"

Good design is subjective. To me, each piece I design and make needs to function well, be pleasing to look at and feel good in the hand. With these things in mind, I also consider “What story does it need to tell?”

I first saw glassblowing as a student, which opened my eyes to glass as a medium. It’s an intriguing, challenging, and constantly rewarding material to work with – you rely heavily on teamwork and can produce pieces quickly. It’s fast paced, technically challenging, and a great material with a rich history. I enjoy the unique qualities of glass, its ability to refract and distort light, and how you can capture fluidity in a solid object. Glass is a material that still holds a lot of mystery.

There is a rich history of glassmaking in Whanganui. The Whanganui Glass School put Whanganui on the global stage as a centre for glass education in Aotearoa and cemented Whanganui as a hub for emerging and established glass practitioners to be based.

New Zealand Glassworks was established in 2016, as a council initiative to build on Whanganui’s reputation as a centre for glass. We’re New Zealand’s only open access glass facility – where artists have time and space to produce, and the public can watch artists working, purchase beautiful artwork, homewares, and jewellery, and even try glassblowing themselves!

Whanganui is a creative place with a long history of craft and expertise. Being a UNESCO City of Design provides context for what we do and provides opportunities. Receiving the title is a gift and a responsibility that empowers us to create a legacy.

Check out more from the national centre for glass: nzglassworks.com

"