EXULTANT staff at Canberra Glassworks reports a “mammoth response” to this year’s Winter Glass Market and Hindmarsh Prize, while a “mammoth” glass sculpture won People’s Choice.

The market, now a regular highlight of Canberra’s winter calendar, attracted a crowd estimated at 7500 last Saturday (June 17). Crowds kept warm learning to make beads with local Sui Jackson from the Viking Bead Furnace, watching demonstrations in the Hotshop, enjoying winter food from local producers and tippling on a commissioned winter gin from the Winter Bar while also listening to jazz from local act Bella Groove in the Engine Room Wine Bar.

The Hindmarsh Prize exhibition in the Fitters Workshop is becoming a key feature of the Winter Glass Market. This year it attracted a total 3837 across 10 days, with 2351 of them enjoying the exhibition on the day of the market.

Peter Nilsson won the first Hindmarsh Prize People’s Choice Award for his woolly mammoth sculpture “What once was”, after a total of 799 people voted. Nilsson’s prize was $2500 in-kind freight donated by IAS Fine Art Logistics. All the while the busy artist was creating “Huldra”, a huge outdoor engraving.

The 15 Winter Glass Market stalls and stallholders recorded record sales and Glassworks’ general manager, Bev Growden, heard a contractor say that almost $20,000 had been withdrawn from a nearby ATM.

And the coup of the day? Tony Grybowski, the CEO of the Australia Council and no stranger to Canberra, popped in and commented: “Who would have thought?”

 

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