THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDIO GLASS AT SHANGHAI UNIVERSITY: THE INFLUENCE OF WOLVERHAMPTON UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSOR KEITH CUMMINGS

In September, 1998, I was sent by Shanghai University to learn the art of glassmaking at Wolverhampton University. The President of Shanghai University, Qian Weichang - a famous Chinese scientist and founder of nuclear physics - requested that I study as an ordinary graduate student rather than a visiting scholar. Upon completion of my two years of study, the plan was for me to return to Shanghai to establish the pre-eminent Studio Glass Art Major in China.

In the Glass Department of Wolverhampton University, students are encouraged to think broadly and to create visionary art works out of glass; a material with great expressive force. Each individual is expected to engage in uninhibited and intense communication with others in the studio environment. Each component of the syllabus is devised to encourage dialogue and to enrich the spirit of the creative arts. Moreover, the importance of working in different art disciplines to broaden an artist’s experience forms an integral part of the glass studio. Therefore, under the guidance of the teaching staff, the graduate student has both the freedom and duty to embolden their dialectic thinking and creativity.

I was highly impressed with the studio-education method in England. The understanding I took from the experience inspired me in my efforts to create the new Glass Studio at Shanghai University. In this regard, I must give special thanks to Andrew Brewerton, the then Dean of School of Art & Design, University of Wolverhampton, to Stuart Garfoot, Director of the Glass Department, and to the famed Professor Keith Cummings. All three of them provided me with the most profound and lasting knowledge of the Glass Art field.

Upon completion of my Masters Degree from Wolverhampton in 2000, I returned to Shanghai to establish the first Glass Art Studio in a Chinese University. In the beginning, there were many obstacles; we had no materials, equipment or contacts in any interrelated fields. All I had was a mental blueprint of what a glass studio should contain and some 300kg of books and other information, which I had brought back from England. Fortunately, China is a country of great industry and construction ability. I therefore toured China, visiting glass production areas, window glass corporations, electric kiln factories and had numerous discussions with engineering specialists. Combining the techniques I had learned in England with the most advanced industries in China, I established a cooperative venture known as Education-Science and Study Industry. The space for the project was somewhat limited but sufficient for all the technical requirements of glass art: cold processing, embedding, slump-casting, die-casting, blowing, centrifugal equipment, fusing and large mould kiln-casting. In response we were asked to provide design and technical support for the development of 7 new glass art factories over 2 years, each specializing in different techniques. The venture was a great success. This success ultimately provided increased support for the Glass Art Studio at Shanghai University as all the cold processing equipment was donated by these factories.

With good materials and sound technical provision, education in the Glass Studio of the Fine Arts College at Shanghai University has entered a phase of rapid development. In 2003, the studio instituted a visitation system which received teachers and graduate students from the Central College of Fine Arts, the Fine Arts College of Tsinghua University and the Fine Arts College of China. In 2005, the studio also welcomed foreign students from the USA, Canada and Portugal. The course of study is energetic and, in addition to credit courses, also offers, professional workshops, seminars, art critiques, lectures from visiting international artists and cooperative projects with local factories. For further details, please visit our official website: www.glassart-studio.com.

The aim of the Glass Studio is twofold: ensuring we retain our position at the forefront of glass education and science, and guaranteeing that our graduates are equipped to have great impact in the field. The Glass Art Studio has been awarded the Cooper Award at the Fine Arts Exhibition of China 2004, the 1st, 2nd and 4th Awards at the Glass Art Competition in China 2004, the Excellence Award 2005/2006 and Academy Award 2006, 2007 at the Modern Hand-Craft Art Exhibition, and the Special Item Award (2006) at the International Industry EXPO of China.

Years of endeavor have also had impact internationally:
1. Our work has been collected by the National Museums Scotland 2007 details can be found at www.nms.ac.uk.
2. For the past 2 years, several of our works have been included in the American Sculptural Objects and Functional Arts (SOFA) Exposition (2006/2007). SOFA is the most important contemporary decorative art and design exhibition in the world. For more details, please consult www.sofaexpo.com
3. Our Studio’s work was also collected by the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Art Fund Institute (2008). This Institute is in located in Munich and is the main study institution and sponsor of the European Institute of Glass Art. More details can be found at www.atutsek-stiftung.de

Our Studio has one of the most important university programs for Glass Art in China. As such, we aim to be socially responsible and collaborative in our field. We also strive to contribute to the social life and culture of our community. Furthermore, behind our success, lies the influence of English education and the contribution of the School of Art & Design at Wolverhampton University. Above all, our success owes a debt of gratitude to the extraordinary world wide influence of Professor Keith Cummings.


Zhuang Xiaowei,
Associate Professor, Fine Arts College of Shanghai
University and Director of Glass Studio.

The Development of Studio Glass at Shanghai University pdf

FOREWORD
Professor Tim Collins: Foreword

ESSAYS
Professor Andrew Brewerton: Glass Routes
Professor Keith Cummings: Continuity and Change in Glass History
Stuart Garfoot: The Glass Baton, A Personal Overview
Susanne Frantz: Glass Tiger
Associate Professor Xiaowei Zhuang: The Development of Studio Glass at Shanghai University
Associate Professor Guan Donghai: Creating With Glass
Dr Kristina Niedderer: Developing Glass Practice Through Creative Research
Xue Lu (Shelly): Growing With the Soil of China

Stuart Garfoot: Introduction to Creative Pathway
David Reekie: Creative Pathway 1
Katy Holford: Creative Pathway 2