National Glass Centre
 National Glass Centre | |
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| Established | 1998 |
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| Location | Sunderland,Tyne and Wear |
| Coordinates | 54°54′47″N1°23′06″W/ 54.913°N 1.385°W |
| Type | Glass museum |
| Website | www |
TheNational Glass Centreis a cultural venue andvisitor attractionlocated inSunderland,North East England.It is part of theUniversity of Sunderland.
Background
[edit]The National Glass Centre is located inSunderland,on the north banks of theRiver Wear,on the former site ofJ.L. Thompson and Sonsshipyard. The centre is close to the site of St. Peter's Church, part of the originalMonkwearmouth-Jarrow Priorybuilt in 674. It was here thatBenedict Biscopintroducedglass makinginto Britain, by hiringFrenchglaziers to make the windows for the priory.[1] The glass-making industry expanded rapidly in the eighteenth century, driven by an abundance of cheapcoaland high-quality importedsand.Sunderland glass became known throughout the country.[2]In later years, thePyrexbrand of glassware was manufactured in Sunderland. In 2007, the last two remaining glass firms in Sunderland -Corning Glass WorksandArc International(who make Pyrex) - announced they would close.
Despite the decline in the industry, in 1998 the centre was opened for £17 million.[3]It was funded by theArts Councilin conjunction with theUniversity of Sunderland,Tyne and Wear Development Corporation,European Regional Development Fund and Sunderland City Council. The centre, located alongside the university's St. Peter's campus, continued the regeneration of the banks of the Wear.
Experience
[edit]
The National Glass Centre is constructed fromglassandsteel.Visitors can walk on its glass roof and look down into the centre below. There is a total of 3,250 square metres of glass on the roof, and it can hold 460 people on at any one time. Each glass panel on the roof is 6 cm thick.[1]
The centre contains amuseumdedicated to the history of glass-making, and several galleries with changing exhibitions. Hot glass demonstrations provide a context for the museum's collection. The NGC also houses the University of Sunderland's Glass and Ceramics Department andInstitute for International Research in Glass.[1] A number ofartistsare located on site, and their work can be purchased by visitors in the glass shop.
Since August 2006, National Glass Centre dropped its admission fee and is currently free to visit. Since the removal of an admission fee, the centre has seen a rapid increase in visitors. It has also played host to many prestigious events including the 2007 North East Tourism Awards andT4Transmission with T-Mobile.[4]
Exhibitions
[edit]The National Glass Centre hosts a variety of changingexhibitionsin itsContemporary Gallery.Exhibitions have included:
Connection to Place - Tim ShawJune - August 2010
Beautifully Crafted- 25 September 2008 – 22 February 2009
The Dark Glass- 6–28 September 2008
Art Forms from the Ocean- 11 April - 31 August 2008
Neon- 1 December 2007 – 24 March 2008
One-off Factory,featuring Mathias Bengtsson and Anne Vibeke Mou- 6 October - 18 November 2007
North + South- 1 July - 23 September 2007
Lynette Wallworth- 17 March - 17 June 2007
Snowdomes- 25 November 2006 – 4 March 2007
Lybensky & Brychtova(What then Shall we Choose? Weight or Lightness?)- 17 July - 12 November 2006
Wearing Glass- 12 May - 9 July 2006
Trip the Light Fantastic- 10 February - 30 April 2006
Confluence- 25 March - 10 September 2023
The Liminal Guard - Theo Harper- 25 March - 14 October 2023
Bernard Lloyd Collection- 16 September 2023 - 10 March 2024
Hassina Khan- 16 September 2023 - 10 March 2024
References
[edit]- ^abcSykes, Alan (3 July 2013)."Sunderland's National Glass Centre reopens after £2.3m refurbishment".the Guardian.
- ^"End of an era threat for glass making".BBC News.Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2012.Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^"Glass centre facing fresh crisis".BBC News.1 April 2004.Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^"Stereophonics and Thrills head for Sunderland".Sunderland Echo.Retrieved20 August2008.
54°54′46.5″N1°22′15.5″W/ 54.912917°N 1.370972°W
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| Geographic | |
