The Challenges of Conserving Glass from the Arts and Crafts Movement to the 21st Century.
Icon Stained Glass Group is delighted to announce our Autumn conference, scheduled for the 26 October 2024 at the University of Chester.
The conference is an investigation into the work of Christopher Whall's pupils and later 20th Century stained glass artists. The innovations, pitfalls and solutions to problematic conservation issues relating to some of Britain's finest stained glass.
With a series of talks by leading professionals on how to tackle the conservation of this innovative and highly creative era of stained glass design. A walking tour of Chester will take place later in the afternoon. The ticket price includes refreshments and a two course lunch.
After the success of last year, there will be a stained glass quiz on Saturday evening to encourage social engagement and a bit of fun.
In addition, Chester Cathedral are holding a symposium to commemorate 20th Century stained glass artist Trena Cox on Friday 25th October “Trena Cox: Reflections 100”. The event is an exploration through exhibition and art of the legacy of one of Chester’s unsung heroines. Donations are encouraged.
9:30am: Registration alongside coffee and pastries.
10:00am: Welcome followed by presentations.
10:10am – 10:35am: Rona H Moody: Christopher Whall and his contribution to Arts and Crafts. An overview of the work and huge influence of Christopher Whall and the stained glass artists who followed him.
10:40 am – 11:05am: Lizzie Plasom-Scott: The Irish master and the Troubles he causes us. A dive into conserving the work of Harry Clarke.
11:10am – 11:20pm: Question and discussion time.
11:25am – 12:00pm: SGG AGM with coffee in meeting room.
All other attendees can have a coffee break in the foyer.
12:05am – 12:30pm: Carlotta Cammelli and Kate Waddicor: John Hutton's Broken Angel: how to conserve a glass jigsaw.
12:35pm – 1:00pm: Jo Prinsen: Conservation of Dalle de Verre - unique challenges, innovative approaches and new materials.
1:05pm – 1:15pm: Question and discussion time.
1:20pm – 2:20pm: Lunch
2:25pm – 2:50pm: Chris Chesney ACR: Very Arty but less Crafty, the folly of arts and crafts innovations and other 20th century blunders.
2:55pm – 3:20pm: Susanna Wyse Jackson: “To Make Masters of Apprentices’: Catherine O’Brien, Alfred E. Child, and the Triumph of Irish Stained Glass Education, 1901-1963
3:20pm – 3:30pm: Question and discussion time.
3:30pm: Stained Glass Walking Tour with Martin Crampin and Lee Bilsen.
6:00pm: Icon Stained Glass Group Dinner and Quiz night Location: Bear and Skillet Pub, 94 Lower Bridge St, Chester CH1 1RU
Hot buffet and drinks followed by stained glass trivia quiz. This is a chance for some networking and to flex those stained glass brains!
Studio Supervisor and stained glass conservator, Recclesia Stained Glass
Research Fellow, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies
Hon. Secretary, The Scottish Stained Glass Trust
Rona Moody studied Fine Art at Edinburgh University, where she discovered both stained glass and Scottish artists, developing a lifelong love of Scottish stained glass. She learned the craft of stained glass in the studio of Lawrence Lee then moved on to Salisbury Cathedral Glazing Department. Since then, her work has been a mixture of making new windows for churches, public buildings and private homes, teaching and lecturing on stained glass, and researching with a special interest in Scottish stained glass artists. She is Hon. Secretary of The Scottish Stained Glass Trust.Heritage Researcher and Glass Artist,
Jo Prinsen achieved First Class (Hons) in History with the Open University in 2014. She then gained substantial experience of working with museum objects as a volunteer, including preventative conservation, cataloguing, and object-based research and her blog piece “Arts And Crafts and Modernism in Glass by Florence Camm” appeared on Birmingham Museum Trust’s website in 2020. She went on to study Conservation of the Historic Environment with Birmingham City University achieving her MA in 2023, her dissertation being on “Dalle de Verre - its history, conservation, and sustainable future”. “She works part-time as a historical researcher specialising in architectural history, for a conservation accredited architectural and surveying practice in Birmingham, but is always open to new opportunities, especially those involving 20th-Century stained glass.Studio Supervisor and stained glass conservator, Recclesia Stained Glass
Carlotta Cammelli studied Cultural Heritage at the University of Trento, Italy. After falling in love with English Gothic Art and Architecture, she moved to the UK to complete an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at the University of Leeds. She then moved on to complete the MA in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management at the University of York, with a dissertation on the Oculus of York Minster, on which she published an article and subsequently gave a talk at the 2021 Icon Stained Glass Conference. Carlotta has been part of the Icon stained glass group since 2021 as their secretary, and in 2023 she was elected Vice Chair.
Glass Production specialist, Recclesia Stained Glass
Kate Waddicor was trained in a variety of glass working processes during her degree studying Three-Dimensional Design at Manchester School of Art. Since then, she has built a diverse career in glass art, specialising in stained glass and expanding her skill set to include kiln-working, waterjet cutting and glass bonding. Her work focuses on utilising computer design and new technologies to push the boundaries of traditional glass art, creating innovative and contemporary pieces.Stained glass conservator, Iona Art Glass
Lizzie graduated with a First Class degree from Durham University in Archaeology having written her dissertation on Medieval chivalry as presented in stained glass windows. This research started her interest in stained glass and after graduation she started working at Iona Art Glass as an apprentice to learn conservation. 4 years later she is now a conservator with Iona.Director, Iona Art Glass
Chris Chesney has been an accredited conservator since the scheme began and is also the Director of Iona Art Glass which he established with his wife Sarah in 1986. Chris has lectured successfully at numerous ICON and CVMA symposiums alongside publishing relevant peer-reviewed papers. Having also been a former chair and treasurer of the SGG Chris will inevitably be an immeasurable fount of knowledge and encouragement for the current group.
Junior Stained Glass Conservator, York Glaziers Trust
After studying Ancient and Medieval History and Culture at Trinity College Dublin, Susanna received her MA in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management from the University of York, during which she completed a conservation placement in Ghent, Belgium. In early 2023, she joined the York Glaziers Trust where she is currently employed as a Junior Stained Glass Conservator. Her key research interests are medieval stained glass and Irish stained glass, and she has recently published an article on the conservation of heat-damaged medieval stained glass at York Minster.Research Fellow, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies
Martin trained as a visual artist and has been researching ecclesiastical art for around twenty years. His online catalogue, ‘Stained Glass in Wales’, was launched in 2011 and continues to grow, with nearly 8000 images of around 3000 windows across Wales. He has written on stained glass of all periods and his books include Stained Glass from Welsh Churches (2014) and Welsh Saints from Welsh Churches (2023). Martin works as a designer and photographer, and specialises in publications on the stained glass of individual churches.
Conservation Manager at Recclesia, Recclesia Stained Glass
Bil is a Building Historian and Conservation Specialist who has worked on a vast range of internationally renowned buildings and conservation projects with a range of material specialisms. A fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) and is a regular lecturer for The King’s Foundation and The University of Manchester on notions of craftsmanship as part of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the philosophy of conservation more broadly. Over the past few year Bil has been part of Recclesia’s team working to preserve and restore Chester’s Rows as part of an Historic England funded Heritage Action Zone project – covering a range of works across the rows, which consist of 132 historic buildings with a fascinating mix of Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings.