Endangered glassmaking crafts brought to life at museum

Stourbridge Glass Museum will host a full day of live glassmaking demonstrations on Saturday 11 July as part of its Endangered Crafts Event.

The event, which runs from 10:45am to 4:00pm, brings together a wide range of specialist and traditional glassmaking techniques, many of which are recognised as endangered on the Heritage Crafts Red List, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see these skills in action.

Throughout the day, visitors can experience live demonstrations in the museum’s hot glass studio, activity room and Blowfish Glass located opposite the museum.

Demonstrations will include traditional glass cutting, neon tube bending, stained glass making, Venetian-style glass bead making, fire polishing and bespoke sheet glass production. The programme features leading contemporary and heritage practitioners working across both hot and cold glass processes.

Glass artist Allister Malcolm will demonstrate traditional glass cutting, a heritage craft listed on the Heritage Crafts Red List, as well as fire polishing in the hot glass studio. Visitors will be able to observe the precision and skill involved in both processes, which remain central to glassmaking traditions today.

At Blowfish Glass, glassmaker Elliot Walker will present bespoke sheet glass demonstrations, showcasing experimental approaches to glass production that expand the possibilities available to stained glass artists and contemporary makers.

Neon artists Nick Malyon and Peter Hoare will demonstrate neon tube bending, highlighting the continued relevance of this specialist industrial craft within contemporary art and design.

Additional demonstrations include stained glass making with Cate Watkinson and Venetian-style glass bead making with Holly Parr, alongside opportunities for visitors to see live making throughout the day across multiple spaces.

A full timetable of demonstrations will run throughout the day, offering visitors the chance to move between activities and experience a diverse range of endangered and specialist crafts in action.

This event forms part of Stourbridge Glass Museum’s wider commitment to preserving, promoting, and celebrating glassmaking heritage and contemporary practice, while highlighting the importance of sustaining endangered craft skills for future generations.

You can find out more online at stourbridgeglassmuseum.org.uk.