Glass
The Glass specialisation is unique in the Netherlands. The aim of the study programme is to use glass as a visual material. Students will be challenged to work with glass as well as other materials. Students will learn to research and develop subjects and materials while experimenting with their own visual language. There is less of an emphasis on the craft of working with glass. You will be encouraged individually to develop your own visual language with the glass material using techniques and materials they choose themselves. During the studies you will develop your writing, speaking and visual skills in order to become an independently working artist. After graduation you may use the title Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).
Contact
caroline.prisse@gmail.com
During a study in Glass at the Rietveld Academie glass is used as a medium for expression, rather than as a goal in and of itself. The artist is not inspired by the world of glass, but by the world in general. The focus is on the development of an idea in an image, video or installation. Art theory plays an important role, as does being able to place yourself within the broader field of the visual arts. As a student you are expected to have a high level of responsibility and independence in order to maintain the glass studio together with the other students and to develop practical skills while taking on the challenge of developing ideas and concepts.
The department will provide all the necessary facilities for creating art with glass: glass furnace, casting moulds, melting, slumping, casting room, etc. The Glass department works with various guests lecturers who will be relevant to your development at that time.
Students must take the following classes: art theory, semester lectures and personal evaluation discussions on their own development. Students mainly learn the techniques by working with and watching older students and by discussing questions that arise during any process with the lecturers.
Courses offered
progress discussions in the form of individual discussions, group discussions, subject theory, drawing, projects.
Study structure
first specialisation year
During the first specialisation year, you will begin working independently right away. Usually there will be no assignments. It is a small department, so everyone receives a lot of individual supervision. Most students in the Glass department come from other academies, where they have already mastered the glass techniques. There are no technical classes. The programme appeals to your personal, conceptual development. During the first year, you will be given a lot of time to take a good look around (at other students, galleries, artists, museums, everyday life, the world) to find out what really captivates you and what you wish to concentrate on.
Second specialisation year
In the second specialisation year, you will continue to develop what captivates you and convert this into work. Everyone’s personal input will be translated into lesson programmes, and what the students will benefit from most will be determined per year. Supervision is always on an individual basis. Lecturers and the workshop supervisor will be available on certain days, otherwise you will work on projects yourself. By the end of the second year you will have a good idea of what direction you will want to take in the visual arts, and what type of artists inspire you and/or make similar work. You will also develop ideas concerning which museums/galleries you find interesting for your own work. In short, you will begin to relate to your area of specialisation.
Third specialisation year
In the third specialisation year, you will work towards the final examination by making a body of work and writing a thesis. You will work towards becoming an autonomous artist, functioning independently of the Academy. The high degree of independence expected of you right from the beginning of the programme will help you learn to be responsible for your own performance.
Projects
The Glass department often organises projects in which the department’s students participate, such as the international glass symposium in October 2009, the exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague to mark the department’s 40th anniversary, and the Biennale Internationale du Verre in Strasbourg. Excursions in the Netherlands and abroad are also a standard part of the study programme.
Theory
The department has a permanent theory lecturer who lectures on glass theory, the history of glass theory and philosophy one morning or afternoon per week. In addition, the Studium Generale is a standard part of the Glass department’s curriculum. The Studium Generale provides a general historical context concerning current themes in the contemporary international art world. The Studium Generale brings in prominent speakers from the Netherlands and abroad to give lectures. For more information, see Studium Generale