Our History

An Executive Committee consisting of David Saunders, Maureen Cahill, Ellis Eyre and Cherry Phillips established the Society by organizing the Inaugural Conference in 1978. Following this conference held at Sydney College of the Arts in December 1978, it was decided that a national organisation of people working in glass should be formed.

At first the group was called PIG (People in Glass), the name changed from Ozglass to Ausglas, before finally settling on Ausglass. The first major Australian Glass exhibition 'With Care' was held in association with Ausglass at the Jam Factory Gallery in April 1979.

Glass artists and artisans working in relative isolation around Australia have found a uniting link in the national organisation. In the early 1980s Ausglass played an important role by establishing national survey exhibitions and provided opportunities for Australian artists to have contact with others through biennial conferences, international visitors and workshops.

The 2nd Ausglass Conference was held in Melbourne in 1981, and a new regional gallery was opened at Wagga Wagga with a glass exhibition in that same year. The then Wagga Wagga City Art Gallery Director, Judy Le Lievre, chose to make contemporary Australian glass a focus for a specialist collection

The Presidents

Notes

1 - Warren was the Inaugural President, following the first Conference in 1978.
2 - Vice-Presidents ran the Society from early 1990 until the Conference in 1991.