Euro trip

[dislexei]

My friends and i were discussing going to Europe for a few weeks.

They wanna go and drink and get rowdy.

But i wanna go so i can see glass workers doing there thing.

My buddy lives in Rome. So i figure i could go to Venice for a few days.
If I remeber right Germany has a long tradition of glass people also.

Does anyone have any ideas on places to go to see traditional glass artists? Any tips on how to just kick it and watch these people? Any shops or artists or studios i should look up?

Has anyone travled the eruo glass art scene?

Lex

[Greymatter Glass]

Lauscha in germany is the place to go.

Murano in Italy is the big glass center.

There's a big crystal shop in Ireland (waterford?)

dunno...never been myself but have a great trip

-Doug

[dislexei]

yeah Murano! Thanks! I will look into Lauscha

I think i remeber the crystal shop in Ireland, was it on that Chiluey(sp?) tv special?

Probably won't be going till May sometime, if i do even go. been looking into some art schools and different courses at local glass studios.

Looking into Ducret School of Art, Urban Glass, Tecnolux, and Philly glass works. Along with AGI, International Flameworking Conference, and GAS. Time is filling up. Just trying to get a plan of attack.

[frogmortonjr]

The Czech Republic is one of the glassiest places in Europe. Food and beer lodging are cheap. You can also buy glass art thats just incredible for way too cheap.

[revere glass]

If you go to holland, my friend owns a shop in Amsterdam. I can send you his way....if you go to Murano I can point you into a few shops if you PM or call my studio I will tell you what I can

[Gibsons Glassworks]

yoo yoo i did a euro trip winter of 05 and it was a blast hit up amsterdam for some pipes and murano for hot shop stuff. i didnt find a lot of lampwork in murano just walking around im sure futher investigation could find some tho.

[phantasticum]

if you travel from italy( murano) to germany( lauscha; zwiesel; wertheim) youll travel through switzerland and there is a really nice glashütte (<-dont know the proper english word) with a very nice glassmuseeum wich got some awards for interactiveness and just being great.here some links, they are in german but there are some pics so you can get an idea how it looks. and in zürich you have great a nightlife scene. i can give you also some info about some studios in the blackforest and germany, just pm me

http://www.glasi.ch/

http://www.glasi.ch/glasmacher.html <- the blue button in the lower right wich says fotos will show some more pics

[phantasticum]

oh i nearly forgot ... if you travel this summer there is a big symposium in the netherlands...

http://www.bnglass.com/symposium/index_uk.php

its for scientific-glass, art-glass, neon-glass and new products and stuff...

[dislexei]

I freakin love you guys! I will get back to you all later. Thanks for the help. Got to go to a show right quick.

Lex

[jahglass]

I just got back from an Euro trip not too long ago. I looked through some of my papers and found of few addresses/phone numbers that may help you out....

In Murano- As for places to stay, there are two hotels. I dunno the rates or anything like that, but I do know hotels in general are very expensive in Venice (and I would assume they would be taxed in Murano as well). If you shoot an email to Lucio or Cesare, ask for Luigi Catalone's (dunno the spelling) phone number or email. He owns an apartment on Murano and can usually hook it up better than the hotels if you give him some advance notice.

Most of the non production studios on the island are not open to the public. You can try though to weasel your way in though...Check out the CAM gallery right by the Colonna stop and tell em you are a huge fan of Pino's work. They will take you upstairs to the "Pino Gallery"- a whole floor of his work, INSANITY!, no joking around. Check out Cesares Gallery for sure, roam the streets and see what ya can find. The resturant by the bell tower is probably the best on the island....The Carlo Donna tool studio is right by the Venier boat stop on Calle Beroviero- save some cash up and DO IT UP! In Venice, right off the Fondamenta Nouve boat stop is Vittorio Constantinis studio (5311 Calle del Fumo), check it out. He keeps all his most perfect peices for his own private collection which is on display, defenitely a sight to be seen. Go to San Marco sq and check out some of the galleries around there. If I remember correctly, the Pauly and Co. gallery was awesome.

Lauscha- Equally as cool as Murano in its own right. Its a bit of a pain to get to cause you gotta take 3 or 4 different trains. As for places to stay, you can stay right out of "town" in a pension for dirt cheap (www.waldstueble.com) or in town for a bit more at (www.hotel-beck.com). Defenitely check out the Farbglashutte (glass factory) where they make all the rod and handpulled tubing, take the tour. Eat in their resturaunt and try the schnitzel! Drink beer, lots of it. The museum is totally awesome, the best display of lampwork glass in a musuem that Ive ever seen. Check out the glass eye makers in town, wild. Check out Andre Gutgesell (I think hes on the net somewhere), Thomas Muller Litz (his family founded Lauscha, hes on the main strip), and Fauk Bauer- awesome glass bugs (koppleinstrabe 60). I will say that in my experience, the people from lauscha are much more open and welcoming to foreign glassblowers coming to their studios, they are stoked you traveled to the middle of east bumble f*ck to check em out. Enjoy it...

PS- Call your credit/debit card companies before you dip out of the states and let em know where/when you will be traveling. I found the best exchange rates were from ATM machines....