The 5th year of the International Symposium of Engraved Glass in Kamenický Šenov September 8 - 14, 2008
Since 1996 triennial International Symposia of Engraved Glass have been organized oriented onto the traditional handicraft technique - glass decoration with engraving. The sympozia allow creative meetings and cooperation of artists, craftsmen, theoreticians and other interested persons from all over the world as well as support new ideas in the branch, discussions, contacts etc. A part of the Symposium is a parallel interpreted professional seminar, en exhibition of participants´ works in the Glass Museum, social and cultural events opened also for the public. This year there was also a panel discussion themed the present and future of engraved glass. The Sympozia have established a new tradition in development of glass engraving in its original setting and allowed founding of a new unique collection of the Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov based on donated participants´ works. The Sympozium 2008 was organized by the Association of Symposium of Engraved Glass together with the Kamenický Šenov municipality, the Secondary School of Glass, the Glass Museum, the Glass Studio Peter Rath Kamenický Šenov, the Czech Glass Association and the Carolina Agency.
In this year of the Symposium about eighty participants from 12 countries took part, among them e.g. from the South Korea and the USA. Besides glass engraving there were workshops in glyptics, vitrograpy and textile printing using glass plates headed by Peter Rath, at the Glass School. Vlastimil Pospíchal from Nový Bor presented his unique pantograph machine for microdecorations. At the festive opening the governor of the Liberec region Mr. Petr Skokan the patron of the Symposium took part. Numerous personalities participated as guests, e.g. the director of the Glass Museum Rheinbach, Germany, Mrs. Ruth Fabritius, the director of the Museum of Applied Arts Prague Mrs. Helena Helena Königsmarková, a curator of the Museum Mr. Milan Hlaveš, an artist Mr. René Roubíček and many others. On Tuesday a Day of Open Door was held in the Glass School.
On Friday evening an event called Panská Rock and Glass - A Treasure in the Heard of Europe was organized within the scope of the Days of European Herritage. There the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov was represented in a stand where ist students showed glass engraving. There were also students´ works sold.
In the Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov the exhibition of participants´ works of the 5th International Symposium of Engraved Glass was opened up for the public which together with works from the so-called student programme and from workshops oriented onto vitrography, glyptics-jewellery and textile printing could be visited by the interested persons. The students´ works and textile printings are exhibited at the Zelená Gallery opposite the Glass Museum. The SUPŠS representative at the student programme was Sára Hortenská. The exhibition includes also two works designed during the museum visitors competition. The winning designs have been designed by two eleven years old children - Markéta Strolená and Kryštof Špidlen. They were awarded by the headmaster of the Glass School František Janák and received school catalogues Glass and Light.
The Museum offers one more exhibition opened during the Symposium. It is oriented onto Franz Wendler from Rheinbach near Bonn, who devoted more than 70 years of his life to glass. The exhibition was prepared in co-operation of the Glass Museums Kamenický Šeno and Rheinbach, under patronage of the Czech-German Future Fund. All the exhibition would be opened from Sunday, Sept. 14 to Oct. 31, 2008.
There were also two prizes awarded at the Symposium. First of them - The Chateau Bezdružice (diploma and EUR 1000,- ) was awarded to the artist Jitka Skuhravá for her work. Honorable mentions were awarded to the artist Katharine Coleman from England and to a student Jana Hejnyšová from the Secondary Glass School Valašské Meziříčí. The Czech Glass Association Prize together with books "History of the Glass Manufacture in the Czech Lends" was awarded to Kim Song Mi from the South Korea who is actually studying at the same school. The jury of the Chateau Bezdružice Prize was represented by Helena Braunová, Pavel Werner, Vladimír Kopecký, Václav Machač, Milan Hlaveš, René Roubíček, Josef Kessler and by the jury chairman František Janák. The prizes were handed over on Saturday at the festive farewell evening.
4th International Symposium of Engraved Glass Kamenický Šenov 2005.
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