Wanganui Glass and Tourism

When city economies are in poor condition, tourism is one lucrative option. It's exciting and sad for a city to rely on tourism as it creates so many service jobs and they pay so poorly. The jury's out on whether a city adopting glass as it's theme is good news for glassblowers or not. Constructing a city identity around glass art is one way cities draw tourists. (I'd like to be a fly on the wall during those council meetings.) Here's another article that adds to the discussion in an honest way and in the public realm. I don't think I have a list of all my related posts yet, but I'll compile one soon.

2009 Laurel Stowell:

"Glass will go out of fashion and some of what’s made in Wanganui is substandard -- but it’s an evolving art form and still a worthwhile investment for the city.

That’s the opinion of WHMilbank Gallery owner Bill Milbank, Wanganui Glass School lecturer Lionel Teer and former lecturer, now full-time glass artist, David Traub.

The two glass makers defended the city’s efforts to be recognised for glass, following an article by arts writer Douglas Lloyd Jenkins in the October 24 edition of the New Zealand Listener.

Mr Jenkins said glass was fashionable at present but too many people were producing too much, and it was over promoted. The polytechnic craft sector was “intellectually underpowered” and much of the work produced was not a good investment.

The Wanganui Festival of Glass, which finished last month, was not a nationally important event, he said. And it failed to address the fact that New Zealand’s glass art movement was “in danger of imminent collapse”.

Those commenting to the Chronicle agreed with some of Mr Jenkins’ comments.

Any art form could go out of fashion, they said. In its favour glass had extra appeal as a medium, because of its translucency. And hot glass studios were unlikely to proliferate as pottery studios did in the 1970s, because they were too costly to build.

Traub noted that glass had been popular throughout history, and that glass artists never retired. Mr Milbank said pottery, the flavour of the 1970s, was coming back.

They agreed some of the work produced in Wanganui lacked merit. Traub said Wanganui Glass School did pursue excellence, but not all students of any art form would achieve it. That was not a reason to train fewer, however, and some who would never be great made “a good honest production item”.

Mr Milbank said glass was overpromoted, in comparison with other Wanganui art. As a medium it had the potential to head in the “motel market” direction, and become repetitive.

Teer said there was heaps of competition in the glass world. It was up to students to find their niche and perfect their craft.

Some glass art was a good investment, Traub said. Large works by Wanganui’s Emma Camden sold for $8,000 or more.

As for whether the Wanganui Festival of Glass was a nationally important event, Traub agreed that it wasn’t. It lacked curatorial oversight and therefore quality control.

On the other hand, it had brought people to town and was as good as any “strategy to Traub believed the effect would be strengthened if Wanganui had the country’s only glass museum, showing great works from all over the world. This was a strategy that had worked for the Australian town of Wagga Wagga, where a National Art Glass Collection was a tourist attraction."

Stowell, L. "Glass 'still worthwhile investment for city." Wanganui Chronicle, NZ. November 4, 2009. http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/have-your-say/news/glass-still-worthwhile-investment-for-city/3906063/