Plymouth graduates selected for British Glass Biennale 2012

Applied Arts graduates from Plymouth College of Art, Louise Cloke and Sara Fell, have been selected amongst the top contemporary glass artists who will exhibit at the British Glass Biennale 2012. Beginning this year with an awards ceremony on 23 August, the British Glass Biennale 2012 exhibition will take place in the West Midlands from 24 August to 15 September.

Sue MacGillivray, Award Leader for Glass at Plymouth College of Art, is delighted with her students’ achievement: “Both Lou and Sara are immensely demanding of themselves and they push themselves beyond the usual expectations, producing work of extremely high quality.

“They are exemplary ambassadors for Plymouth College of Art, working and networking with some of the best internationally renowned glass artists and jewellers. I am sure that they will be renowned artists in their own right following the British Glass Biennale.”

Louise Cloke, who lives in South Devon, joined Plymouth College of Art as a part-time student in 2005 and ever since has combined her studies with a job working in a school. “I enrolled on the course not only to fulfil my ambitions to become a maker but also to honour the memory of my husband, Chris. The work that was selected for the Biennale was a tribute to Chris.”

After graduating Louise returned to Plymouth College of Art where she is currently studying towards a PGCE, after which she hopes to become a teacher. She has been teaching this year within the Glass department and on the Extended Diploma Art & Design at the College.

Sue MacGillivray said: “Louise brings immense drive, passion & ability into her creative activities. She combines glass blowing and lampworking or bead making to wonderful effect and she has a joyful and vibrant sense of colour. She has certainly succeeded in her aim to make something beautiful from the dark and personally harrowing subject matter that she tackled in the development of her work.”

Exhibiting alongside Louise at the Biennale will be fellow graduate Sara Fell who lives in Launceston. Sarah won the Contemporary Glass Society Graduate Award at New Designers 2011, a national graduate exhibition. She is currently in Borneo working with her vet husband at an Orang-utan Reserve, an experience that is bringing a completely different perspective to Sara’s life and work.

Of Sara’s work, Sue said: “Sara came to college to fulfil her ambitions of being a jeweller, she got distracted by glass but eventually managed to become very proficient at both. Despite regularly being incapacitated with a bad back, Sara always did far more work and researched far more thoroughly than everyone else, producing many files of evidence to back up her extremely well thought out concepts and beautifully made pieces of glass.”

To find out more about the British Glass Biennale 2012 visit www.biennale.org.uk

You can also find out more about studying glass at Plymouth College of Art by visiting the web link below.

Image: 'Aura' by Louise Cloke

For more information visit http://www.plymouthart.ac.uk/prospectus/Degree-and-Honours/BA-Topup/BA-%28Hons%29-Glass-%283-Year%29/GLFT1A1213/