The closure and decline of most of the East Bavarian glassworks from 2006 on the one hand, the departure of young, well-trained glass students on the other: We did not want to accept these developments impotently. After all, the history of glass – as staged in the Frauenau Glass Museum – illustrates how innovatively glassmakers in Europe have always reacted to the ups and downs of the economy and culture!
The exhibition European Glass Lives in Craft, Art and Industry opened as planned on April 30 in the rooms of Veste Coburg. The presentation fit very well into a series of exhibitions in the so-called “LABORATORY”, in which young glass-makers were given a platform to build a bridge to today’s glass world in the rather historical context of the collection.
We met around a large table in Frauenau in November 2018 for our first partner meeting.
Glass and border crossing have always been linked. The European glass regions inspired each other. When Lisa started research at the University of Graz for the planned Glass Works touring exhibition in 2019, she was instantly fascinated by the skilled and artistically gifted border crossers who were behind this exchange: They were to become the centerpiece of the exhibition.
The story of the Meisenthal glassworks in Lorraine is a story of encouragement for the Bavarian Forest and for Glass Works! That is why a small delegation set out in summer 2019 to find out more on the spot.
In October 2019 it finally started: the first of three training phases with ten trainees from Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
Some trainees had already engaged with the world a lot, and had gained experience, others were just at the beginning of their careers. However, they all learned something from the various excursions and activities during the training.
Actually, the exhibition was supposed to wander through different European glass regions, just like the glassmakers portrayed in it. Actually … because Corona has also messed up our project plans.
Whether a designer, artisan or artist, self-employed or employed. The ten trainees all had different plans for the future. After having accompanied them intensively for six months and got to know them personally, it is exciting to see how they use this unique opportunity for them in very different ways.
Our second training phase was able to build on the first and learn from it. Of course, there were differences, because the trainees bring with them very different cultures and backgrounds.
