers-cgs-graduate-prize-and-new-graduate-review/10582

The Glass Sellers Charity* is associated with The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, one of the City of London’s historic livery companies. Its sponsorship of Glass Sellers’ CGS Graduate Prize and New Graduate Review forms part of its programme to support artistic glass. (* Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers Charity Fund: Reg Charity No 253973)

Image: Happiness Diary by Suh Moonju

All Things Great and Small – OPEN EXHIBITIONOpen to All Glass Artists, both CGS members and non-membersLaunched today! O...
25/05/2026

All Things Great and Small – OPEN EXHIBITION

Open to All Glass Artists, both CGS members and non-members

Launched today! Open until 3rd August!

We invited submissions for All Things Great and Small, an online glass exhibition exploring scale and detail in everyday life. We welcomed a wide range of glassmaking techniques — from traditional blowing, casting, and fusing to experimental approaches — and were particularly interested in works that highlight the extraordinary in the familiar, whether through monumental forms or intricate, close-up details.

Featuring 55 glass artists from the UK and abroad in a celebration of contemporary glass.

We love this piece - Fancy a Cuppa? by Eva Walsh. A cup of tea can be savoured alone or it can be shared and enjoyed in company. 'Fancy a cuppa?' serves to highlight the joy in the daily ritual of having a cup of tea. Sometime it really is the small things in life! :) .walsh.artist

25/05/2026

What a fabulous day we had at Morley College last week! With over 80 people and 6 fantastic speakers, as well as tours of the workshops at Morley, and sunshine when we nipped out for lunch at Portobello Road Market, what more could we ask for! We were joined by Joseph Harrington, Jo Guile, Dr Helen Slater Stokes, Caroline Reed, April Hillingross and Natasha Redina. It was great to hear their own 'Ideas and Translations in Glass'.

If you'd like to join us at our next event, become a member to be first to hear about what's happening, and there's opportunities to be a part of our upcoming exhibitions too (more in the pipeline too!)

Many Thanks to Maria Zulueta, Morley College and all of the speakers for such a brilliant day, here's to the next one! 😉

The Contemporary Glass Society will be hosting a day of talks “Ideas and Translations in Glass” at Morley College on Sat...
27/04/2026

The Contemporary Glass Society will be hosting a day of talks “Ideas and Translations in Glass” at Morley College on Saturday 16th May.

We are delighted to announce that Joseph Harrington, Jo Guile and Dr Helen Slater Stokes will be speaking at the event. We will also be welcoming 3 previous students from Morley College to share their practises on the day, April Hillingross, Natasha Redina and Caroline Reed. Senior Glass Lecturer at Morley, Maria Zulueta, has also arranged a tour of the facilities at the college, and an exhibition of the students work too!

Tea and coffee will be provided throughout the day, and Morley College is right next to the market, which is the perfect place for a spot of lunch!

The theme of the day is looking at how ideas are translated into glass and the wide range of concepts, and use of techniques and processes artists use to bring these to life. Each of the artists speaking have different ways of making this transition from ideas to final pieces, and hopefully their talks will give a small incite into this and maybe inspire ways for you to step out of your comfort zone and experiment further with glass yourself.

Sean Barnes will be demoing a piece from his Hadean Cages series at A Celebration of Glass in Sunderland, this Saturday!...
22/04/2026

Sean Barnes will be demoing a piece from his Hadean Cages series at A Celebration of Glass in Sunderland, this Saturday! Combining glassblowing with reactive foamed glass to explore pressure, expansion, and containment in a single form.

Sean graduated from his BA in Ceramics and Glass last year, and was Highly Commended in our CGS Graduate Review 2025. Now studying for his MA:Visual Practise it's really exciting to see him demo his glassblowing meets foamed glass in the hot shop!

Grab your ticket and come and join us on Saturday THIS WEEK! Its set to be a a fab Celebration of Glass in Sunderland! Waterjet cutting, pyrography, printing techniques, tours, throwing, scraffito, hot glass! So many things to see and do! Link in bio




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29 Heron Drive, Northamptonshire, NN3 6QE
Brackley
NN136QE

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