Start-up Grants for
Emerging Craftspeople, Artists and Designers in Glass
As part of the EU project "Glass Works. Training - Networking - Taking Roots", a total of 10 grants will be awarded for a 6-month intensive training program in the winter of 2021/2022. Students, craftspeople, artists and designers in glass from Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic or with habitual residence in one of these three countries can apply.
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Content and goals of the project
The project aims to develop glass skills, and network European glass regions and glass makers in art, design, handicrafts and manufacturing. The core of the project is an intensive, needs-based training program for students and graduates from the glass and design sector who seek a way to “take roots” regionally in one aspect of the glass profession. Further project contents concern the long-term development of a cross-border start-up and networking platform for young glass makers, a digital manual for collaborative art and craft-based practice and regional development in glass, a traveling exhibition through the glass regions involved in the project, as well as conference, workshop and discussion events on current developments and the future of glass.
Project partners are Bild-Werk Frauenau e.V., Germany, the, School of Design of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts on Bornholm, Denmark, the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology of the University of Graz, Austria. The training program is co-organised by the Faculty of Art and Design of the J. E. Purkyne University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic.
The project runs until August 2022 and is mainly funded by the EU program Creative Europe Culture and the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and Homeland.
Contents of the training program
In the winter months from October to March 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, 6-month training phases take place, each with 10 trainees from Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. The training program consists of four months of practical training in the workshops of Bild-Werk in Frauenau, five-week specialised courses in business modelling and artist/studio branding for glass makers on Bornholm, and two-week industrial internships in glass manufacturing and design companies in the internationally successful glass landscape of Northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
For the practical training in Frauenau, the trainees are assisted by experienced tutors from regional and international glass art scenes, who will ensure an ongoing, intensive one-to-one supervision as well as group work. In the creative environment of the glassmaking town of Frauenau, participants learn to further develop their technical and artistic skills by an international exchange of ideas and knowledge; they will apply them experimentally and innovatively to new artistic, crafts or design products and projects, and cooperate practically with glassblowers and craftspeople in order to independently implement individual design or art projects, and prototypes. Bild-Werk Frauenau has amongst others a hot-glass studio (attention: possibilities to work at the furnace are limited in time), a lamp glass studio, and a flat glass studio, a mold making area, kilns, and equipment for cold-working of glass.
During the two-week internships in Czech glass manufacturing and design companies, the trainees gain insights into current design and manufacturing processes as well as international marketing and customer communication.
The courses in business modelling and artistic branding on Bornholm provide the trainees with the necessary know-how for the contemporary marketing of high-quality niche products in glass and should enable them to set up their own business and develop international business relationships.
The training program concludes with a start-up workshop, during which the learning processes of the trainees are discussed and strategies for the future career path are developed. Finally, the trainees present the glass projects and designs they have completed during the training phase, report on their experiences and inform about their plans for the next steps in their professional life.
Glass Works alumni are integrated into a European Networking Platform as a permanent collaborative basis for communication, mentoring and support for emerging glass makers.
Contact for questions regarding the training program:
The project aims to develop glass skills, and network European glass regions and glass makers in art, design, handicrafts and manufacturing. The core of the project is an intensive, needs-based training program for students and graduates from the glass and design sector who seek a way to “take roots” regionally in one aspect of the glass profession. Further project contents concern the long-term development of a cross-border start-up and networking platform for young glass makers, a digital manual for collaborative art and craft-based practice and regional development in glass, a traveling exhibition through the glass regions involved in the project, as well as conference, workshop and discussion events on current developments and the future of glass.
Project partners are Bild-Werk Frauenau e.V., Germany, the, School of Design of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts on Bornholm, Denmark, the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology of the University of Graz, Austria. The training program is co-organised by the Faculty of Art and Design of the J. E. Purkyne University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic.
The project runs until August 2022 and is mainly funded by the EU program Creative Europe Culture and the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and Homeland.
Contents of the training program
In the winter months from October to March 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, 6-month training phases take place, each with 10 trainees from Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. The training program consists of four months of practical training in the workshops of Bild-Werk in Frauenau, five-week specialised courses in business modelling and artist/studio branding for glass makers on Bornholm, and two-week industrial internships in glass manufacturing and design companies in the internationally successful glass landscape of Northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
For the practical training in Frauenau, the trainees are assisted by experienced tutors from regional and international glass art scenes, who will ensure an ongoing, intensive one-to-one supervision as well as group work. In the creative environment of the glassmaking town of Frauenau, participants learn to further develop their technical and artistic skills by an international exchange of ideas and knowledge; they will apply them experimentally and innovatively to new artistic, crafts or design products and projects, and cooperate practically with glassblowers and craftspeople in order to independently implement individual design or art projects, and prototypes. Bild-Werk Frauenau has amongst others a hot-glass studio (attention: possibilities to work at the furnace are limited in time), a lamp glass studio, and a flat glass studio, a mold making area, kilns, and equipment for cold-working of glass.
During the two-week internships in Czech glass manufacturing and design companies, the trainees gain insights into current design and manufacturing processes as well as international marketing and customer communication.
The courses in business modelling and artistic branding on Bornholm provide the trainees with the necessary know-how for the contemporary marketing of high-quality niche products in glass and should enable them to set up their own business and develop international business relationships.
The training program concludes with a start-up workshop, during which the learning processes of the trainees are discussed and strategies for the future career path are developed. Finally, the trainees present the glass projects and designs they have completed during the training phase, report on their experiences and inform about their plans for the next steps in their professional life.
Glass Works alumni are integrated into a European Networking Platform as a permanent collaborative basis for communication, mentoring and support for emerging glass makers.
Contact for questions regarding the training program:
- Heinz Fischer, Bild-Werk Frauenau e.V. (heinz.fischer@bild-werk-frauenau.de)
Conditions of participation and application
Prerequisites
Participation in the training program is subject to the following prerequisites:
1) Applicants have a clear goal to establish themselves as art, crafts or design based practitioners with glass on a professional level and have appropriate technical skills by
3) Applicants should have sufficient English language skills.
Application
The following documents must be submitted in English:
Application to: glassworks@bild-werk-frauenau.de
Scholarships
10 scholarships will be awarded for the training program 2021/2022. The training program includes:
Legal
Each applicant accepts the specified conditions by sending an application. There is no right of appeal.
With the submission of the application, the applicant accepts the privacy policy of Bild-Werk Frauenau e.V. and agrees to the storage and use of their contact data for the purposes of processing the training program and for future contact.
Participation in the training program is subject to the following prerequisites:
1) Applicants have a clear goal to establish themselves as art, crafts or design based practitioners with glass on a professional level and have appropriate technical skills by
- studying glass, glass design or another relevant study program with focus on glass in the 5th semester or higher
- having completed a training or studies with a focus on glass not more than five years prior to the date of application
- having a minimum of three years professional experience (employment or freelance) in the field of glass.
3) Applicants should have sufficient English language skills.
Application
The following documents must be submitted in English:
- Contact details: First and last name, address, e-mail contact, telephone, and website (if available)
- Curriculum vitae, including a detailed description of the technical glass skills
- A short statement (max. 100 words) outlining the reasons for participating in the training program and associated expectations, including the intention to establish oneself as a professional glass maker
- Concept of a project that is to be implemented as part of the training program (e.g. development of art objects for an exhibition, designs for a product line etc.), which develops the existing technical knowledge, as well as naming the workshops required for this
- 3 photos of previous work in glass
Application to: glassworks@bild-werk-frauenau.de
Scholarships
10 scholarships will be awarded for the training program 2021/2022. The training program includes:
- a 4-month practical artistic training in the workshops of Bild-Werk Frauenau,
- a 5-week marketing and business course on Bornholm,
- a 2-week internship in a Czech glass manufacturing or design company and
- a start-up workshop at the end of the training phase.
- 700 € per month for a period of 6 months
- A fixed travel allowance
- Basic materials required for the realization of the project
Legal
Each applicant accepts the specified conditions by sending an application. There is no right of appeal.
With the submission of the application, the applicant accepts the privacy policy of Bild-Werk Frauenau e.V. and agrees to the storage and use of their contact data for the purposes of processing the training program and for future contact.