15 - Found in Translation in Stourbridge

 

Education artists in residence Shelagh Swanson and Karl Harron are working with local schools at the Red House Glass Cone to create a glass mural reflecting the history of the area.

 

Shelagh who comes from Caithness, Scotland is trained in fine art and brings her understanding of graphics work to the 3D medium of glass. Karl is from Northern Ireland and is an established and celebrated artist, publishing articles, running master classes and art based training.

 

The two artists are working with local schools using a range of kilns to produce pieces of fused glass. The children start their day by creating small glass brooches which are fused and cooled while they undertake their visit, ready for them to take home at the end of the day.

 

Walking round the site and learning about the cone and the area’s glass industry provides the children with inspiration to create sketches which Karl and Shelagh help to create in glass. The children create their design using small pieces of coloured glass which are then fused together in the heat of the kiln. The finished pieces will be mounted on a laminate glass sheet to create a complete mural of the site which will be displayed at the two visitor attractions.

 

“This is such an innovative project and I’m very pleased to welcome Karl and Shelagh to the borough. They’ve already delivered one schools workshop and their fused glass JAM club workshops over half term were fully booked. It looks like this project is going to be a huge success.”

 

During the residency Karl will be delivering a five day masterclass to fellow glass artists and students. The pair also have a studio at Broadfield House Glass Museum where they work on their own designs and talk to the visiting public.  The two artists will also be working on their own pieces and will each donate a piece of glass to the museum’s collection.