Glass artist on the world stage
by Geraldine Hinter
With her works already in numerous public and private collections here and abroad, glass artist and UniSA graduate Hilary Crawford is now making a splash in galleries overseas.
Holding a solo exhibition, a little piece of sky at New York’s Chappell Gallery last year was an exciting opportunity for UniSA graduate and glass artist, Hilary Crawford (pictured left).
With funding from Arts SA, Crawford spent many hours building her intense glass sculptures, travelled to New York City for the opening and, with the gallery, produced a catalogue for the show, giving her valuable exposure and a tool to promote her work.
Crawford was drawn to glass blowing after being exposed to the art world at a young age. Her grandmother had a large glass collection, and her parents visited many art galleries and collected art and craft, which may have influenced her decision to study design majoring in ceramics and glass.
"My studies were completed in stages, interspersed by working with glass professionals, study at Alberta College of Art in Calgary, Canada, a traineeship at the Jam Factory and a move to Lismore," Crawford said.
"At UniSA I had the flexibility to explore my creativity, which I think is really important, especially when you are young and don’t really know who you are. Being project based, the degree enables you to manipulate the program to suit your interests as a developing artist.
"As an independent practising artist, I mostly make exhibition work and commissions are often based on that. While exhibiting is high risk and can be stressful, getting a good commission is great and gives me the opportunity to experiment a little more.
"I am returning to Calgary as a visiting artist in October. This will be an exciting opportunity to experiment and use some of my research time to produce work for next year’s art fair COLLECT at the Charles Saatchi Gallery in London, where galleries from all over the world choose artists to show their work.
"I love teaching, especially glass, and would always like to stay involved with emerging artists. I think it’s critical to pass things on and learn from them as they challenge you and see things differently."