National Glass Centre's fabulous if fragile last hurrah
A poignant Wearside farewell
While hope and expectation swirl around the opportunities the Crown Works Studios might bring to Sunderland and the wider region, or indeed the soon-to-open Culture House, quite different emotions are stirred elsewhere.
It is difficult to walk around the swansong exhibition at the National Glass Centre (NGC) without a pang of sadness.
Called The Graduates, it’s a fabulous showcase for the versatility of glass and the skill of the artists who have explored its potential as a medium, pushing it in directions you wouldn’t have thought possible.
Those credited on the labels accompanying each extraordinary exhibit are people who studied or have taught in this place where art and industry have come together.
Some of them live and work in the area, sustained by the NGC on the doorstep.
Others, having learned their craft, went out into the world, ambassadors for Sunderland and its unrivalled facilities for glass making – soon to be surrendered when the building closes for good at the end of the month.
There was always a pleasing synergy between the historical displays in the Museum and Winter Gardens just over the river, explaining the long tradition of glass making on Wearside, and the demonstrations and exhibitions at the university’s NGC.
Having ventured downstairs from exhibition to shop at the weekend, it was still possible to get a glimpse of glass making in action.
Beyond the transparent wall, a young woman drew a bright orange globule of molten glass from a furnace, deftly rotating it on the end of a long rod so as to maintain its shape.
What might that viscous blob have become in capable hands? The possibilities, as you’ll see in the exhibition above, are almost infinite.
Here is glass to mimic a deckchair’s fabric or a Churchillian cigar, glass as ornament or metaphor, glass to allow for an optical illusion and glass so seemingly delicate that you almost fear to breathe.
These graduates, following in a grand tradition, acquired in Sunderland a broad spectrum of increasingly rare skills in order to create these marvels.
Their legacy, in this last show, is to fire the imagination of visitors.
“Sunderland’s contribution to artist-made glass is recognised in many ways, including through acquisitions in national and international public collections,” states the wall-mounted introduction.
“Sunderland’s graduates have also gone on to inspire others by taking on teaching roles in countries including the USA, China, New Zealand and Australia.”
On departure, you are asked to pick a favourite exhibit, scribbling its name on a bit of paper and leaving it in a box. It’s no easy task.
To add to the elegiac quality of this last hurrah, each exhibiting artist has been given space to explain what the NGC and their studies in Sunderland have meant to them.
Here are a few examples…
Zoe Garner (graduated 2004): “The NGC has enriched my life/practice enough that I never left nor wanted to. One year planned stay turned into 23.
“It has shaped my life, given me skills and friendships that are lifelong. I feel truly grateful for being a part of it and wish everyone the best futures they can possibly imagine.”
Sean Barnes (graduated 2025): “The course has been one of the most demanding and transformative things I’ve ever done. I’ve given it everything, my time, energy, health and heart.
“It has asked a lot of me but it’s given back tenfold. Through the challenges I found confidence, direction and a sense of purpose.”
Dr Erin Dickson (graduated 2015): “NGC offered me a unique space and community to learn and grow as a fabricator and artist.
“Studying in a glass factory gave me the room to materialise artwork at an architectural scale while the specialist staff continue to be an inspiration over a decade since graduation.”
Dr Theo Harper (graduated 2021): “Studying my PhD at the NGC, Sunderland, was transformative. Despite Covid disruptions, the Centre’s resources and staff allowed me to produce significant research in ceramic sculpture.
“This experience helped me secure a teaching position at the University of Gothenburg.”
Kalki Mansell (graduated 2007): “I visited most of the universities offering hot glass courses around the UK before coming to study at Sunderland where the facilities were above and beyond anywhere else in the country.
“That, along with the access to artists, has made it a place I chose to stay around.”
Dr Anthony Amoako-Attah (graduated 2024): “A place where people’s artistic ideas are brought to reality.
“I can still remember my first day at the NGC as a student when I walked in and was amazed by the facilities there. I can still recall the heartwarming feeling of opening the kiln to see my glasswork.”
Dr Helen Pailing (graduated 2019): “In 2015, as a newcomer to glass, I was struck by the craftsmanship and expertise of makers at NGC.
“I remain indebted to their support and to the staff and students who worked with me. I now maintain a lampworking torch in my studio and lasting friendships from that special time.”
Dr Kathryn Wightman (graduated 2011): “Spending over a decade at Sunderland has profoundly shaped my life and practice.
“The education, community and experiences I gained there have informed my creative journey, providing skills, insights and perspectives that continue to influence my work and approach to art and design.”
Helen Gordon (graduated 2025): “Although I have graduated only very recently, I have formed a connection with the department within the NGC over the last six years which I will treasure for life.
“The universally vibrant and creatively nurturing community has meant I, like many, only wish it could continue.”
The Graduates, which features the work of 52 artists, continues until July 31 and admission is free.
Also currently on show at the NGC is a variety of eye-catching work created by members of VICS (Veterans in Crisis Sunderland) and current PhD student Mary Watson.
For more details of these exhibitions and opening times, go to the NGC website.