Art vs. Craft

One of the biggest observations I´ve made since opening the gallery last year is how narrow the opinion is in Germany that glass can be used as a material to create fine art. Since glass is considered part of the arts and crafts, anyone working with the material is thrown into the category of “craftsperson”, on par with the ladies weaving beautiful kelims in Anatolia… This is obviously very stifling for many artists as it ostracizes them from galleries and fine art fairs.

Ironically, studio glass officially started with Erwin Eisch in Frauenau, Germany in the late 1950´s. Harvey Littleton, already interested in establishing a glass dept. at the U. of Wisconsin, visited Eisch and then was sure he was on the right track. I guess that´s where the split in the trajectory began? Littleton inspired glass in an academic milieu and Eisch kept it to himself in his atelier. He was a “black sheep” as he wrote in a letter to Littleton in 1964. On the other hand, German art academies work with glass in the sculpture department.

My question is, when is art really art and what exactly is a craft? How do you, as an artist, distinguish between the two and do you ever run into discrimination because of the material you work with? (I´m sure I over-generalize the North American glass scene)

Beginning and the future...

This is an old post, but tells about the foundation of the gallery.

Well, I suppose I should jump on the phenomena known as blogging; and as they say, there really is no time better than the present! I will be writing about the gallery and my future plans to open Berlin´s first hot shop! The idea of establishing a hot shop is a little intimidating, especially when I will have to deal with the bureaucracy of getting licenses and permits, but I am motivated with a clear vision and will work darn hard to make it happen. This is exactly what I want to do!

I was recently at the Pilchuck Glass School as a poleturner, helping with the annual auction centerpiece project. I have a long-standing experience with Pilchuck - I was a volunteer for many years while living in Seattle between 1991 and 1998 – but this experience was something extraordinary. Volunteers go to campus for the day, do their task, have a quick meal with the staff and artists and then head home. As a poleturner, I was on campus for 10 solid days, giving campus tours and helping the artists on the pad to the extent that my capabilities with hot glass would allow me - I was in charge of opening the door of the glory hole!

It was very important for me to see the process of glass making first hand before embarking on a project like opening the hot shop in Berlin, which I think I will call New Glass Art Berlin. I always heard about the synergy of creativity and talent that defines Pilchuck. This is one of the prominent themes, on which the school was founded. Artists come from all over the globe to work together, share ideas and let creativity flow in every direction. I think the most wonderful experience I had while on campus was seeing this first hand. It was inspiring and made me smile, and I have not felt this way in a long time!

I opened Contemporary Art & Photography (as it is recorded with the City of Berlin) in December 2007, and nope, I did not move to Berlin for it. I was already here. I moved here in 2005 to do an internship at the Museum of Islamic Art (one of the best collections world-wide!) and stayed on to volunteer 2 times a week and take language classes at Humboldt University. I needed to have a certain level of German before I could move on and do something else. That something was not clear straight away, though. I toyed with the idea of specializing in sign language – I was sure it would be easier to learn than German!! Ha! Then one night on a walk through the gallery district, it dawned on me that there are no galleries showing glass. I threw the idea of opening a gallery specializing in glass at some friends of mine, who very much encouraged me to give it a try…

…and so the adventure began. Stay tuned for more on opening a business in Germany and what glass really means to the collective conscious of the German audience!

Welcome to New Glass Art & Photography's new blog spot!

New Glass Art & Photography is home to several of the most significant artists working with glass and photography. Founded in 2007 by Nadania Idriss, the gallery, located in the heart of Berlin´s burgeoning art scene, Mitte, has a central focus for championing emerging, mid-career and established artists who push the boundaries of working with glass. The Gallery is devoted to exhibiting contemporary works of art that are challenging, innovative and committed to fostering new directions with the material. 

Articles about the gallery, and/or it's artists have been featured in, among others, The Financial Times, Die Welt and Tip Magazin.