The Glass Reader
The Glass Reader is an impressive collection of writing on glass art, craft and design. It focuses on histories, current approaches and emerging discussions that inform 21st Century creative practice. Foundational writings by key thinkers such as David Pye, Harvey Littleton and Richard Sennett bring context to recent texts by Josiah McElheny, Jerome Harrington and Susie Silbert. Newly-commissioned work includes essays by Mary D. McInnes, Francesca Giubliei and Julia Stephenson. This selection of material is carefully curated into thematic sections, each introduced by summaries from the editors. This book is ideal for arts students, but will also appeal to anyone wishing to gain a broad overview and understanding of the world of contemporary glass. The aim of the book is to raise awareness of key themes and to introduce debates surrounding this intriguing, singular material.
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The Glass Reader
The Glass Reader is an impressive collection of writing on glass art, craft and design. It focuses on histories, current approaches and emerging discussions that inform 21st Century creative practice. Foundational writings by key thinkers such as David Pye, Harvey Littleton and Richard Sennett bring context to recent texts by Josiah McElheny, Jerome Harrington and Susie Silbert. Newly-commissioned work includes essays by Mary D. McInnes, Francesca Giubliei and Julia Stephenson. This selection of material is carefully curated into thematic sections, each introduced by summaries from the editors. This book is ideal for arts students, but will also appeal to anyone wishing to gain a broad overview and understanding of the world of contemporary glass. The aim of the book is to raise awareness of key themes and to introduce debates surrounding this intriguing, singular material.
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The Glass Reader

The Glass Reader

The Glass Reader

The Glass Reader

Hardcover

$135.00 
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    Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on July 23, 2026

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Overview

The Glass Reader is an impressive collection of writing on glass art, craft and design. It focuses on histories, current approaches and emerging discussions that inform 21st Century creative practice. Foundational writings by key thinkers such as David Pye, Harvey Littleton and Richard Sennett bring context to recent texts by Josiah McElheny, Jerome Harrington and Susie Silbert. Newly-commissioned work includes essays by Mary D. McInnes, Francesca Giubliei and Julia Stephenson. This selection of material is carefully curated into thematic sections, each introduced by summaries from the editors. This book is ideal for arts students, but will also appeal to anyone wishing to gain a broad overview and understanding of the world of contemporary glass. The aim of the book is to raise awareness of key themes and to introduce debates surrounding this intriguing, singular material.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350067769
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 07/23/2026
Pages: 416
Product dimensions: 7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kevin Petrie is a well known writer and ceramic artist and is Head of the School of Art and Design and Professor of Glass and Ceramics at the University of Sunderland which has one of the best glass courses in the UK. He is best known for 'blending' printmaking and glass/ceramics for creative use.

Table of Contents

The Glass Reader
Prof Kevin Petrie and Jeffrey Sarmiento

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors

General Introduction Petrie and Sarmiento

Section One: Meaning, Making and Materiality
Section Introduction Petrie and Sarmiento

Section 1.1 What is Glass and why is it Important?
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
1. Invisible Glass and The Role of Glass in Twenty Experiments that Changed the World Alan Macfarlane and Gerry Martin
2. Excerpt from L'Arte Vetraria Antonio Neri
3. Linking Early Human Creations Of Glass With Artistic Potential Jane Cook NEW WRITING
4. A Short History of the Glass Mirror Josiah McElheny

Section 1.2 Theories of Glass Art, Craft and Design and Making. Why is it Criticality important?
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
5. Fine Art and Functional Objects Arthur Danto
6. The Nature and Art of Workmanship David Pye
7. Looking at Craft: Upside Down, Backwards and Inside Out Glenn Adamson
8. Bodies on the Run Tim Ingold
9. The Hand Richard Sennett
10. Embodied Knowledge in Glassblowing: meaning and the struggle towards proficiency Erin O'Connor
11. The Meaning of Making: Philosophies of Craft David Gauntlett
12. The Truth in Glass Mario Codognato
13. The Critical Vacuum Alex Rosenberg, Helen Lee and Matthew Szosz

Section 1.3 Poetics and Metaphor: Glass in Literature
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
14. On the Rainbow Robert Grosseteste
15. Glass Architecture Paul Scheerbart
16. Reflections, Translucency, Aura and Trace Isobel Armstrong
17. Glass and the Psyche Fausto Petrella
18. The New Rule Jelaluddin Rumi

Section Two: Glass in Context
Section Introduction Petrie and Sarmiento

Section 2.1 Interrogating Studio Glass
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento

19. Form, Glass and the Artist Harvey Littleton
20. New Glass in Europe: Prerequisites and Developments since the 50s Helmut Ricke
21. 50 Years of Studio Glass-From an Avant Garde Craft to a Medium for Art Jutta-Annette Page
22. Glass in the Expanded Field Jerome Harrington
23. W(h)ither Glass? The Next 50 Years James Yood
24. Recasting Glass Tina Oldknow
25. A new generation of glass artists seeks to broaden what it sees as overly narrow parameters for glass art Grace Duggan

Section 2.2 Glass in Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
26. Glass, an imaginative impulse for contemporary art and vice versa Francesca Giubliei NEW WRITING
27. Why Glasstress? Adriano Berengo
28. Reconsidering Glass Janet Koplos
29. Replacing the Myth of Modernism Bruce Metcalf
30. Glass is Tomorrow: A Frame For Co-Creation Between Designers And Glassblowers In Europe Lisa Courier
31. Josiah McElheny: Master Apprentice Jennifer Gross
32. The Structure from within and From without-Identity, Body and Crystal in Olafur Eliasson's Open Labrynth Carsten Thau
33. Gerhard Richter: A Link Between Past and Present Koen Vanderstukken
34. James Carpenter: Between Membrane and Microclimate Kenneth Frampton
35. Architecture, Glass and Magic Mike Davies NEW WRITING

Section 2.3 Post-Studio Glass: Glass Installation, Performance and Video
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
36. Through a Glass Darkly: Artists, Glass and Authorship Michael Petry
37. Glass Performance, What Is That? Riika Haapasaari
38. Burning Down the House Andrew Page
39. There are Many Ways of Walking Maria Bang Espersen
40. How is this glass? Of Post-Glass artists / Glass Guerillas Anjali Srinivasan

Section Three: Key Themes
Section Introduction Petrie and Sarmiento

Section 3.1 Glass, the Body, Gender, and Identity
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
41. Fragile Tissue and Transparent Character Suzanne Frantz
42. Memory: Identity : Signs : Craft Stefano Catalani
43. On the work of Feminist glass artist Silvia Levenson Julia Stephenson NEW WRITING
44. Blow Harder: An Exploration of Language, Sexuality, and Gender in the Glassblowing Studio Karen Donnellan and Suzanne Peck

Section 3.2 Technologies for Glass
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
45. Expansion in Glass and Print Kevin Petrie NEW WRITING
46. Collisions of Style: Printmaking and Glass Kathryn Wightman NEW WRITING
47. Introducing Post-Digital Artisans Jonathan Openshaw
48. Crafted Computation Colin Rennie NEW WRITING
49. Architectural Phenomenology and Glass: an Artist's Perspective Erin Dickson NEW WRITING
50. Taking Wing: Embracing new technologies and approaches in pursuit of pure expression Victoria Josslin
51. Glass Pipe Art: A Critical Discussion of a Maturing Field James Baker
52. Glass in a Restless Age Angela Thwaites

Section 3.3 Shifts in Global Glass
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
53. New Developments in Chinese Glass Guan Donghai, Yi Peng, Jianyong Guo, Qu Jin and Xue Lu NEW WRITING
54. The Glass Virus: European Perspectives and Activation Jens Pfeiffer NEW WRITING
55. The Glass Factory and Sweden's Paradigmatic shifts in glass: Deconstruction, Revaluation and Redefinition in a Time of Change Maja Heuer NEW WRITING
56. Hand-drawn Visual Essay on the Venetian Virus in America Ed Schmid NEW WRITING
57. Making under the Influence: Australian Glass Susan Cohn NEW WRITING
58. Educator's Manifesto Jack Wax NEW WRITING

Section 3.4 Social Engagement and Sustainabilty
Introductory Summary Petrie and Sarmiento
59. The role of Artists' Skills in Society Inge Panneels NEW WRITING
60. Helen Pailing: Glass in the Anthropocene NEW WRITING
61. Progressive development of Enviromental Awareness the Small Glass industry Lani McGregor NEW WRITING
62. Recycle: About sustainability in Glass Design & Craft Maria Sparre Petersen NEW WRITING
63. Designing Transglass Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden NEW WRITING
Bibliography

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