Festival helps to save endangered Parrot, Plover

The 2016 Festival of Glass is supporting Bellarine campaigns to save the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot and Hooded Plover.

Peter Minson (& friends) at Kirra Gallery

Renowned glass blowers Peter Minson and Mark Eliott will each create glass replicas of the Parrot and the Plover at a Masterclass at Leura Park winery in Curlewis, on Friday 19 February from 7.00 – 10.00pm.

Large video screens will ensure that each person in the audience has a close-up view of the painstaking and intricate work of teasing molten glass into shape, while drinks and nibbles from Leura Park add culinary sparkle to the spectacle.

Booking is essential and can be done via the Festival web site.

Mark Eliott - "Here's one I made earlier"

The glass Parrot and Plover will be auctioned on the night to support the local campaigns; they will then tour the region, raising awareness of the birds’ plight and demonstrating the delight of glass art.

The glass birds will be joined on their tour by a glass mosaic and a beaded glass wall hanging, each depicting one of the birds. Visitors to the Festival Expo will help to create both the mosaic and the wall hanging.

The Expo is on Sunday 21 February between 10.00am and 4.00pm at Christian College, Collins Street, Drysdale. It will feature over forty exhibitors, demonstrations, ‘join in’ sessions, Awards, displays, films .... and thousands of visitors!

Mark Eliott at work

 

Some Peter Minson specials

A Glass Bottle 'Roadshow'

On Sunday 14 February, the Bellarine Historical Society will run a glass bottle roadshow as part of the 2016 Festival of Glass.

From the ABCR auction site

The roadshow will happen between 10.00am and 3.00pm at the Court House Museum, Drysdale High Street, run by Paul Bruce and his son David, who have been collecting antique glass bottles and collectables for over 30 years.

Paul has an extensive collection of Australian glass aerated water bottles, and a collection of wine labels from 1860 to 1930; and he has just produced a database for the Bellarine Historical Society listing the ages and manufacturers of historic bottles found in the Geelong area.

Paul’s son David has a fine collection of Australian wine bottles and co-owns the online bottle auction company ABCR Auctions (www.abcrauctions.com/). David has been secretary of the Victorian Bottle & Collectables Association and he organised the successful 2006 National Bottle Exhibition at Frankston.

“As well as enjoying Paul’s and David’s appraisals, visitors to the museum can browse a display of historic bottles and bottle labels”, said Bellarine Historical Society President Lynette Willey. “Admission is free, but a gold coin donation would be appreciated.”

MORE UPCOMING FESTIVAL EVENTS

On Friday 19 February (7.00 – 10.00pm), Festival partner Leura Park winery in Curlewis will host a glass art Masterclass. Renowned glass blowers Peter Minson and Mark Eliott will create replicas of the locally endangered Orange-bellied Parrot and Hooded Plover, while a Wathaurong elder talks about the birds’ habitats. Drinks and nibbles will add pizazz to the delight. Booking (via the Festival web site) is essential.

On Saturday February 20 (10.00am – 2.00pm), the Festival will run a glass art workshop exclusively for members of Drysdale’s Senior Citizens Club.

On Sunday 21 February (10.00am – 4.00pm), the Festival Expo at Drysdale’s Christian College will feature forty exhibitors, demonstrations, ‘join in’ sessions, Awards, displays, films .... and thousands of visitors!

Details of all Festival events are on the Festival web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

Treasure Hunt is up and running!

On 1 February, treasure hunters young and old started searching Drysdale businesses for clues in the area’s first glass art Treasure Hunt.

"Are you sure it's here?"

The Treasure Hunt is part of the 2016 Festival of Glass, which will present events in the Drysdale area throughout February.

Each of the twenty one participating businesses in the Treasure Hunt is displaying a piece of glass art it commissioned from a local glass artist and these pieces will be major prizes in the Treasure Hunt draw.

(Pictured here: Festival organiser Patrick Hughes at Wallington Rural's new aquatic section; and local glass artist Glenda MacNaughton at the Mannerim Stables flower farm.)

Treasure Hunt organiser Diane Schofield is excited about the event. “The 2016 Treasure Hunt is up and running and Drysdale is the epicentre of glass fever”, she said. “People will look high and low for Tiny Treasures and there are dozens of prizes, so everyone stands a chance of winning one.”

"Aha! Spotted you!"

Hunting for treasure

A Treasure Hunt poster in the window identifies a participating business and treasure hunters are combing each business for its ‘Tiny Treasure’ – a small glass ornament.

Once a treasure hunter finds a Tiny Treasure, the business stamps their form; and once they have at least ten stamps, they enter their form in a draw at the Festival of Glass Expo on Sunday 21 February at Drysdale’s Christian College.

Upcoming Festival events

Drysdale will soon see more Festival events. Leura Park winery in Curlewis will host a glass art Masterclass on Friday 19 February (7.00 – 10.00pm). Two renowned glass blowers will create replicas of the locally endangered Orange-bellied Parrot and Hooded Plover. The winery’s drinks and nibbles will add pizazz to a fascinating display. Booking is essential and can be done via the Festival web site.

On Sunday February 14, the Bellarine Historical Society invites anyone with old bottles among their family heirlooms to have them valued by experts Paul and David Bruce at the Society’s evaluation session at Drysdale’s Old Courthouse Museum (10.00am – 3.00pm).

Details of all Festival events are on the Festival web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

Searching Drysdale businesses with new curiosity

On Monday 1^st February, customers will search businesses in the Drysdale area with a new curiosity.

Ronnie (Ronnie's Cafe) and her 'Tree of Life' platter

The customers will be looking for small, hand-crafted glass ornaments - ‘Tiny Treasures’ – that are clues in a Treasure Hunt being run by the 2016 Festival of Glass.

21 local businesses are participating in the Treasure Hunt and each one has commissioned a piece of glass art – and a ‘Tiny Treasure’ - from local glass artists. 

From February 1^st, each participating business will display its piece of glass art, together with its ‘Tiny Treasure’ for treasure hunters to spot. A poster in its window will show that a business is part of the Treasure Hunt. Treasure Hunters receive a stamp on their entry form for each ‘Tiny Treasure’ they spot.

The Treasure Hunt will culminate in a draw for dozens of pieces of glass art at the Festival Expo on 21 February at Christian College, Drysdale.

Jacquie Campbell's glass shell at Surf Junction

Festival of Glass convenor Doug Carson said, “Everyone benefits from the Treasure Hunt. It brings customers to local businesses, it promotes local glass artists and it shows local people the beautiful things that artists make with glass. We hope that the Treasure Hunt will build a strong and mutually-beneficial relationship between the Festival, local businesses and local glass artists.”

Each year, something more
The Treasure Hunt will be a novel addition to the Festival of Glass, now in its sixth year. Each year, the Festival committee adds a new feature to maintain interest in the Festival. For example:

• the 2015 Festival featured internationally renowned Sydney glass artist Mark Eliott, who held demonstrations of glass art at the Festival Expo and ran workshops in the following week. Mark will return to the 2016 Festival, along with fellow glass artist Peter Minson.
• the 2014 Festival included Glass on Film - a rolling programme of short films about glass. Glass on Film was also a feature of the 2015 Festival and will be part of the 2016 Festival.

Glass art lights up local businesses

Businesses in the Drysdale region have started to display pieces of glass art that they have commissioned from local glass artists.

The commissioned pieces are among dozens of prizes in the glass art Treasure Hunt that is a feature of the sixth Festival of Glass in Drysdale in February 2016. Participating businesses will also display glass ‘Tiny Treasures’ - clues in the Treasure Hunt for treasure hunters to spot.

The first business to join the Treasure Hunt was Drysdale Fish and Chickens (30 High Street), and Mersina and her daughter were very pleased to receive a Flying Fish from local glass artist David Hobday.

Mersina and her glass fish

The Elegant Profile Beauty Salon’s (7/3 Wyndham Street) commissioned piece is a striking blue necklace made by Fiona Horne from recycled gin and mineral water bottles.

Pam's Marina Villani platter

Elegant Profile's necklace

At the newsagents in Drysdale High Street, Pam is pleased to display a fine glass platter by Marina Villani, featuring wattle flowers and foliage.

The Treasure Hunt starts formally on February 1^st, when treasure hunters can start to spot the ‘Tiny Treasures’ and receive stamps on their entry form. The Treasure Hunt culminates in a draw for dozens of pieces of glass art at the Festival Expo on 21 February at Christian College, Drysdale.

Bunnings supports “Endangered in Glass” community mosaic

Bunnings (Torquay) has agreed to support a community mosaic at the 2016 Festival of Glass Expo on Sunday 21 February.

Orange-bellied Parrot

The mosaic will depict two local endangered birds – the Hooded Plover and the Orange-bellied Parrot. Bunnings will provide mosaic-making materials plus a specialist mosaic tutor – Marion Smith - who will invite and assist visitors to create the mosaic – one tile at a time!

Endangered in Glass

The community mosaic is part of the Festival’s “Endangered in Glass” project, which aims to use glass to highlight the plight of the birds. The project starts with a Masterclass on Friday 19 February at Leura Park winery, Curlewis. Renowned glass artists Peter Minson and Mark Eliott will create glass replicas of the two birds, while an elder from the local Wathaurong people will give an indigenous perspective on the birds and their habitat.

Hooded plover

The glass replicas will be auctioned at the Masterclass, with proceeds supporting local efforts to conserve the birds. The glass replicas will tour the region to highlight the birds’ endangered status and to show the versatility and beauty of glass; the generosity of Bunnings (Torquay) means that a community mosaic of the two birds will join the glass replicas on their tour.

Local glass artist Glenda MacNaughton, from the Festival of Glass committee, said, “I have been to other community mosaic sessions at Bunnings and I know that this sort of creative activity supports social engagement and enjoyment. The Festival aims to build community engagement and economic development by offering hands-on experiences of making glass art to people who would not normally have the opportunity; and the community mosaic at the Expo will certainly do that.”

Mussel Festival visitors preview Festival of Glass

Visitors to Portarlington's annual Mussel Festival on January 9 had an unexpected bonus this year - a preview of the Festival of Glass Masterclass and Treasure Hunt!

30,000 visited the Mussel Festival

Volunteers at the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) tent  promoted the two new features of the Festival of Glass - the glass art Treasure Hunt, which starts on February 1st and finishes at the Festival Expo on Sunday 21 February; and the glass art Masterclass at Leura Park on Friday February 19.

DCSCA is the 'parent' of the Festival of Glass and it was part of a display by organisations connected with the local foreshore.
The display - coordinated by Bellarine Bayside - was at the entrance to the Portarlington pier and formed an adjunct to the Mussel Festival proper, which organisers said attracted 30,000 visitors.

A steady stream of people visited the DCSCA tent on their way to the Mussel  Festival. There was a lot of interest in the Masterclass and Treasure Hunt, although as far as the children were concerned, the nearby stuffed seal and wallaby had the edge!