History

Prof. John Parker Year of Glass update

Alicia Durán* and John Parker** discuss the latest news of the International Year of Glass, 2022.

In May 2021, the news was broadcast to the world through glass fibre links that the United Nations had endorsed 2022 as the International Year of Glass.

The application took 18+ months to prepare and included a 30 minute video clip, an electronic brochure and documents explaining how glassy materials played a vital role in supporting the humanitarian goals encompassed within the UN 2030 declarations, available at: www.iyog2022.org.

The preparation of the application and its subsequent administration have rested largely on the International Commission of Glass, especially the shoulders of Prof Alicia Duran (Spain).

The Spanish Ambassador, a colleague of Prof Duran helped to steer the UN application through its various stages. Crucially we were joined by the Community of Glass Associations and the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Glass (ICOM).

Our web site generated almost 2000 letters of endorsement from 81 countries, many in time for submission with the documentation.

Numerous hurdles were overcome en route, not least the Covid Pandemic. Although preparation time is short, social isolation has left a thirst for the events being planned. Foremost is the Opening Ceremony in Geneva, 9-11th February. 30 internationally recognised speakers are primed to explain the role glass has in supporting UN 2030 goals.

Audience numbers are limited by Covid restrictions so talks will be live-streamed to make them widely available.

A book released during the event will complement the talks. Invitations are out to sponsor aspects of the Opening Ceremony and offers are already arriving (see iyog2022.org).

The ICG Triennial Congress in Berlin in July while celebrating DGG’s centenary will also be part of the IYOG programme; the closing ceremony will be in Japan.

Several trade fairs will showcase glass and its vital role in society including VITRUM, Milan, October, 2021, Glasspex/ Glasspro in Mumbai, March, 2022; the China International Glass Industrial Technical Exhibition, Shanghai, 13th16th April; Glassman, in Monterrey, 11th12th May; Mir Stekla in Moscow, 6th-9th June; & glasstec, Düsseldorf, 20th-23rd September, 2022.

Also agreed are: a) an event in April/ May celebrating the discovery of ancient Egyptian glass in King Tutankhamun’s Tomb, ’From Pharaohs to High Tech Glass in Egypt’, April-May 2022, b) a US Glass Day in Washington DC, June 2022; c) an ‘Iberoamerican International Congress on Women in Glass: ‘Artists and Scientists’ in Madrid, d) an International Festival of Art, Stourbridge, August, e) an event in Venice, September, f) dedicated issues of several glass Journals and other activities.

To coordinate and publicise events, various committees have been created although the final effort will rest on the shoulders of local organisers.

These committees include a) an overarching Steering Committee, and b) a council of representatives from the various regional committees representing countries that have endorsed the proposal (now 81). Local regional committees united by geography and language will be responsible for organising and publicising their programmes and are expected to offer activities promoting glass.

For example, the Indian community has already launched a photographic competition for younger people with the remit to capture aspects of glass in everyday society.

Others are planning legacy projects that leave a permanent mark, museum displays, You Tube clips, Art Gallery exhibitions, special issues of stamps, factory open days, floodlit archaeological sites, books, conferences.

The core committees will promote educational programmes and create a worldwide network to share best practice and imaginative teaching materials at all levels. ICG schools in France and China will be themed around the UN 2030 goals. Museums and Art institutions are coordinating numerous events displaying and extolling the virtues of glass, its uses and value from Art through Architecture to Science and Technologies over millennia. Another aspiration is gender balance throughout.

There is no intention to organise events centrally – after all, there will be perhaps 10,000 activities. The central organisation offers access to the IYOG logo and a network of contacts to help share ideas and distribute prepared materials: posters, display boards, articles, comics, You Tube clips and so on.

So, we hope that you, our readers will be inspired to grasp the opportunity and promote all aspects of glass production, the sweep of its history, its contributions to the arts, its imaginative use in architecture, its recyclability, and its many roles in ensuring our well-being, both in poor and rich communities.

Your input in organising events and supporting activities both in person and perhaps financially too, will help to ensure a memorable event for the whole of society.

Follow us on our web site. It includes a donations tool, contact points, sponsorship information and ultimately a database where activities can be uploaded for all to discover.

Do take every opportunity to let your colleagues and friends know what is happening, open your doors, give talks, speak to your local press, radio and TV services and use social media to broadcast the news. � *President, International year of Glass www.iyog2022.org **Curator of the Turner Museum of Glass, The University of Sheffield, UK www.turnermuseum.group.shef.ac.uk j.m.parker@sheffield.ac.uk