I’m lucky enough to be part of the committee that runs the Glass Association, the nation’s largest and most active society of glass collectors and enthusiasts. As well as recently launching a new interactive website, which you can check out by clicking here, we have a busy schedule of events planned for 2012.
For me, one of the most important is the exclusive ‘Window on Whitefriars’ event, to be held at the University Centre in Cambridge on Saturday 7th July. This packed day offers many unique events. Esteemed international glass expert and author Charles Hajdamach kicks the day off with his lecture entitled ‘Imagination and Ingenuity in British Art Glass: The Harry Powell years 1880-1920′. Charles’ last lecture was at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, so it’s worth coming for that alone.
That’s followed by my involvement in the day – an interview with Ray Annenberg and Johnny King. For those of you not familiar with these names, Ray worked his way up from ‘Spare Boy’ to ‘Gaffer’ at Whitefriars, and was responsible for blowing much of Geoffrey Baxter’s famous ‘Textured’ range introduced in 1967. One the most iconic forms from the range, the Banjo vase, is shown below. Johnny was Ray’s ‘Servitor’, and became a Gaffer in his own right before founding his own glass company. Interviews such as these are always fascinating, as they tease out the truth behind the legend, and offer an unparalleled insight behind the scenes at a time when Whitefriars was a world leader in modern glass design. Questions afterwards will allow you to find out the answers you’ve always wanted to know.
The afternoon includes lectures by Brian Slingsby, Whitefriars’ Technical manager from 1968-80, respected Whitefriars collector and author Chris Morley, and well-known and equally highly respected Whitefriars pundit and dealer Willie Clegg of The Country Seat. Plenty of coffee breaks and a lovely lunch will make for a sociable, warm, and welcoming atmosphere.
If you collect Whitefriars, this really is a day you can’t miss. As we all know, information and knowledge are the most valuable commodities with antiques and collectables, and you’d be crazy to miss this day. Thanks must go to fellow committee members Paul & Christina Bishop of Oxbridge Fairs for devising and organising what will be a brilliant event. For more information, and to book your place, see www.glassasociation.co.uk, or email Maurice Wimpory at pay@glassassociation.co.uk.
See you there!
