Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 mind-blowing glass artists to catch at this year's Eastside Culture Crawl

Works range from elegant chain necklaces to vases fit for Seussville

By Gail Johnson

Hope Forstenzer’s Seussian Vases.

Eastside Culture Crawl runs November 12 to 14 and November 18 to 21,

FROM DANGLING ORB-shaped ornaments to curvy, colourful bowls, it’s mind-bending what artists can do with molten glass. Here’s a handful of glass artists to catch at this year’s Eastside Culture Crawl.

#1

Hope Forstenzer (work pictured at top)

Before Hope Forstenzer fell in love with glass, she worked in film, theatre, and ceramics. A few years after discovering the art form, she moved from her native New York to Seattle, studying with as many artists as she could before becoming an instructor herself. Now based in Vancouver, Forstenzer is a member of and teacher at Terminal City Glass Co-op. Her work has appeared in juried shows at D’Adamo Waltz Gallery in Seattle, North Vancouver’s Seymour Art Gallery, Craft Council of British Columbia Gallery in Vancouver, PoMoArts in Port Moody, and beyond; she has been part of a group commission by Vancouver Opera. We love her Seussian Vases, pictured at top, which can be purchased individually or as a set.

Water Drop, blown and sculpted glass, by Heather Konschuh.

#2

Heather Konschuh

Pendants, platters, memorial art, jellyfish sculptures, and more: North Vancouver-based artist Heather Konschuh’s work is wide-ranging. An instructor at Terminal City Glass Co-op, she earned her BFA in glass from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2005. Her designs caught the eye of former prime minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, who selected her to create G20 and G8 Summit charger plates for the First Ladies in 2010.

Minori Takagi’s Chain Necklace.

#3

Minori Takagi

Local glass artist Minori Takagi discovered glass art—her own form of “magic making”—while living in her native Shizuoka, Japan. Initially, she was drawn to tombodama, the creation of glass beads through ancient lampworking techniques and the use of two or more colours. Upon moving  to Vancouver in 2006, she found herself taken by its urban glass skyline and began incorporating a West Coast modern aesthetic into her traditional designs. all to create “wearable art”.

Rob Friedman, The Medina Awaits.

#4

Rob Friedman

There’s nothing quite like Rob Friedman’s work out there—literally. The muralist-styled stained-glass artist has decades of experience in stained glass and has recently added blown glass to his distinct style. His 43-square-foot "Peretz Windows" in Vancouver is the only secular humanist Yiddish stained glass in existence. He has worked on major projects such as the Lutz Hoffschild installation in the Scotia Centre in Edmonton, the largest stained glass in Western Canada; the restoration of the Holy Rosary Cathedral; and the restoration and new installation of the Three Apostles stained glass in Vancouver’s St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church. The Medina Awaits, pictured here, was inspired by Cubism and a trip to Morocco.

Joanne Andrighetti’s Doodle Tumblers.

#5

Joanne Andrighetti

A founding member of Terminal City Glass Co-op, Joanne Andrighetti is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Crafts and Design program who has been working in glass for over 35 years. She operated a hot shop in Vancouver for 13 years, producing works that were sold throughout North America. She has taught at the Pilchuck Glass School, acted as a juror for the Canada Council for the Arts, and been a lecturer for the Glass Art Association of Canada.

For more information, see Eastside Culture Crawl.

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