Chairman
Jan Anne Schelling
Since the corona crisis began, we have lived in Leerdam – a great place if you like modern glass. The love of glass began at home, where my parents had beautiful objects by Copier. Together with my wife on vacations, a visit to a studio or gallery was and is a regular occurrence. Not only have we seen an awful lot of beautiful things in Europe, but through our work in Asia we have also experienced the development there up close. 1 visit still stands out to us. That was years back in the Czech Republic, in the studio of Bořek Šípek. Near Prague, he had revived an old glass factory and was working there with national and international craftsmen and artists. Ajeto!” I heard them call out there, tapping the glass from the blowgun. We asked what that meant. “And that’s it” they explained. The blazer and the designer decide together when the work is finished; they cannot do without each other. The right optimum: the best expression of what you wanted to say as an artist; the extreme sought in the material by the craftsman; and at the same time peace with the fact that it may never be perfect.
Ajeto – that cry has often sung through my head since then. Because you achieve more together than alone; because you have to use each other’s talent and also know when it’s right and can complete something. I studied in Delft and then spent years working at DSM and back in the Netherlands working for Royal IHC. That background shaped me and reinforced my penchant for merging the craft and visionary. In the association I am sure I will meet many lovers of craftsmanship and craft, and I am looking forward to the board work within the association!
Secretary
Ida Scheijgrond: I have been active on the association’s (interim) board since 2021. That came about rather by accident. But in the past period I have learned a lot and decided to continue on the board. Building a good association with nice people something! I do feel like doing that. I am a graduate of the higher degree of the Glass Art Department of IKA Mechelen. Now working on specialization. I live in Zwartewaal, a small village near Brielle. Originally, I studied public administration and my “regular” job is with the Environmental and Transport Inspectorate. There I am particularly active in the works council!
Treasurer Ans Vollering
For decades I have been deeply impressed by the creativity of glass artists and their glass art skills. So my friend and I regularly visit well-known Dutch museums with glass collections. Consider the Glass Museum in Leerdam and museum JAN in Amstelveen. We feast our eyes there. Modern glass is our preference. Our own glass collection is small but fine and of all times. Thus, we are in the happy possession of glass art objects by the hand of Lucienne Bloch (replica), Geir Nustad and Marjan van Schaik, for example.
By now I have been a snoring member of the VVMG for many years and, as a member, look forward to the publication of our quarterly magazine GLAS every time. Have been busy in my working life working as a senior policy officer at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Now that I am retired, I have time and opportunity to use my administrative and financial skills (studying economics in Rotterdam) within the VVMG board. I’m looking forward to that. I hope for constructive discussions in which each board member will want to bring his or her insights to the table that will lead us to build on this special association.
Board member
Rob de Wolff, The interest in glass art originated with me in the 1980s when I was traveling in Sweden. There I saw glass artists and glassblowers working intensely together to turn the design on paper into a tangible piece. I was impressed with the material and also how much engineering was involved in creating glass to the desired result in terms of shape and color.
In 2019, I took early retirement as a meteorologist after working in aviation for over 40 years. This provided me with a great opportunity to now actively work with glass myself. I chose to study Glass Art at the IKA in Mechelen, which I still enjoy doing.
In the past I have done a lot of volunteer work, being active at the administrative level. The IKA training brought me into contact with the VVMG and naturally I became a member of the association. As a result of the survey, I started thinking about whether I could possibly bring my administrative and work experiences to bear on the future of the Society of Friends of Modern Glass. In particular, my knowledge and experience in planning and policy making led me to take on that area of focus within the board.
Board member
My name is Rinus van Helden.
I have been with the VVMG for a number of years. My wife (Tonny) and I are both great art lovers with an additional interest in Glass.
Both of us are from the eastern part of the country where we still live today. Our focus of interest is the students of the Rietveld Academy. Many of them have been followed by us for years.
I have also served as webmaster for the association for many years and hope to work with the other board members to continue to build the association into a vibrant Association of Friends of Modern Glass.
Board member Georges Dusart
About glass: After the art nouveau glass of Nancy (Daum, Gallé…) and that of Belgian master glassblower Louis Leloup, I came under the fascination – much later – of studio work and the intriguing diversity of today’s glass scene. I associate glass with liquid impressionism and solidified abstraction as much as with design and 3D printing. Glass is a passion.
About myself: After my medical training, I worked for 9 years in a Brussels group practice and then as a manager in a health administration. So teamwork and achieving goals together suit me.
VVMG’s ambition is to internationalize. Logically, one then looks first in the direction of the southern neighbors of which quite a few are already members of the VVMG. In that context, I was invited to join the board of the association.
My motivation to say yes lay in the Belgian glass art paradox: Belgium has a solid education (Mechelen, Lommel, Berchem, Tournai, etc.), some of which are highly regarded internationally, but a relative lack of glass art focused exhibitions, events and galleries. There are insufficient opportunities for glass artists to show themselves to the art market and the wider public in a professional manner. I hope that VVMG can contribute to remedying this in the coming years.
Are you not yet a member but are you interested?
For only € 66 per year you can now become a member of the Association of Friends of Modern Glass, receive our quarterly magazine and participate in all our activities.
Read more about our memberships here.
