The Italian Glass Weeks: Main events between Milan and Venice

Milan events from September 10 to 17
The Italian Glass Weeks will kick off in Milan on Saturday, September 10 with inauguration of The Italian Glass Weeks Milan HUB at Palazzo Giureconsulti – headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce which, for the whole week, will serve as meeting point for all attendees who wish to participate in the programme of conferences, round tables and talks dedicated to industrial glass. At the same time the imposing Il Mostro della Laguna artwork will be inaugurated – all handcrafted by master glassmaker Nicola Moretti, together with Forme d’Acqua, upon a design by Simona Favrin and in collaboration with Consortio Promovetro Murano.

Among the appointments scheduled for Milan are also those dedicated to children, organised by both the Committee for the Safeguarding Venetian Glass Pearl Art and by Kikolle Lab, namely Il Gioco delle perle Veneziane and Caccia alle perle Veneziane.

There will also be guided tours of the glass collections organised by Castello Sforzesco, as well as the exclusive Milano di Vetro exhibition, with unpublished images of historical glass objects preserved within a single exhibition – all in the splendid setting of one of Milan’s symbolic places.

Art lovers can book guided tours of both Milanese museums and cultural institutes involved in the Le vie del Vetro project: from Castello Sforzesco to the Civic Archaeological Museum, from the Poldi Pezzoli Museum to Palazzo Clerici.

On Tuesday, September 13 at 6 pm at Palazzo Giureconsulti the HCE ‘Comunicare il vetro in maniera efficace’ conference will take place, with techniques and secrets showing how ‘communicating a product well is the key to its success’ in describing a material with a thousand facets.

Then the Italian Glass Weeks’ serate Milanesi will be characterised by special topical events hosted by the evocative Terrazza Santambrogio, official partner of the event, at which glass leads as main player in all furnishings. The launch event of the Profumo del vetro will be presented exclusively on 15 September.

As for the exhibitions, at Palazzo Giureconsulti ‘Turkish Glass’, the brand that aspires to represent Turkey’s manufacturing industry, will exhibit the exclusive Glass is Future installation: the uniqueness of architectural glass, glasses and glass containers as well as their possibility for endless recycling all comes to life thanks to the creativity of Turkish designers. Composed of seven architectural pieces, 561 glasses and 637 glass jars, the installation fully encapsulates the quality of Turkish Glass.

Venetian week from September 17 to 25
The Venetian week will start on the evening of September 16 which, until September 25, will host hundreds of events dedicated to artistic glass in Venice, Murano and Mestre with the inauguration of The Italian Glass Weeks – Venice HUB and The Italian Glass Weeks – Venice HUB Under35. The latter was created as part of the 2022 Economic Promotion and Internationalisation Programme of the Veneto Region in collaboration with Venice Rovigo’s Chamber of Commerce, the Veneto Chamber of Commerce, Venicepromex and the Consortio Promovetro. The former will occupy the spaces of Palazzo Loredan, seat of Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, with the works of 21 Italian and international artists and designers, while the latter will exhibit to the public the projects of 20 young Italian and international artists and designers at Palazzo Giustinian Lolin – headquarters of Fondazione Levi.

Curated by Marino Barovier, Venini, Luce 1921 – 1985 will be among the numerous exhibitions enriching the Venetian programme, which will be open to the public at LE STANZE DEL VETRO on San Giorgio Maggiore island. The exhibition intends to recount the activities of the famous lighting furnace by showcasing some of the most representative examples.

For the occasion, two extraordinary installations will be presented – namely the famous Velario, created in 1951 to cover Palazzo Grassi and comprising a series of “festoons” with steel cables and crystal glass ‘ballotons’, and a tribute to Carlo Scarpa with the reconstruction of the monumental, polychrome polyhedra chandelier designed by the architect in 1961 for the Veneto pavilion at the Italia 61 Turin exhibition.

Still with San Giorgio Maggiore, the Centro Studi del Vetro of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini will exhibit Editi-Inediti: disegnare ‘in vetro’ from September 19 to December 23, The same dates coincide with free guided tours by appointment – all organised by Glass Study Centre for anyone interested in the Venetian Glass Archive and its specialised library.

The Tony Cragg Silicon Dioxide exhibition, curated by Berengo Studio, will be open to the public at the Murano Glass Museum until October 16 and the Vetro e Opera Lirica exhibition, designed and curated by Sandro Pezzoli in collaboration with Chiara Squarcina, can be visited at the Casa di Carlo Goldoni until 27 November.

Over the Venetian week spanning September 17 to 19 and then from September 22 to 25, the public will be able to join Tours by Nexa for experiences that offer opportunities to personally witness the magic of artistic glass production in a selection of places of charm and tradition. Special events for children and families will be held in the Kids’ Program by Artsystem.

Great attention will also be paid in 2022 to perle di vetro with initiatives organised by Comune di Venezia in collaboration with Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. Here both adults and children can participate in pearl workshops scheduled for 20 and 21 September at the ‘VEZ’ civic library in Mestre and at Lido’s ‘Hugo Pratt’ library, with Perle in Vetrina returning on 10 September.

Il Vetro e la Memoria will be held on 19 September at the former Conterie in Murano – a place-naming ceremony dedicated to glass and figure art that has contributed to both the history and evolution of this art.

Again, Comune di Venezia in collaboration with Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia will organise the Murano allo specchio conference on September 21 at the Ateneo Veneto – retracing the history of mirrors and “specieri” in Venice. On September 22 there will be a guided tour by appointment open to citizens at the Fornace Orsoni – the last historical furnace in Venice where people still work with live fire.

From September 19 to 21 2022, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti will present the tenth Giornate di studio sul vetro veneziano edition at Palazzo Franchetti.

Finally, The Italian Glass Weeks’ closing event will be held at 7:30 pm on Sunday, September 25 at Teatro Goldoni with the Vocal Skyline concert-show.

On September 24 2022, during the last Italian Glass Weeks weekend, Palazzo Franchetti will host the award ceremony of three important prizes: the Glass in Venice Award organised by Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti and by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, the Venice Foundation Award (second edition) for the best project of the festival and for Italian and foreign artists and designers below 35 who, within the HUB Under35 exhibit, will instead be considered for the Autonoma Residency Prize.

Digital programme: conversations about glass
Between the Milanese and Venetian weeks, The Italian Glass Weeks will offer an original programme of digital appointments, produced by the event, with Conversations on Glass by Apice – a cycle of dialogues in English that’s specifically designed to involve the international public.