What a tragedy for our Glass Art Society to have to cancel the Boston Conference. Our thoughts go out to those who work so hard to provide us with one of the best conferences and creative gatherings for glass artists everywhere. It is a loss of opportunity for learning, connection and FUN for our glass community.
Of course, we at BioGlass are terribly sad that we are unable to keep up our small tradition of helping promote the Green Panel at the conference and to aid in the education of eco-efficent glassmaking.
“The Glass Art Society (GAS) has held a continuous succession of conferences since its inauguration in 1971. In 2012, we celebrated glass and its history in an extremely successful event in Toledo. Today, after careful consideration and with deep regret, the Board of the Glass Art Society has decided unanimously to cancel the 2013 conference in Boston.”
We will resurface in other ways this year.
Stay tuned to see other conferences and gathering for green glass makers all over the world.
2013 Green Panel for Glass Art Society
Ancient Techniques for efficiency using Modern Technology
Moderator: Julie Conway
Speakers: Hugh Jenkins, Durk Valkema, Pablo Soto
Discussing the use of technology and individual innovation to save energy in the glass shop.
Should educational faculty be actively addressing the sustainability of its facilities as a part of the curriculum for it current students that are studying glass art? With the continued rising cost of fossil fuels can we afford not to?
The green panel has become a permanent fixture at the Annual Glass Art Society Conference. Last year’s topic: Using Glass Studio as an Energy Source can be found in our chat forum for discussions on use of thermal cascades and utilizing waste heat in a hot shop for other purposes.
This year: the topic was community access studios. They benefit us all because we share resources, utilities, building material and equipment costs. Do you belong to a community access studio or do you own your hotshop? What are the benefits? Post your comments here.
Making Futures: The Crafts as Change Maker in Sustainably Aware Cultures will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th September 2011 at Dartington Hall on the inspiring Dartington Estate, Devon, UK.
The aims of the Making Futures research conferences are to improve understanding of the ways in which the contemporary crafts are practiced in relation to significant and new developing agendas relating to global environmental and sustainability issues.
For more information and to attend the conference in Plymouth, UK
please follow this link: http://makingfutures.plymouthart.ac.uk/index.php?q=node/14
I wrote an article in the GAS Newsletter that will come out in teh fall regarding a road trip my friend Stevo and I went on, during which we visited 16 or 17 studios. We measured the exhaust gases, temperature and pressure and were able to tune lots of furnaces to reduce consumption, emissions, noise, and cost.  I don’t have much time right now to type in all teh details, but check out the GAS newsletter in my technical article titled, “Road Trip.”
Eddie
