As part of the series of regular summer exhibitions focusing on Central European glasswork schools, students of glassmaking at the Trebon Business Academy, Secondary Vocational School and Secondary Vocational School in Trebon will present themselves at the Klatovy Glass Pavilion this year.
When preparing for the exhibition, we were thinking about what to call it. In the end, we were inspired by the production of this school itself, which is super, great, and wonderful – these three words best express the already domesticated word "cool" in both English-speaking and Czech areas. And so the playful and slightly crazy name "Glass is COOL!" was born. We then adapted the entire graphic design of the exhibition to the name so that it expressed what the students‘ exhibits have to offer - the love of glass combined with the natural joy of creation.
So what works by the students from Trebon are we speaking about? Their common denominators are an incredibly wide range of ideas, a knowledge of the material and the experimentation of combining different techniques. What’s more, the mastering of techniques and crafts are the cornerstone of teaching in Trebon – the local teachers are of the opinion that technology should not hinder the spread of creative imagination but, on the contrary, open up new possibilities for it. Mainly the grinding and painting of glass as well as other techniques are taught here.
The exhibition mainly presents the final works from the past several years, but there are also year-end theses and other exhibits that document the diversity of students' work, whether design or free creation. And it is clear that, in addition to the emphasis on craft, the school truly guides the pupils to creative freedom when approaching the topic and to working with glass as a unique material. Students look at topics from different perspectives and look for their own distinctive way to best express their original idea or intention. Each of the works is therefore each student‘s own inner statement.
So come and see the youngest glass artists and craftsmen from South Bohemian, check out how they are doing and you can decide for yourself whether the glass in their design is truly "cool".
The photos show the school workshops where the exhibits were created.