THE International Festival of Glass is set to bring glass artists and enthusiasts from across the country and beyond to Stourbridge’s famous Glass Quarter this weekend.
The 2024 festival is the last to be organised by the team at Stourbridge’s Ruskin Mill Land Trust which has handed the baton over to the USA-based Glass Art Society after 20 years of running the event since its inception.
Running from August 23 to 26, the festival will see events held at the Ruskin Glass Centre in Wollaston Road, Amblecote, Wordsley’s Red House Glass Cone in Camp Hill and Stourbridge Glass Museum, also in Camp Hill, Wordsley.
The weekend will be packed with exhibitions, masterclasses, demonstrations and presentations, heritage tours, talks, workshops and hands-on activities for people to try plus entertainment and evening events, with the highlight being the British Glass Biennale – a juried exhibition showcasing the best of the best in the glass art industry.
Janine Christley, director of the International Festival of Glass, said: “It is amazing that this is the festival's 20th year. We will be recreating some of our favourite highlights from the past and looking forward to the future.
“I want to thank everyone in Stourbridge that has given such warm support to this event over the years and celebrated our rich glass culture together. Let's make this a memorable event for one last time at the Ruskin Glass Centre.”
The festival aims to honour Stourbridge’s glassmaking history and to provide a showcase for contemporary glass artists around the world.
The British Glass Biennale, which will be held in the Furnace Auditorium at Glasshouse Arts Centre, Wollaston Road, Amblecote, will feature a dazzling array of artistic pieces created by some of the top glass artists from across the globe – from intricate sculptures to large-scale installations – and it will continue to run after the festival until September 28.
The family-friendly festival will also include children’s activities and there’ll be plenty of refreshments available As well as the main locations, a number of other venues will also be playing a part in the festival.
Riverside House in Stourbridge is among those hosting events. The canalside venue, described as the Black Country’s Lost Gardens of Heligan, will host craft workshops, demonstrations, music and performances across the weekend.
The Mayor of Dudley will also officially open the venue, next to the River Stour and Stourbridge Canal - accessed off Canal Street, on Friday afternoon (August 23).
Riverside House founder Lloyd Stacey said: "We’re really pleased and relieved that we have reached this milestone of the project.”
The opening will celebrate the completion of the first phase of works at the former ironworks site which has become a haven for wildlife, nature and creativity.
Stourbridge’s General Office art gallery in Hagley Road will also host a display of work by new graduates working with glass entitled Glass Beginnings: Glass Graduates of 2024.
The Lace Guild at Audnam will also be displaying a selection of uranium glass pieces complemented by laces from the Guild.
People can walk between the venues, via Stourbridge Canal, or there’ll be free festival shuttle buses operating from 9.30am to 5.30pm from Stand J at Stourbridge Interchange.
The festival office will be open at Ruskin Glass Centre to book tickets or for help to navigate around the festival.
For a full list of festival events and locations visit https://ifg.org.uk/events/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here