Over the centuries, glass artists and glass technologists have shared creative ideas and technical secrets. At one point in history, the glass artist and the glass scientist were one and the same. Many commercial glass processes have evolved from the techniques developed by artists. Likewise, ever more fascinating and beautiful glass art forms have been created by glass artists who benefited from the technical knowledge of the commercial glassmaker. Could this mutually beneficial exchange be revived to stimulate renewed excellence in the US glass industry production and glass art creation? This paper discusses a project proposed by the Paul Vickers Centre at Alfred University and the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council to bring together leading proponents of the glass industry and glass artists to explore ideas and exchange technical knowledge.
