{"Affiliation":[{"label":"Affiliation","value":"Graduate Studies, College of (Okanagan)","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#departmentOrSchool","classmap":"vivo:EducationalProcess","property":"vivo:departmentOrSchool"},"iri":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#departmentOrSchool","explain":"VIVO-ISF Ontology V1.6 Property; The department or school name within institution; Not intended to be an institution name."}],"AggregatedSourceRepository":[{"label":"Aggregated Source Repository","value":"DSpace","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider","classmap":"ore:Aggregation","property":"edm:dataProvider"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider","explain":"A Europeana Data Model Property; The name or identifier of the organization who contributes data indirectly to an aggregation service (e.g. Europeana)"}],"Campus":[{"label":"Campus","value":"UBCO","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeCampus","classmap":"oc:ThesisDescription","property":"oc:degreeCampus"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeCampus","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Identifies the name of the campus from which the graduate completed their degree."}],"Creator":[{"label":"Creator","value":"Siermacheski, Catherine","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/creator","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:creator"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/creator","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; An entity primarily responsible for making the resource.; Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organization, or a service."}],"DateAvailable":[{"label":"Date Available","value":"2013-06-14T09:11:14Z","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","classmap":"edm:WebResource","property":"dcterms:issued"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource."}],"DateIssued":[{"label":"Date Issued","value":"2013","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","classmap":"oc:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:issued"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource."}],"Degree":[{"label":"Degree (Theses)","value":"Doctor of Philosophy - PhD","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#relatedDegree","classmap":"vivo:ThesisDegree","property":"vivo:relatedDegree"},"iri":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#relatedDegree","explain":"VIVO-ISF Ontology V1.6 Property; The thesis degree; Extended Property specified by UBC, as per https:\/\/wiki.duraspace.org\/display\/VIVO\/Ontology+Editor%27s+Guide"}],"DegreeGrantor":[{"label":"Degree Grantor","value":"University of British Columbia","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeGrantor","classmap":"oc:ThesisDescription","property":"oc:degreeGrantor"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeGrantor","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Indicates the institution where thesis was granted."}],"Description":[{"label":"Description","value":"Guided by the principles of feminist ethnography and the philosophy of dialogical phenomenology, this research explores the glass community in western Canada through the eyes of seventeen women glass blowers. This unique collection of experiences elucidates the changes that have occurred in the glass community over the past four decades, and contributes to the story of glass in Canadian art and craft history. The glass world and glass objects exist in the liminal space between art and craft. As a place of growth and change, the liminal space is the antithesis of structure which therefore invites dialogue and creative development. By proposing that glass objects exist in the liminal space between art and craft, I am further proposing that women glass blowers in this space have formed a liminal 'communitas' shaped by their shared experiences. As there has been no ethnographic research done with women glass blowers in western Canada, it is of paramount importance to highlight the words and experiences of these experts; through their eyes we gain an understanding of the elite community of glass blowers in western Canada, and the challenges they face in their chosen career. Therefore, I have chosen to write the body of this dissertation in a narrative style, which not only honours the true spirit, if not intent of feminist research, but pays homage to these women by respecting that their words have relevance and should not be buried in theoretical generalizations.","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/description","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:description"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/description","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; An account of the resource.; Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract, a table of contents, a graphical representation, or a free-text account of the resource."}],"DigitalResourceOriginalRecord":[{"label":"Digital Resource Original Record","value":"https:\/\/circle.library.ubc.ca\/rest\/handle\/2429\/44565?expand=metadata","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO","classmap":"ore:Aggregation","property":"edm:aggregatedCHO"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO","explain":"A Europeana Data Model Property; The identifier of the source object, e.g. the Mona Lisa itself. This could be a full linked open date URI or an internal identifier"}],"FullText":[{"label":"Full Text","value":"NOT SO FRAGILE: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF WOMEN GLASS BLOWERS IN WESTERN CANADA  by  Catherine Siermacheski  M.A., The University of Northern British Columbia, 2004  A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF  DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY  in  THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES  (Interdisciplinary Studies) [Art History \/ Anthropology]  THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan)     May 2013  \u00a9 Catherine Siermacheski, 2013  ii Abstract Guided by the principles of feminist ethnography and the philosophy of dialogical phenomenology, this research explores the glass community in western Canada through the eyes of seventeen women glass blowers. This unique collection of experiences elucidates the changes that have occurred in the glass community over the past four decades, and contributes to the story of glass in Canadian art and craft history. The glass world and glass objects exist in the liminal space between art and craft. As a place of growth and change, the liminal space is the antithesis of structure which therefore invites dialogue and creative development. By proposing that glass objects exist in the liminal space between art and craft, I am further proposing that women glass blowers in this space have formed a liminal 'communitas' shaped by their shared experiences. As there has been no ethnographic research done with women glass blowers in western Canada, it is of paramount importance to highlight the words and experiences of these experts; through their eyes we gain an understanding of the elite community of glass blowers in western Canada, and the challenges they face in their chosen career. Therefore, I have chosen to write the body of this dissertation in a narrative style, which not only honours the true spirit, if not intent of feminist research, but pays homage to these women by respecting that their words have relevance and should not be buried in theoretical generalizations.  iii Preface Parts of this dissertation were presented at the Universities Art Association of Canada annual conference, held in Ottawa, October 2011. In the session \u201cContemporary Art, Gender, and Institutions,\u201d I presented a paper titled \u201cAnalyzing Gender Representation in Museum and Gallery Catalogs\u201d. The paper argued that the discourse of exhibition and collection catalogs gives the art viewing public a skewed representation of the participation of women in the glass arts. This research and resulting dissertation required the approval of UBC\u2019s Behavioural Research Ethics Board, under Certificate number H11-01553.  iv Table of Contents  Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ..................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... vi Glass Glossary ...................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ xi Dedication .............................................................................................................................. xii Chapter One - Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 A Brief History of Glass ................................................................................................................... 3 Historical Overview of Women\u2019s Involvement with Arts & Crafts ............................................ 9 Studio Glass Movement and Women\u2019s Involvement .................................................................. 11 Women Glass Blowers in Western Canada ................................................................................. 14 Methodology & Theory ................................................................................................................. 16 Ethnography ................................................................................................................................. 17 The Philosophy of Dialogical Phenomenology ........................................................................... 23 Methodologies & Epistemologies of Feminist Research ............................................................. 24 Using Feminist Ethnography & Dialogical Phenomenology to Explore the Glass Community in Western Canada ........................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter Two \u2013 The Women Glass Blowers of Western Canada ...................................... 30 Light it Up! ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Blowing Glass: Does Size Matter? ................................................................................................ 71 Fragility and Resilience ............................................................................................................... 71 Gender and the Physicality of Glass Blowing ............................................................................. 74 Gender Dynamics of Team Blowing ........................................................................................... 78 The Arduous Task of Cold Working ........................................................................................... 87 The Realities of an Active Glass Practice ..................................................................................... 96 Gender Representation ............................................................................................................... 116 The Power of Self-Identification; Artist, Crafts Person, Artisan, or Maker .............................. 120   v Chapter Three \u2013 The Glass Scene in Western Canada ................................................... 132 Trade shows, Juried Fine Craft Shows and Craft Fairs ........................................................... 133 Collectors and Collections, Private and Public ......................................................................... 143 The Gallery World in Western Canada ..................................................................................... 146 Civic or Public Galleries ............................................................................................................ 147 Commercial or Privately Owned Galleries ................................................................................ 150 Chapter Four \u2013 Annealing their Stories ........................................................................... 159 Gender as a Glass Barrier ........................................................................................................... 160 Glass as a Material is an Illusory Barrier .................................................................................. 166 Fragility and Physical Barriers ................................................................................................... 167 In a Glass Economy ...................................................................................................................... 169 Chapter Five - Concluding Thoughts ................................................................................ 173 References ............................................................................................................................ 177 Appendix A \u2013 List of Glass Blower Websites ................................................................... 187  vi List of Figures Photo credit is indicated where applicable. All other photos are courtesy of the glass blowers, or Catherine Siermacheski. Figure 1. Venn diagram of liminal space as described by Natali Rodrigues. ....................... 2 Figure 2. Timeline of historical glass movements................................................................. 4 Figure 3. Catherine Siermacheski in a glass blowing workshop, Tacoma, WA, 2009. ...... 22 Figure 4. Venn diagram of causal relationships .................................................................. 33 Figure 5. Natali Rodrigues at the bench, ACAD, Calgary, AB, 2011................................. 35 Figure 7. Ione Thorkelsson cleaning a casting, 2012. Photo Courtesy of Thorkelsson. ..... 41 Figure 8. Brenda Taylor, Calgary, AB, 2013. Photo Credit: Ceramist Andrew Tarrant. ................................................................................................................. 43 Figure 9. Bonny Houston in the Houston Hot Shop, Calgary, AB, 2012. .......................... 45 Figure 10. Lisa Samphire blowing a murrini piece for \"Pattern Exhibition,\" 2005. Photo Credit: Darren Carely. ............................................................................... 47 Figure 11. Morna Tudor, Victoria, BC, 2011. ....................................................................... 49 Figure 12. Naoko Takenuchi, Vancouver, BC, 2011. ........................................................... 51 Figure 13. Barbara Rumberger at Double Struggle Hot Shop, Calgary, AB, 2012. Photo Credit: Amy Mailer .................................................................................... 53 Figure 14. Jamie Gray, Morley, AB, 2011. Photo Credit: Ashley Gray. .............................. 55 Figure 15. Susan Gottselig at Mineside Studios, Canmore, AB, 2012. Photo Credit:  Linda Cote. ........................................................................................................... 57 Figure 16. Laura Murdoch, Vancouver, BC, 2012. ............................................................... 58 Figure 17. Sarah Mulligan blocking a blown piece, 2011. .................................................... 60 Figure 18. Katherine Russell at the bench, Bee Kingdom Glass Studio, Calgary, AB, 2012. Photo Credit: Kristine Lavoie. ................................................................... 62 Figure 19. Larissa Blokhuis with some of her work, 2011. Photo Credit: Paul McGrath, North Shore News. .............................................................................. 64 Figure 20. Tara Pawson at the bench, 2010. .......................................................................... 66 Figure 21. Toni Johnson blowing into a sand casting mould, 2009. Photo Credit: Dakota Johnson. ................................................................................................... 68  vii Figure 22. Naoko Takenuchi. Kataribe 13. 35 x 24 x 10 cm, 2006. Blown glass with silver foil, sandblasted, copper and fiber. Photo Credit: Kenji Nagai. ................ 89 Figure 23. Lisa Samphire, a design tray of murrini and a blown piece awaiting cold work, 2012. .......................................................................................................... 90 Figure 24. Sarah Mulligan. Cameo style blown glass, sandblasted designs in relief. Average size 15.2 x 25.4 cm, 2011, 2012. ........................................................... 91 Figure 25. Barbara Rumberger. Faceted Vases, blown glass, 15.24 cm H., 1996. Photo Credit: Jeff Bright. ............................................................................................... 92 Figure 26. Laura Murdoch. Layered Light: a Glass Exhibition, 2008. ................................. 93 Figure 27. Toni Johnson. Discovery. 12.7 x 12.7 x 33.02 cm. Blown glass, sand cast, and sand blasted, 2011. ........................................................................................ 94 Figure 28. Susan Gottselig. Cheeky Chickens, blown glass, 17.78 x 17.78 cm, 2011. ......... 95 Figure 29. Natali Rodrigues. Proximity and Touch # 13 Bigger, 18 x 32 x 7 cm, cast, hot formed and cold worked glass, 2010. Photo Credit: Ward Bastian. .............. 99 Figure 30. Lisa Samphire. Spotted Swallow Tail. 21.59 x 17.78 x 8.89 cm. Butterfly Series, 2006. ....................................................................................................... 102 Figure 31. Sarah Mulligan. Spring Show booth with blown glass and jewelry line, 2012. ................................................................................................................... 105 Figure 32. Tara Pawson. Blown glass vessel, 2012. ............................................................ 106 Figure 33. Katherine Russell. Lampposts. 40 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm, blown and lamp worked glass, 2009. Photo Credit: Kevin Gordon. ............................................ 108 Figure 34. Brenda Taylor. Blown glass vessel with murinni inclusions, 2012. ................... 110 Figure 35. Larissa Blokhuis. Tunicates. Blown glass, 16H x 17 W x 14 D cm, 2011. ....... 116 Figure 36. Auction item at Glass Art Society conference, Seattle, WA, 2010. .................. 120 Figure 37. Bonny Houston. Courtesan Gem. Footed tea bowl, 10.16 x 10.16 cm, 2012. ... 123 Figure 38. Jamie Gray. Highland Tears. Paper and blown glass, 2009. ............................. 125 Figure 39. Ione Thorkelsson. Tick. Blown and cast glass, 43 x 46.5 x 23 cm H, 1998. Photo Credit: Ernest Mayer................................................................................ 149 Figure 40. iPod Sales \u2013 Cumulative. Source: Kingsley-Hughes, zdnet.com. ..................... 155 Figure 41. Combined Venn diagrams of causal relationships. ............................................ 175   viii Glass Glossary Annealing  The process of slowly cooling hot glass to a cool state, to strengthen the glass and prevent thermal shock or breakage. This is done in an annealer.  Assistant   An individual who assists the gaffer with an extra pair of hands, to make a piece.  Bench   The bench consists of two parallel rails (to roll the blowpipe on), a tool table, and a seat where the artist sits to work with the glass.  Bit(s)   Small pieces of molten glass that are added to a piece, to add colour, extra elements, handles, or stems.  Block   A waterlogged wooden tool usually made from fruit wood (cherry, pear, apple), carved into a cup form to shape a hot gather of glass while on the punty.  Blowing  The technique of inflating a hot gather of glass on the end of a blowpipe with breaths of air.  Blowpipe   An iron or steel tube, usually about 1.5 m long that is used for blowing glass.  Cane   A thin rod of glass, or a bundle of rods fused together to create a colour pattern when cut, or twisted, revealing a design in cross section.  Casting   Hot casting includes pouring molten glass into a mold or form. Kiln casting involves melting glass in a mold inside a kiln.  Cold working  Polishing, grinding, cutting or engraving techniques that are done after glass objects have been formed, fully annealed and cooled. Cold working techniques include the use of rotary machines fed by water, and abrasives such as sand, or other hand held tools.  Crystal   Popular term for colourless lead glass that is often used to describe any fine glass tableware.  Flame working   The technique of using a gas or propane torch to form objects from rods and tubes of glass. Also called lamp working.  Flint Glass  Also known as lead glass.  Foot   The base of an object; such as the part on which it rests.   ix Free form blowing Blowing glass solely by inflation with a blowpipe and manipulation with tools, without the use of moulds.  Furnace  An enclosed structure for the production and retention of heat, used for melting glass batch and maintaining glass in a molten state.  Fusing   The process of heating the pieces of glass in a kiln until they bond or fuse together.  Gaffer   The person in charge of a team of hot glass workers through the entire production of a piece.  Gather   The technique of winding a ball of molten glass (called a gather) from the furnace onto the end of a blow pipe or punty.  Glass Blowing   The technique of forming an object by inflating molten glass gathered on a blowpipe. The glass is then manipulated and shaped by rolling it on a marver, swinging it, and shaping it with tools.  Glory Hole   A high temperature, gas fueled chamber used to reheat and maintain the temperature of glass pieces while being worked on. The glory hole maintains a temperature of 2200\u00b0 F.  Grinding   The technique of removing the surface of an object with a rotating wheel fed with an abrasive, or by some other means.  Kiln   An insulated, temperature controlled chamber for heating and cooling glass.  Kiln Forming   The technique of fusing, shaping or otherwise altering glass utilizing the heat of a kiln.  Mosaic Glass   The technique of surface decoration or object making made up of smaller glass components, usually many small, adjoining pieces of glass that are then joined together through fusing or, in the case of tile mosaic, grouting.  Murrine  Common pluralization murrini. A term for coloured patterns made in a glass cane that are revealed when cut in cross sections. Term is coined by Italian glassmakers for the ancient Mediterranean mosaic glass technique they rediscovered in the 19th century.  Pate de Verre   A French term meaning \"glass paste,\" pate de verre is the technique of creating a solid form from a glass powder or frit. The \"glass paste\" is brushed or tamped into a mold and fused together in a kiln to form a solid object.  x  Polishing   The process of smoothing the surface of an object by holding it against a rotating wheel fed with a fine abrasive such as pumice or cerium oxide. Glass can be polished with hand held tools as well.  Punty The punty is a solid metal rod that is tipped with a small amount of hot glass and applied to the base of a vessel or object to hold it while the glass is formed. When the punty is removed it often leaves a scar on the base of the object called the punty mark, which is polished out during cold working.  Sandblasting   The process of removing glass or imparting a matte finish by bombardment with fine grains of sand that are propelled by compressed air.  Slumping   The technique of forming glass using a mold, heat and gravity in a kiln. Glass is shaped by falling into or over a slumping mold as the kiln heats the glass to a pliable state, referred to as slumping temperature, 1250\u00b0 F (676\u00b0 C).  Stained Glass  The generic name for decorative windows made of pieces of coloured glass fitted into canes and set in iron frames. In addition to glass coloured by staining, glaziers use glass coloured throughout by metallic oxide, glass coloured by flashing, and glass decorated with enamel.  Studio Glass  A term used to describe unique or limited edition glass objects that were designed and created in a studio instead of a factory. Studio glass movement in North America is generally referred to as 1960 - 1980.       xi Acknowledgements Pursuing my PhD could not be achieved without the tireless support of many people: \uf0b7 My heartfelt appreciation goes to my Supervisor Dr. Naomi McPherson for supporting me through this process; for listening and truly hearing my reasons for wanting to do this research in a particular way; and for being a true advocate of interdisciplinary research. \uf0b7 My deepest gratitude to committee members Dr. Suzanne Gott, and Dr. Robin Dods for their ongoing support; and for their creative and positive feedback despite the many hours of relentless reading and editing. \uf0b7 To my external examiners, Dr. Patricia Tomic, (UBC Okanagan), and Dr. William Ganis (Wells College, NY), the contribution of your time and valuable insights were much appreciated. \uf0b7 Support and encouragement were always provided by fellow graduate students. I wish to thank each of you for your valuable input and inspirational discussions. \uf0b7 Funding this research would not have been possible without the support of Graduate Fellowships from The University of British Columbia. \uf0b7 Natali Rodrigues opened many doors for me in the glass community, and provided a sound foundation from which to pursue my research goals. Your office door was always open, and through our many discussions I gained a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Words of thanks will never be enough.   xii Dedication I respectfully dedicate this research to my husband Peter who lovingly supported my late career decision to leave the full time work world and accomplish this goal.  To my sons, Richard and Christopher, and all my extended family; thank you for your words of encouragement.  I wish to recognize all the women glass artists, crafts people, artists, artisans, and makers in Canada. While I was only able to include a small group of these amazing women, there were many more who wanted to share their stories. As you represent the majority in the Canadian glass world, I can only imagine that the spotlight will finally settle on your collective talents and illuminate you for the talented and gifted women that you are.  1 Chapter One - Introduction Historically, glass blowing has been thought of as a male centered activity; however, the involvement of women in this fiery creative pursuit has increased dramatically since the early days of the studio glass movement (1960 -1980). This research shares the experiences of seventeen women glass blowers in western Canada, the insights of glass instructors, as well as the reflections of several studio, hot shop, and gallery representatives. In determining specific parameters for this research, I decided that a focus on the glass community that resides within the geographical boundaries of western Canada, specifically the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba would provide a unique and focused western perspective. The experiences and stories shared by these participants cover the experimental early days of studio glass through to the glass art movement of the 1980s, up to the present day. Their stories reveal that glass was a desired commodity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and women glass blowers had thriving glass practices despite both transparent and opaque gender barriers. Glass blowers in recent years struggle in a tough economy and, although aware of gender biases, they do not allow this to hamper their success. Glass blowing is hot and heavy work, with many physical considerations. It is also an expensive pursuit and this limits the numbers of people blowing glass and the amount of glass blown by this elite group. The glass blowers involved in this project are self-defined as artists, artisans, crafts persons, or makers; some chose not to define themselves in any one category at all. Their self- definition is based on the type of glass they create, ranging from one-of-a-kind pieces to production work, and several variations in between. Some of the women directly refer to liminality in terms of the work they create or the space they occupy; while others occupy the  2 same space, they have not related this to liminality. Natali Rodrigues, from the Alberta College of Art and Design, was my guide throughout this research and in one of our many discussions she drew a Venn diagram to clarify this liminal space (Figure 1).  Figure 1. Venn diagram of liminal space as described by Natali Rodrigues.  This study does not engage in the debate of what constitutes art versus what constitutes craft as this has been adequately covered by art and craft historians, critical theorists and writers alike. 1The discussion of whether art or craft is defined as \u201cfine art\u201d or \u201cfine craft\u201d (Alfoldy 2005) is also part of this ongoing debate. Art and craft each have their own very distinct histories and theories. My resistance to defining the women as artists or craftspeople, or their work as art or craft is out of respect for these women, and in keeping with the methodologies and theoretical framework of this research. The ability to name, give meaning to or restrict value of different types of work as \u201cart\u201d or \u2018craft\u2019 is an act of hegemonic disempowerment; thus \u201c[c]ontrol of communication allows the managers of  1  For a thorough discussion on craft and \u2018fine\u2019 craft as it relates to the art world see Alfoldy 2007; Adamson 2007; Malarcher 2004; Risatti 2006; Metcalf 1993.  3 ideology to lay down the categories through which reality is to be perceived\u201d (M\u2019Closky 1997:113). Galleries empower themselves by the simple act of naming or categorizing art based on their own preconceptions. In this research, the women glass blowers have actively taken this over by naming their own creative works and practices individually and approaching said galleries on their own terms. For purposes of clarity, galleries are defined two ways in this research; as private or commercial spaces which display work for purchase by the public; or civic galleries and museums that maintain a permanent collection for historical and educational purposes. There is no civic glass gallery in Canada; however, there are a few private or commercial galleries which predominantly or singularly feature glass, and a few civic galleries that have small selections of historical glass pieces often held in the Decorative Arts collection. The Mus\u00e9e des Beaux Arts in Montreal, Quebec has a significant collection in their decorative arts gallery, spanning the early studio glass movement to the present day. The Royal Ontario Museum has a collection of glass paperweights collected internationally with several historical examples of glass objects from the Ancient Islamic world, Europe, America and Canada. This is a stark contrast to the United States where glass museums are in abundance; the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Tacoma Glass Museum in Washington State, the New Bedford Museum of Glass in Massachusetts, and the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, to mention only a few. A Brief History of Glass A world history of glass would of necessity be multidisciplinary and too lengthy for this particular project. The timeline below (Figure 2) gives a visual of the history of glass from its early ancient roots in the Middle East (3000 B.C.E. \u2013 C.E.1890), through the Modern Glass movement (1890 -1960), the Studio Glass Movement (1960 -1980) and the  4 Glass Art Movement (1980 \u2013 present). Two key art and craft movements are addressed in this research, and are indicated in juxtaposition on this chart as well. 1800 1820 1840 1860 19701930 1940 1950 19601880 1900 1910 1920 2000 2010>19901980 Arts & Crafts Movement Women's Art Movement Early glassmaking 3000BCE - CE1890 Modern Glass 1890 - 1960 Studio Glass 1960 - 1980 Glass Art 1980 - Present  Figure 2. Timeline of historical glass movements.  Archeological studies have placed the earliest forms of glass in the Middle East (Syria, Egypt, Iran and Iraq) at between 3000 and 2000 B.C.E. (Macfarlane and Martin 2002) giving this material a long history. Through exploration and trade, the skills for working with glass spread through Eurasia (12). Early forms of glass were opaque and often used as a replacement material for pottery in the making of vessels, as glazing for pottery, and replicating precious stones in jewelry (11-12). Roman civilization was known for its highly tuned technical skills in glass making, and tended to favour the making of glass vessels for domestic uses, and glass beads for jewelry making (15). Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, \u201cthe centre of glass-making shifted back to the eastern Mediterranean\u201d (100) where production ebbed and waned until political revolutions settled and the industry started to revitalize (C.E.750). A new method of glass blowing was invented in the area of Syria and Iraq (Macfarlane and Martin 2002) and in the ninth century the Islamic glass makers produced exquisite work ranging from small domestic vessels, lamps, gaming pieces, and perfume flasks, to large mosaics (101). In terms of flat glass for functional uses, such as window glass, there was very little production of this type in the area at the time (102). The  5 composition of early glass was reliant upon geographical location and the subsequent availability and type of raw materials. Although window glass was produced in small quantities, it was difficult and expensive to make, and therefore only used in significant architectural applications (Henderson 2013). The Middle Eastern glass makers continued to provide luxury and decorative objects to the European world until the 1400s when this glass industry died out. It was the Venetian glass makers who stepped into the void to \u201cfulfill the need for luxury glass\u201d in world markets (Macfarlane and Martin 2002). Up to this point in time, glass was still opaque, until the Venetians invented crystal (C.E.1409), a colourless glass that could be made very thin and completely transparent. With this new, thin and transparent material the demand for glass grew, and glass houses for the production of glass sprung up throughout Europe. In 1696 there were eighty-eight glass factories or glass houses in Europe making vessels, looking-glass plates, crown and plate glass, window glass, flint (lead) glass, and ordinary glass (Macfarlane and Martin 2002). Glass production in Europe continued to evolve as techniques were discovered and perfected, and new formulas were created. Canada\u2019s first glass works opened in 1825; Mallorytown Glassworks opened a factory in eastern Ontario (Stevens 1982) manufacturing domestic vessels, and decorative glassware. The Canada Glass Works in St. Jean, Quebec opened its doors in 1840, making bottles and window glass, but closed in1860. Glass factories in Canada opened and closed according to financial solvency, with some folding into larger glass factories. Flood noted that glass historian Gerald Stevens was able to document 33 glass houses in Canada in the nineteenth century, of which only 17 survived into the highly mechanized twentieth century (Flood 2001:79). In referencing the Burlington Glass Works, Stevens stated that \u201cglass was produced and shaped by blowpipe and punty (solid metal rod), by blowing it in a mould, by  6 pressing or by casting, and was decorated by means of acid, cutting, and sandblasting and paint\u2026the Burlington works experimented in every known colouration of glass\u201d (Stevens 1961: 32). The Dominion Glass Company incorporated in 1913 with several of the above mentioned companies amalgamated into their operations, and they are still in business across Canada today. With the Art Nouveau movement (1890-1914), a new form of glass made its way onto the scene when art glass was introduced at the Universal Exposition of 1889 (Lahor 2007). Prior to this exhibition, in Europe and the Americas, glass was generally employed for practical everyday uses such as windows, goblets and other vessels, which were routinely produced in factories such as Orrefors in Sweden, Tiffany in the United States, and Lalique in France. One of the earliest producers of the new art glass was Emile Galle in France, and the experimentation continued in France with Rene Lalique, and in the United States with Louis Comfort Tiffany. These were glass factory owners who, with the help of their employed craftsmen, worked with casting and hand finishing techniques to create unique decorative vessels with coloured and textured finishes (Opie 2004). Early art glass explorations also included using glass for casting sculptures, a process attributed to Emile Galle early in the twentieth century, and later to the Corning Glass Works in the United States and the Josef Riedel factory in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, with the first large free standing sculptures of glass \u201cexhibited in the Czechoslovak pavilion of the 1958 Expo in Brussels\u201d (Frantz 2006). These early art glass sculptures were made by blowing hot glass into moulds, and then using various finishing techniques to complete the sculpture. These glass artists used premade glass ingots purchased from factories, and melted this in small  7 batches, rather than mixing the raw materials required to make the glass from scratch as was done in the factories (Frantz 2006). In the 1950s, several ceramic artists were engaged in kiln-forming, which uses the very laborious but creative processes of slumping (heating glass and allowing it to droop freely), fusing (two pieces of glass are bonded together using the heat of a furnace), enameling (fusing glass powder to metal at high heat), and lampworking (using a gas fueled torch to melt small rods of glass into shapes) (Opie 2004). Ceramists Francis (1912 \u2013 2004) and Michael Higgins (1905 \u2013 1998), and Edris Eckhardt (1905-1998) specialized in this type of glass working in the United States. Glass blowing remained in the factory setting until the studio glass movement of the mid-twentieth century was ignited by two key developments: a small pot kiln that could be managed by one person and a new glass formula that was ideal for free form glass blowing (Opie 2004). Blowing air bubbles through a long pipe into molten glass is a centuries old technique, but with early glass recipes molten glass was unpredictable, and not able to hold a consistent free form shape; thus, the use of moulds. The newly learned skills of glass blowing without a mould were shared internationally with a few key figures leading the way; in Europe, Erwin Eisch, Jean Sala, and Ludovico Diaz de Santillana; and in America, Harvey Littleton (Frantz 2006). A seminar and workshop held at the University of Wisconsin in 1962 was the start of a decade punctuated with the opening of new glass programmes at art schools and universities in the United States, and a cadre of artists practicing and sharing new found skills in blown glass (Klein 1986). The Canadian studio glass movement followed in 1968 when Robert Held, an American ceramist, proposed that Sheridan College in Ontario be the first to offer a glass programme in Canada. With the addition of Karl Schantz, an American  8 glass artist, the program thrived (Klein 1986). Many of the graduates from that program spread across Canada to establish studios, glass workshops and glass programmes in other schools (Klein 1986). By the 1970s, the term studio glass was seldom used, as lone glass artisans adopted the \u201cVenetian method of working as part of a team of skilled glass-blowers assembled under one master blower\u201d (Opie 2004: 11), which is still evident today in glass studios and hot shops. The studio glass movement remained strong until a major shift took place in the glass world in the 1980s and the glass art movement began. Many glass blowers moved away from work created solely with the blown glass technique, and returned to an emphasis on the cold and warm glass techniques that were popular before free form glass blowing. These old techniques were made new again, and offered more creative scope combining different techniques and materials. Glass art was born, and glass blowers who had been relying on the beauty of the material in blown glass pieces to speak for itself, now had to deal with the dilemma of creating artistic glass pieces that had contextual meaning. This created a division between artists who work with glass, and the elite group of glass blowers. While creating art or sculpting with glass gave women glass artists a certain level of entre to the fine art world, glass blowers had a more difficult time making this transition, as their blown vessels were still seen as functional craft. This barrier has been breached by a few women glass blowers, using blown works to create installation pieces, or combining blowing with other techniques and materials, but they are an elite group.  9 Historical Overview of Women\u2019s Involvement with Arts & Crafts As stated previously, this project will not pursue the goal of defining blown glass as either art or craft; that naming belongs in the hands of the women glass blowers. However, a brief discussion of the arts and crafts movement (1880 \u2013 1910) and women\u2019s involvement in the arts and crafts historically, gives a solid framework to support this project. The arts & crafts movement developed in the late nineteenth century in response to the Industrial Revolution. As industrialization and mechanization drew the production of wares from the home out into the factories and workshops, the aesthetics of mass produced objects was called into question, as was the changing social landscape. This became a catalyst for social reform. Using the arts as their focus, the ideology of the arts and crafts movement was interwoven into \u201cpart of a much broader climate of social reform that was evident by the early twentieth century\u201d (Baizerman 2000:7). Arguments of the day reflected the anxieties brought on by industrialization; machines taking over for man [sic]; tradition being replaced by the new; and moral standards perceived to be slipping, thus putting family foundations at risk. As a result of these societal anxieties, social reform movements were plentiful, as were reform strategies that worked to keep women relegated to the home sphere, keeping family foundations intact. The Victorian ideology of separate spheres was slowly changing as modern women moved into the public sphere, building schools, campaigning for social change, entering the professional world, and selling their art work (Deepwell 1998). Representations of women\u2019s contributions to the modernist movement in the arts were filtered through a changing social lens. While orthodox discourse variably places modernism between 1890 \u2013 1940, with numerous periods highlighted throughout, for the purpose of this dissertation I define modernity as covering the socio-historical sphere, that of social,  10 historical and cultural developments. Modernism is a collection of diverse theories, practices, and ideologies covering the cultural aesthetic sphere of art and literary movements which have \u201cdefined what counts as significant art practice, and formed both the implicit and explicit biases of much art criticism and history\u201d (Deepwell 1998:4). If we view modernism as a \u201cset of ideologies, within culture\u201d (4), combined with the triad of race, class, and gender, this aids in the understanding of the value system used to create and enforce the hegemonic system which relegated women artists as minor contributors in the modernist movement. In the early twentieth century, areas of craft production dominated by women were flourishing; however, by the end of World War Two, the value of these hand crafted objects had declined (Fariello 2004). This signaled the end of the ideology of the arts and crafts movement (1910) which centered on the \u201ctraditions of 'right making', honesty of construction, truth to materials and joy in labour\u201d (Kirkham 1998: 18). Modernist thinking in the arts championed the \u201chigh-quality, low-cost and industrially mass-produced\u201d (15). For some artists, this translated into innovative and progressive works that, sometimes, could carry modernist social and political agendas by representing a utopian ideal of humanity and society. This created a dilemma for women in the arts and crafts; work done at home was not as well received as work done in the professional studio space. The devaluation of the homemade craft item was directly related to the modernist concepts of urban versus rural, where urban equated to industrialization, and rural to human-made. The dichotomy of home (country, rural) to work (city, urban), supported the separation of art created in a city studio or craft created in the home. Socially proscribed gender roles of men and women artists continued well past the end of the arts and crafts movement (1910) and although the ideology of separate spheres  11 was slowly changing, women artists were still challenged by the barrier of the modernist functionalist (masculinist) way of thinking which considered decorative arts as non-essential or superficial. Certain craft objects such as pottery and textiles were seen as domestic, thus, women who created these items in their home or private studios were seen as producing inferior non-professional objects (Fariello 2004). Further, as these crafts were practiced by women, they were considered feminine and therefore devalued (Negrin 2006). The barriers to success for women in the arts continued through the first half of the twentieth century; barriers which were a key point of discussion for the Women\u2019s Art Movement of the 1970s. Judy Chicago, and the many other women who were working on The Dinner Party in the early 1970s, experienced these barriers firsthand. Chicago made this entry in her journal on March 6, 1977: In taking on [the Dinner Party], I took on the real nexus of the problem that has prevented women from overcoming their oppression: 1. The enormity of the task of changing attitudes on a large scale; 2. The problems of female role conditioning and how it prevents women from working at all, much less facing the challenge of changing their condition; and 3. The absence of support in society (Chicago 2007:13).  Studio Glass Movement and Women\u2019s Involvement So when did women enter the glass world? Historical evidence suggests that as early as the mid-17 th  century, women relatives of master glass workers were granted special permission by the Venetian Glassmakers Guild to work as bead stringers in the Venetian glass houses (Bardhan 2010). There is also evidence in France, Germany and Bohemia in the 19 th  century of women doing flame working demonstrations and producing light bulbs using flame working or lamp working equipment (Bardhan 2010). The mid-19 th  century also saw women entering glass factories employed in the selection, cleaning and wrapping of glass,  12 with a few recorded instances of women engaged in cold working glass such as in polishing or grinding finished pieces (Bardhan 2010). During this same era, women were employed as glass cutters and engravers in many European glass factories, however there are very few recorded instances in England and in the United States. By 1929 there were more women than men employed as glass cutters or engravers in the United States (Bardhan 2010). Women also worked in the cold glass or stained glass works for Tiffany and similar glass houses (Eidelberg, Gray and Hofer 2007; Callen 1979) in the early twentieth century. Two recent texts on the Tiffany collections illustrate that women did not work in the hot glass shops. In one text dedicated to favrile (blown) glass, there is no mention of women at all (Eidelberg 2007), while the other text thoroughly addresses the role that women played as glass cutters and designers in the stained glass (cold glass) shop (Eidelberg, Gray and Hofer 2007). Eidelberg\u2019s research revealed that in the Tiffany Studios, Clara Driscoll designed many of the Tiffany lamps, \u201cthe bronze and mosaic candlesticks, inkstands, and other objets de luxe that brought Tiffany fame at the turn of the century\u201d (Eidelberg 2007:24). As the manager of the Women\u2019s Glass Cutting Department, Driscoll oversaw the creation of some of her own window and lamp designs, as well as those of women designers in her department, and Louis Tiffany\u2019s designs as well (Eidelberg 2007). Except for one instance of notoriety, Driscoll did not receive the accolades for her designs as all work was presented under the Tiffany studio label. \u201cClara\u2019s achievements might have gone unnoticed by modern historians had it not been for a short discussion of her work in a 1904 article on highly paid women in the New York Daily News\u201d (Eidelberg 2007: 12). It is difficult to find reference to women working in hot glass or glass blowing in the early to mid-twentieth century. One rare example is a glass vase designed and manufactured by sculptor Nelia Casella, which was  13 exhibited at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, 1914 (Callen 1979). This vase would have been done by blowing glass into a mould and doing the finishing when it had cooled. Until the 1950s, there is very little historical documentation on women working with warm or hot glass, with the notable exceptions of Frances Higgins (1912 \u2013 2004) and Edris Eckhardt (1905 - 1998), and again, this would be in small studios rather than in factory settings. Frances Higgins had studied ceramics at Ohio State University and in 1942, as a member of the Ceramist Society, attended a demonstration of slumped or kiln formed glass in Cincinnati. Returning home she made the necessary moulds from clay and then using her kiln, slumped window glass into plate and bowl forms. By 1948, Frances and Michael Higgins were operating a small busy studio out of their apartment creating kiln formed and fused glass pieces. In 1957, they set up a studio in partnership with the Dearborn Glass Company of Chicago, which is still in operation today being run by two people who trained with the Higgins\u2019s (Higgins Glass Studio, Riverside Illinois). Edris Eckhardt was a ceramic sculptor who studied at the Cleveland School of Art. She experimented with warm glass methods and pate du verre; a paste of glass applied to a mould and then fired in the kiln. While studying at the Cleveland School of Art (CSA), \u201cshe was passed over for the Herman N. Matzen Award in favor of a male student, because the committee felt the year of study abroad would be wasted on a woman who might choose family over career\u201d (Kisvardai 2007). Upon her graduation in 1931, \u201cEdythe Aline Eckhardt changed her first name to the more gender-ambiguous Edris\u201d (Kisvardai 2007). In 1953, her revival of a centuries old technique of fusing gold leaf between sheets of glass initiated a new phase in her artistic career. The New Bedford Museum of Glass (NBMOG) notes that  14 Eckhardt was instrumental in introducing glass into the art program at the University of California, Berkeley in 1961 (NBMOG 2006). Women Glass Blowers in Western Canada Since the dawn of the studio glass movement in Canada (1971), the number of women registered in glass programs in Canada has rapidly increased and now surpasses men as registrants in glass programs (Prowse-Fainmel 2008:55); ninety percent of students in the glass program at the Alberta College of Art and Design are women (Rodrigues 2010). As noted above, the studio glass movement in Canada started almost a decade later than in the United States, propelled by the start of a new glass program at Sheridan College (Ontario) in 1971 (Klein 1986). In the years that followed, several other Canadian schools brought glass programs into their curriculum, including  Georgian College, Ontario (1971), Alberta College of Art and Design (1974), Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e1 Trois-Rivi\u00e8res (1974), Ontario College of Art (1980), and Le Centre des M\u00e9tiers du Verre du Qu\u00e9bec (1987) (Klein 1986). These schools initiated the careers of many women glass blowers in Canada, and while this list of talented glass blowers is extensive, my research only focuses on women glass blowers who reside and practice in western Canada, regardless of where they did their initial training. I had the pleasure and honour of spending time with several women glass blowers during the tenure of this project. Ione Thorkelsson and Martha Henry were both students of the newly created glass program at Sheridan College in the early 1970s. These two accomplished glass blowers are still actively creating and working with glass today. The Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) started their glass program in 1974 and several notable and talented women glass artists have graduated since then. In the 1980s, Brenda Taylor attended ACAD, while Bonny Houston and Morna Tudor studied glass blowing at  15 Sheridan. In the 1990s, Barbara Rumberger, Jamie Gray, Susan Gottselig, and Natali Rodrigues were all registered in the glass program at ACAD. Sarah Mulligan was a graduate of Sheridan in the 1990s and, in the new millennium (2000s), Toni Johnson completed her studies in the glass program at Sheridan, while Katherine Russell and Larissa Blokhuis both graduated from the glass program at ACAD. Aside from the two main Canadian glass programs in Ontario and Alberta, there were other avenues and training facilities available to Canadian glass students. Laura Murdoch completed her glass studies at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington in the 1990s, while Lisa Samphire learned her craft under the tutelage of David New-Small at New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery in Vancouver, BC. Tara Pawson received her introduction to glass in a one week workshop at Jeff Burnett\u2019s hot shop in Vancouver in the early 2000s, and then two consecutive summer workshops held at Red Deer College. She then spent several years perfecting her craft while working in the Robert Held Studio in Vancouver, BC. Naoko Takenouchi started her glass studies at the Tama Art University in Tokyo in the 1980s and then moved to North America where she continued her studies in New York and at the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. Her practice has been established in Vancouver for many years. All of the above mentioned women glass blowers have contributed the stories of their experiences as glass blowers, artists, makers, crafts people, and artisans. Through their eyes we gain an understanding of the elite community of glass blowers in western Canada.  16 Methodology & Theory This dissertation illustrates how feminist ethnography, combined with dialogical phenomenology can support a critical and creative research design for exploring the world of women glass blowers in western Canada, one which honours differences and acknowledges complexities. Respecting the valuable insights, perspectives, and experiences of individual woman glass blowers in Canada, I have used participant observation and open-ended interviews, involving the women glass blowers in thematizing and interpreting throughout the research. Guided by the principles of feminist ethnography, and the philosophy of dialogical phenomenology, this research explores the glass community through the eyes of women glass blowers in western Canada. There has been no published research on this topic and therefore, these women and the experiences they share are extremely significant as it contributes to the story of Canadian women in the arts and crafts. Their voices will be foregrounded in the body of this dissertation, using narrative ethnography to individualize and respect their knowledge and experiences. Many of the women in this research refer to the liminal space, both in reference to the work they create and the creative space that they occupy. This research design will contribute to the definition and deconstruction of the liminal space between art and craft to reveal an outline of a communitas of women glass artists within a community of practice. The word liminal is derived from the Latin word for threshold, and is often used to describe a site with complex social structures similar to fringe or borderland societies. The glass world and glass objects exist in the liminal space between craft and art; and it is on this threshold between the two phenomena that transition occurs. As a place of growth and change, the liminal space is the antithesis of structure (Turner 1977) which therefore invites dialogue and creative  17 development (synthesis). By proposing that glass objects exist in the liminal space between art and craft, I am further proposing that the women glass blowers in this space have formed a liminal communitas shaped by their shared experiences. In this paper, community will refer to the site that has always joined artists and crafts people; a community of practice as defined by Lave and Wenger (1991). Communities of practice are groups of people banded together by a shared interest and by their involvement in this collective they share learning experiences. Turner\u2019s definition of communitas refers to a \u201cmodality of social relationship\u201d (1977: 96) rather than a physical place or community; with the recognition that people in this state of flux create union in what he describes as communitas (Turner 1977). Ethnography Contemporary ethnography is defined as both a product of research and a research process (Schensul, Schensul and LeCompte 1999) and is both a method and a genre; \u201cIt describes what we do as well as what we write\u201d (Sharman 2007:118). It is both iterative and inductive, evolving in response to the dynamics of the research project and participants. Ethnography falls within the qualitative paradigm, employing and combining several methods for gathering data such as interviewing, participant observation, focus groups, and discourse analysis. All of these methods allow the flexibility necessary to respond to the dynamics of the research. In North America, the early ethnographic writings of the Chicago School of Sociology (1900 \u2013 1950s) reflected a new focus in ethnographic and sociological research in industrialized societies at home and in Europe. The Chicago school established urban sociological research, using qualitative methodology on city streets, observing and recording the daily encounters and activities of a myriad of people (Murchison 2010:242; O'Reilly 2005:252). During the modernist era (1950-1970), the second Chicago School,  18 made up of students studying under Everett Hughes, taught the Chicago methods of urban ethnography and interpretive sociology. Turning the gaze away from the colonized \u201cother,\u201d Hughes, along with several students, published Boys in White: Student Culture in Medical School (1961) which highlighted the new focus of ethnographic and sociological research. New theories and analytic approaches were introduced to urban ethnographic methodology by the second Chicago school. In his Interpretation of Cultures (1973), anthropologist Clifford Geertz introduced thick description as a means of describing culture in greater detail. In the 1980s, historian James Clifford co-wrote, with anthropologist George Marcus, the controversial tome Writing Culture: the Poetics and Politics of Culture (1986) which instigated a critical debate about representation during a time when researchers were starting to think critically and reflexively on the epistemologies within cultural anthropology (Atkinson, Coffey and Delamont 1999:462). Ethnography involves long term, usually personal connections with participants in their daily lives and requires careful observation, listening and questioning. The product of ethnographic research can be an interpretation, a story, a theory or any combination thereof, of a culture or community, situated in a particular time and place, which illustrates the complex interactions of people with\u2013and within\u2013their world (Schensul et al. 1999). The role of ethnography is to illuminate culture (Streubert 1999:145-170) which, broadly defined, is the multidimensional interaction of people with each other, with social institutions and government (Ang 2005: 478) and the shared values and meanings that are often illustrated in texts and visual representations (Hall 1997). In this research design, the ethnographic or field-site will be an interconnected and related compilation of people, things, events and places (Marcus 2008), developed around a  19 multi-sited agenda that spans western Canada\u2019s glass community. While some researchers argue for defining site as either a geographic term or one of positionality or perspective (Falzon 2009:2), I have defined site as both. Multi-sited ethnographies reshape the framework to allow for a collaborative and reflexive in-depth study on the systems that affect people in multiple sites (Marcus 1995). In this type of study, it is necessary to address issues of positionality and power at each of the multiple sites. While the idea of place is secondary to the subject matter of the research (Coleman 2006:31-46), it still needs to be considered in the multi-sited agenda. Critiques of multi-sited research argue that this research style dilutes knowledge obtained in the field resulting in a thin description. The hermeneutic style advocated by Geertz employs in-depth and thorough descriptions that can only be obtained by thoroughly examining and interpreting the complex layers of information obtained in a single site, to illuminate the \u201cstructures of signification\u201d (Geertz 1973:9). This type of thick description is understood to be the result of a long term, in-depth, single-sited observation of a culture. However, this research design of interconnected sites reveals \u201cnew paths of connection and association by which traditional ethnographic concerns with agency, symbols, and every day practices can continue to be expressed on a differently configured spatial canvas\u201d (Marcus 1995:95-117). Documenting experiences in college hot shops, as well as in shared and private hot shops, provided views of both the structured academic environment and the professional glass community. Dialogue with both new and veteran glass blowers reveals similarities and differences in how the women in this study individually negotiate their way through the art and craft communities in western Canada. In cities where glass art programs are included in art school curricula, there is a larger community of glass artists and often more community support. Interviewing glass artists in cities where glass art  20 is not taught in art schools, or even where there are no art schools, revealed different barriers to be negotiated, such as how they stay connected to the larger glass community, or how they keep their skills current. The experiences of women glass blowers working outside of major centers magnify the barriers that exist for all women and therefore it was particularly important to document their stories. Moving their work from the local craft scene to galleries in larger cities often presented insurmountable barriers. In this research, galleries and glass studios, as well as many different glass blowers from across western Canada have contributed to a mosaic of perspectives which recognizes that there is no one representation of a cultural or global system. Every community or culture has its own unique language, which is the basis of that particular culture. For this arts based research design, there is a need for fluency in the particular language of glass, both technical and aesthetic, to enable the dialogue with glass blowers in their studios and with curators in galleries. I have tried to include definitions throughout the writing, but have also included a glossary of terms to assist the readers\u2019 understanding. The language used by glass blowers in their studios is specialized and technical, with specific phrases or words marking the blower as either master of the craft or apprentice (Fischer 2008:191). Teaching and learning a craft is both haptic (that is, tactile or kinaesthetic) and somatic (embodied) 2 , and knowledge transfer generally occurs through the apprentice-master configuration, whether in schools or private studios. Thus, a familiarity with the language of the craft, such as specific words or phrases for tasks or functions, and names of tools are necessary to understand the skills being demonstrated. Through the  2  I define haptic as the hands-on tactile experience and somatic as the sensation or senses related to the experience. Others have defined these terms within their own discipline. See Paterson 2009 for some clarification of haptic, or O\u2019Connor 2005 for an interpretation of the somatic or embodied experience of glass blowing.  21 interview process and successive visits to studios I have learned the language of glass; by participating in a hot glass workshop, I experienced the challenges of blowing glass, and obtained a hands-on understanding of the technical skills needed to accomplish this creative pursuit (Figure 3). As with any ethnographic research, it is incumbent on the researcher to learn to speak the language spoken, and this research encompasses a multiplicity of languages: \uf0b7 gallery curators have their own jargon surrounding exhibitions; \uf0b7 government or private funding bodies at municipal, provincial and federal levels have their own bureaucratese; \uf0b7 and, there are terms used to define the aesthetics for both art and craft. Familiarity with these particular idioms, jargons, and terminologies as they span and are shared amongst the multiple field sites, connects the discourse of these different sites and thus increases the veracity of the research (Marcus 1995).  22  Figure 3. Catherine Siermacheski in a glass blowing workshop, Tacoma, WA, 2009.  While cultural anthropology is reflexive and interpretive, acknowledging and recognizing \u201cthe notion of the \u2018situated observer\u2019\u201d (Panourgia and Kavouras 2008:15-28), it is still necessary for cultural anthropologists or ethnographers to identify their situatedness in terms of the research, thereby eliminating any presumptions of a dichotomy of self and other. While I may be a woman who has a beginner\u2019s understanding of the knowledge and experience of working with glass, I am definitely not a glass blower, and therefore I am situated as an outside observer. This is in contrast to the embodied study done by Erin O\u2019Connor (2005), who immersed herself as a glass blowing student to understand the techniques and to gain embodied knowledge. My experiences with glass are limited to workshops in hot and warm glass, and several years of creating in stained glass.  23 The Philosophy of Dialogical Phenomenology The dialogical relationship between researchers and participants \u201cis doubly hermeneutic, because human beings can and do interpret back, which creates an interpretive loop\u201d (Zayed 2008:551-577). Qualitative interviewing, which is both reflexive and dialogical, provides the researcher with a wealth of information available only from the experiences, memories, thoughts and words of the participant (Reinharz and Chase 2001: 221-234) and creates a discursive outcome that produces knowledge. Denzin (2001) advocates for interpretive social science and suggests that interviews should be reflexive, dialogic or performative (24) and therefore the phenomenological enterprise of elucidating the meaning of lived experience is brought to life through the performative act of the interview (26). In the many discussions with the women glass blowers, new topics and questions were raised, which further expanded this research into areas I had not previously thought to explore; thereby completing the hermeneutic circle. Classical phenomenology has confined itself to an egocentric perspective considering only a single sided view and subjectifying the researched (Stawarska 2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis pursues two related goals; \u201cthe phenomenological requirement to understand and \u2018give voice\u2019 to the concerns of participants; and the interpretative requirement to contextualize and \u2018make sense\u2019 of these claims and concerns\u201d (Larkin et al. 2006:102-120). However, the resulting interpretative analysis requires the researcher to speculate as to what it all means (104). This method still overshadows the voice of the participant, layering it with the descriptions or interpretations of the interviewer. In other words, the research subject does not really have a voice; it is not their voice that is actually heard. To engage a dialogic tradition, the discourse between \u201cI\u201d and \u201cyou\u201d is acknowledged and one necessarily works in synthesis with the  24 other (Stawarska 2009:5-6). The researcher subsumes the position of expert to the co- researcher or participant and through a series of dialogic interviews arrives at a mutually meaningful description of the lived experience (Pollio, Henley and Thompson 1997:29). In this relational approach, the researcher and co-researcher or participant work together, dialoguing and thematizing during the interview process, and thus \u201cdata is seen to emerge out of the researcher-co-researcher relationship, and is understood to be co-created in the embodied dialogical encounter\u201d (Finlay 2009:6-25). This dialectic and dialogic process results in a voice that is choral; made up of all the women in this research. Pivotal in the decision to include dialogical phenomenology as one of the methodologies for this research design is the issue of voice, something that is acknowledged by the narrative writing style employed in this dissertation. Methodologies & Epistemologies of Feminist Research Feminist epistemological principles in research seek to dispel hegemonic practices and argue for gendered knowledge, critiques and practices. To accomplish this, feminist research must recognize the issue of how voices are represented, who has the authority to represent them if at all and, finally and most importantly, to remove barriers, both institutional and individual, that prevent women from speaking in their own voice (Langellier 1994:65-80). Recording the experiential authority of individual women from their own perspective takes into account the tenants of feminist standpoint theory. The epistemic position of women, who can be situated at any number of sites, such as race, class, geography, or even their situated position in the hierarchy of an institution, a community or a family (Grasswick 2008) must be considered to preclude any assumptions of essentialism. Standpoint epistemology argues that knowledge is constructed at the intersections of all of  25 these sites. Grounded in lived experiences, this situated or privileged knowledge yields a particular perspective. The research process itself establishes power structures and differences and raises important questions on perspective: \u201cWho defines what counts as a problematic situation? Whose concepts, questions, and hypotheses are the focus of the research? Whose theories and methods of producing knowledge are favoured?\u201d (Harding and Norberg 2005:2009-2015; Code 1995). Positional power is of key importance in all of these questions. Feminist researchers address these issues of voice and authority by understanding positionality and accountability of both the researcher and their respondents (Benson and Nagar 2006). Situated power intersects with place, location and time to shape the unique perspective of each person, and feminist research recognizes that women bring \u201cdifferent amounts and kinds of social power (class, race, gender, ethnicity, urban, or rural backgrounds, etc.) to the research situation\u201d (Harding and Norberg 2005:2012). This awareness of the complexity of people studying people, and the multiple layers of understanding and interconnectivity is addressed in ethnographic research by reflexivity, which considers \u201cthe way researchers consciously write themselves into the text, the audiences\u2019 reactions to and reflections on the meaning of the research, the social location of the researcher, and the analysis of disciplines as sites of knowledge production\u201d (Fonow and Cook 2005:2219). The glass community is a complex mosaic of people, skills and experiences. The challenge was to equitably and reflexively present the individual experiences and voices of the women glass blowers, acknowledging and recording their individual perspectives; thus, presenting a clear picture of their world as women glass blowers in western Canada. As there has been no ethnographic research done with women glass blowers in western Canada, it is  26 of paramount importance to highlight the words and experiences of these experts; therefore, I have chosen to write the body of this dissertation in a narrative style, which not only honours the true spirit, if not intent of feminist research, but pays homage to these women by respecting that their words have relevance and should not be buried in theoretical generalizations. I recall the words of Catherine Lutz addressing the role of gender and theory in anthropological writing: To the extent that women are seen as less intelligent, their writing will be seen as less theoretical, no matter how they write. Evidence for the existence of this phenomenon in all areas of sociocultural [academic] life is overwhelming. Women\u2019s discourse equals description (or complaint); male discourse equals theory, the covering of law. The words of women do not have the same weight as the words of men, and theoretical words are especially heavy (Lutz 1995).  Kirin Narayan states that \u201cas ethnographers, we are usually trained to set forth arguments, rather than to write narrative. We learn to use illustrative anecdotes, but not how to pace our representations of events to hold a reader\u2019s interest\u201d (Narayan 2007). Sharman encourages a narrative style in ethnographic writing \u201cto reposition experience as central to the anthropological project (2007:118). Bochner advocates for the narrative turn as it \u201cmoves away from a singular, monolithic conception of social science toward a pluralism that promotes multiple forms of representation and research\u2026away from master narratives and toward local stories\u201d (Bochner 2001:134). To present the knowledge shared by these women glass blowers in the form of a dissertation requires a writing style that honours the voices of the women and respects their lived experiences as individuals. This is achieved by foregrounding their narratives in the body of this dissertation (chapter two and three), and framing this with an introduction and conclusion to emphasize the relevance of their shared experiences. Modeled on Sharman\u2019s narrative style (2007) and keeping in mind the words of  27 Narayan (2007), Bochner (2001), and Lutz (1995) this ethnography will present a creative and holistic picture of the glass world in western Canada, as told by the women glass blowers within. Using Feminist Ethnography & Dialogical Phenomenology to Explore the Glass Community in Western Canada  This multi-sited feminist ethnography illuminates the many individual standpoints within the glass community and brings into focus the power imbalances within that community. Interviewing women glass blowers involved a number of visits to different studio and hot glass shops as well as the galleries where their work is shown and trade shows where they market their creations. It was also important to ascertain why certain gallery owners and curators have refused to show glass works. Every studio and hot shop was different depending on where it was located and on the funds available to build and equip this expensive space. Not every glass blower can afford to own a hot glass studio or hot shop and often need to rent time in someone else\u2019s shop. Not infrequently this provided an opportunity to observe and interact with glass blowers working alone or alongside other glass blowers in a team environment. In the craft tradition, crafts people frequently work in team environments, assisting with tasks that require an extra pair of hands, teaching new skills, or jointly creating projects. In a shared or leased space, glass blowers sometimes work in teams assisting each other in their creations, but they also work on their own. Observation and open ended interviews with the glass blowers in the hot shop while they were working together or alone revealed multiple layers of knowledge from their experiences working as part of a creative team, learning from their peers, and from the experiences they gained simply by being in a collectively creative space.  28 In this research, I determined in what years each participant obtained their initial training or first exposure to glass blowing. The relevance of this became obvious when each participant regaled me with different experiences with regard to gender in the glass world, which was sometimes relational to the year\/years in which they first obtained their training. I also noted that the site of study or training had an impact on their individual gendered experiences. Further to this, the individual ages of the participants also played a role in how they perceived gender differences in the hot shop or in the larger glass community. Significantly, a few of the participants noted that their perspective was in fact privileged by either their position, for example as the head of a glass program or the owner of a hot shop or studio, and some regarded their relative financial stability (provided by parents or spouse) as giving them a different point of view. Although not all galleries would agree to a formal interview, some provided responses by email. The West End Gallery in Victoria, and New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio and Gallery in Vancouver both provided interesting and informative interviews which in most cases supported knowledge obtained from interviewing women glass blowers. In a less formal situation, I participated in a non-guided gallery stroll, inquiring of employees, and owners in commercial galleries on the lack of glass pieces in their exhibition or display spaces. The responses were varied, but most simply did not understand enough about glass to enable them to feel comfortable promoting it within their gallery. This too reinforced some of the experiences shared by the women glass blowers in their individual dealings with galleries. Again, to restate a previous thought, how we define or interpret things is based on our own world view. While I, as a researcher, may perceive social phenomena in one way, the women glass blowers each have different experiences and perceptions of those  29 phenomena. Thus, while some glass blowers may perceive the gallery world as exclusionary, others may not see it in the same light. Avoiding generalizations and the all-encompassing essences of classical phenomenology, Van Maanen (1988) suggests an alternative approach that views the unique experiences of individuals as they see themselves in the world and which he claims ultimately shapes their own world (173). The dialogical and dialectical encounters empowered the research participants (Lather 1988:569-581), and acknowledged their authority, which comes from their unique position within their culture. Dialogical phenomenology moves research onto an intersectional and inter-subjective plane of discovery. Both dialogical phenomenology and feminist ethnography conceptualize the interview process as a dialogue between researcher and participant. It is in this dynamic space between the researcher\u2019s world and the participant\u2019s world where dialogue generates mutual understanding and knowledge creation. If epistemology is defined as the theory of knowledge, and phenomenology is the study of our experiences, then they are inextricably linked through the experience of gaining knowledge through dialogue. Dialogical phenomenology melds with feminist research practices and allows for multiple voices and shared interpretations.    30 Chapter Two \u2013 The Women Glass Blowers of Western Canada As a member of the Glass Art Association of Canada (GAAC), I decided to introduce my research topic at the semi-annual conference in Montreal 2009. Standing on stage in a room full of accomplished glass artists, I hoped they would recognize value in my research and that I would gain a few contacts. My topic choice was met with exuberant applause, and the number of women who approached me with their contact information was overwhelming. Snowballing introductions continued throughout the remainder of the conference, and when I finally settled back at my desk a week later, I realized that I had chosen a topic that would have no lack of participants. My only dilemma was in scaling down the participant list to match my research funding, which led me to focusing my efforts in western Canada. The introductions continued through the GAAC website, and emails back and forth to women glass blowers in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba. Some had heard about my research from others and wanted to participate; others sent me names of people to connect with, and they in turn agreed to participate. In the end, seventeen women glass blowers in western Canada agreed to participate. In trying to decide how to best present this research, I struggled with balancing academia and honouring the true spirit in which the women glass blowers shared their stories. Their experiences were varied, interesting, anecdotal and unique; therefore, in capturing their words, I have tried to leave quoted text as original and genuine as possible, with a few minor edits to enhance readability. The lives of these women revolve around glass blowing; therefore, this research is presented in a way that pays tribute to the whole process of blowing glass and getting it out into the market. In the first section, titled \u201cLight it Up!\u201d I will metaphorically light the furnace and get the shop ready for the glass blowing process by  31 introducing the women glass blowers and relaying some biographical information. As there are so few places to receive formal training as a glass blower in Canada, it is no surprise that all the women in my research have crossed paths at different points in their careers. Three Canadian schools that are predominantly mentioned by these women are Sheridan College (Sheridan), the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), and Red Deer College (Red Deer). While Sheridan and ACAD have full-time glass programs, Red Deer only runs summer programs in glass blowing. The Pilchuck School of Glass (Pilchuck) in Washington State is mentioned by a number of the women who have taken workshops there or volunteered as pole turners in the summer. The pole turner volunteer position has attracted many as it is an opportunity to work alongside glass artists from all over the world. Pilchuck also runs a number of workshops throughout the school year, in which some of these women glass blowers have participated. One other place where some of the Vancouver glass blowers intersect is at the newly opened Terminal City Glass Co-op which had its grand opening in 2012. This is a place where the glass community can come together to blow glass, take workshops on new techniques, and participate in exhibitions. Not all the women glass blowers in this research have taken formal education to train in glass blowing; a few have participated in a number of workshops mentioned above, while others have done their training as an apprentice in a glass studio or hot shop. The next section titled \u201cBlowing Glass and Does Size Matter?\u201d relates the women\u2019s experiences with the physicality of glass blowing, the fragility of glass, and other material concerns. These areas of discussion tended to bring out experiences with gender issues surrounding glass, such as the false perception that there are more men doing glass blowing than women, and that bigger is better both in the size of the person, and the size of the blown  32 piece. Gendered experiences vary according to where and in what decade the women did their training or started their glass blowing careers. Age also plays a factor in the decisions of some of the women with regard to the number of hours they can allot to blowing glass. Two of the women participants became pregnant during the course of this project, and although they did not stop blowing, they are both coming to terms with how mothering might affect their future as fulltime glass blowers. After each piece is blown and slowly allowed to return to room temperature (annealed), it needs cold working. Cold working a piece can be a laborious and time consuming activity involving everything from sand blasting designs on a surface area, to sanding and polishing an entire surface, to grinding the bottom to insure the piece stands level. Just as the cold working process is laborious and can consume the majority of time in the production of a single piece, so too does the time consuming process of marketing. In the last section titled \u201cThe Realities of an Active Glass Practice\u201d the women glass blowers discuss the percentage of time they need to allocate for marketing their work, relative to the amount of time they actually spend in the hot shop. Defining themselves as artist, artisan, crafts person, or maker, and their work as art, craft or both, directs not only what type of work they make, but also establishes their market, or where their work will be best received. These causal relationships, which affect their practices both directly and indirectly, are illustrated in the Venn diagram below (Figure 4). The dynamics of the changing economy has resulted in reduced cross border sales, and has produced a different market for glass sales with a diverse group of glass buyers and collectors. Glass blowers have been responsive to these changes, which are reflected in how they produce and market their creations.  33  Figure 4. Venn diagram of causal relationships   34 Light it Up! Everything you're working with is on fire, on purpose, and you are intentionally opening the door to hell [laughter] to get some molten glass out of there (Jamie Gray Interview, November 2, 2011).  Before I attended the GAAC conference in 2009, I spoke to Natali Rodrigues, the Head of Glass at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) in Calgary, Alberta (Figure 5). Our short meeting and her enthusiastic agreement to be my guide through the unfamiliar world of glass blowing lit a fire of excitement inside me. I\u2019m not sure how I could have stayed as focused on the somewhat elite community of glass blowers without her guidance, direction, and words of wisdom. There are thousands of women artists working with the glass medium, each employing many different techniques. As discussed in the introduction, there are many different ways to work with glass; blowing, casting, flame work, kiln work, and of course stained glass or mosaics to name only a few. Very early in the research, Rodrigues helped me to focus on the one group of women who use glass blowing as their primary technique, without excluding those women glass blowers who also employ other techniques to complete their blown glass creations. As the head of the only degree granting glass program in western Canada, she proved to be a tough task master; pointing me in the direction of several people who she knew would be pertinent to my research, arranging interviews with glass blowers visiting ACAD as guest lecturers, suggesting articles to read, improving my glass vocabulary, and my understanding of the glass community.  35  Figure 5. Natali Rodrigues at the bench, ACAD, Calgary, AB, 2011. While Rodrigues was completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Glass at ACAD (1995- 1999), she also did a residency in Germany in the summer of 1997. This allowed her to work with several international glass artists. When she completed her degree, she embarked on a pilgrimage in Spain, and then accepted an offer to work at Starfish Glassworks in Victoria, BC. Rodrigues spent one year working with and being mentored by an amazing group of glass blowers; Morna Tudor, Lisa Samphire, and Gary Bolt, the owners of Starfish Glassworks. After a year of honing her skills with this talented team of glass blowers, as well as sharing exhibitions with them, Rodrigues travelled to Australia to complete a Master\u2019s degree in glass at the Canberra School of Art (2003). As a glass instructor and Head of a glass program, Rodrigues tries to advocate to students to travel internationally working in glass to gain experience, something that she has done for most of her glass career. Many of the women respondents in my project have worked together at some point in time,  36 intersecting at schools, workshops, and private hot shops, or exhibiting together in galleries. Like many of the women in this project, Rodrigues did a couple of summers (1997, 1998) at The Pilchuck School of Glass as a volunteer pole turner, and during one session she was part of an all Canadian team of women glass blowers that included Brenda Taylor and Barbara Rumberger, both of whom are participants in this research. Rodrigues addressed some significant facts, which spoke to the feminist framework that surrounds this research; as a woman glass blower, she was in a privileged position. Employed as the Head of Glass at ACAD, she did not have to rely on her glass creations to earn a living; thus her position was unique compared to others who struggle to earn a living from blowing glass. Rodrigues was born in Kenya, and her family immigrated to Canada. Her mother is German, her father is Goan, and Rodrigues speaks both German and French. When Rodrigues talked about her work she explained how each of her pieces spoke to transformative experiences and liminal spaces, which connects her international heritage and education with the dialogue of glass as a material. Rodrigues connects these seemingly disparate thoughts into a narrative in glass that beckons the viewer to reach out and touch, communing on a personal and tactile level with her work, which jeopardizes the \u201chands off\u201d boundaries set by galleries. This is not the only boundary she beckons the viewer to cross when she firmly states that she is neither artist nor crafts person, but rather a maker who sits in a liminal space using a craft type material to create conceptual pieces. While I have done a workshop in glass blowing, I felt I needed to observe this in the hands of an experienced maker. Rodrigues agreed to do some blowing in the hot shop for me while I videotaped the process; a video I have viewed many times over in an effort to understand the process and techniques.  37 There are two women glass blowers involved in this research who started their careers in the 1970s when studio glass had made its way to Canada; Martha Henry and Ione Thorkelsson. Henry, a glass blower residing in Calgary, is considered to be one of the pioneers in the Canadian glass community (Figure 6). Henry did her early training at Sheridan College in 1971, while the program was in its infancy, with instructor Robert Held, the American ceramist who helped establish the first glass blowing program in Canada. Henry related her experiences at Sheridan where they built their own glass furnaces, working in an asbestos lined Quonset on the Port Credit (Ontario) campus and learning glass formulas for different colours; all of which makes glass blowing today seem much easier by comparison. By third year, Henry had changed her focus to stained glass as the prospect of owning a hot shop seemed unrealistically expensive at the time. When she left school, and moved out to Calgary, Alberta in 1976 with her partner Robert Held, Henry was working in stained glass exclusively. As the artist in residence at a sheet glass manufacturer called Canadian Art Glass, Henry created stained glass panels and worked at promoting glass at trade shows until that company went out of business in 1979. She had never lost her glass blowing skill set; Henry and her partner taught introductory workshops in glass blowing, travelling to places like Olds, Alberta, setting up shop to teach students for two week periods. In November of 1979, Henry and Held set up a glass studio in Calgary called Skookum Art Glass. Glass was new and exciting, and their live glass blowing demonstrations amazed the public and promoted sales of their work. While they often exhibited together, Henry established her own very successful line of work under the name of Martha Henry Glass Studio. In 1990, Held moved Skookum Art Glass to Vancouver and established it as Robert Held Art Glass, while Henry remained in Calgary and continued with her practice in a studio  38 built in rented space. Henry maintained an active glass practice, making, selling, and shipping to satisfy the orders she collected at two trade shows a year. While production work was her bread and butter, Henry also created unique pieces for galleries and private collections. One such commission she received was from the Protocol office of Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed to create a three piece glass dressing table set for Diana, Princess of Wales on the occasion of her visit to Edmonton on her 22 nd  birthday. Henry was later honoured when she was commissioned to make a piece for HM Queen Elizabeth II as well. In 1994 Henry secured a bank loan to build her own hot shop in the backyard of her home, thus joining the elite ranks of hot shop owners in Canada. In 2005, Martha Henry received the Alberta Craft Council\u2019s Award of Excellence. Henry\u2019s practice has evolved over the years and she has introduced new glass working techniques into her pieces. In recent years she has experimented with flame working, and went to Italy to study flame work with Lucio Babaccio. Her blown pieces are now adorned with beautiful figurines perched on top.   39  Figure 6. Martha Henry in her studio, Calgary, AB, 2012.   My first encounter with Ione Thorkelsson was at the GAAC conference in 2009, where she delivered a lecture titled \u201cConfessions of a Wayward Crafts Person\u201d in which she described her un-orchestrated journey from crafts person to artist, and her resolution that she is happiest betwixt the two, in the same liminal space that Rodrigues defined. In January 2012, Thorkelsson was visiting ACAD as a guest lecturer, and she agreed to meet with me to talk about her experiences as a woman glass blower in the very early days of the studio glass movement in Canada. In the early 1970s, when the glass blowing program at Sheridan was in its infancy, Thorkelsson took a three week workshop then promptly went home to Manitoba to build her own hot shop. Communicating by post, Thorkelsson sought the advice of Norman Faulkner, who was a technician at Sheridan while she was there. Through these written communiqu\u00e9s Faulkner advised Thorkelsson on how to build an electric furnace for her new hot shop and how to deal with the gas inspector. Like Martha Henry, in the mid to  40 late 1970s, Thorkelsson was one of only a few women glass blowers in Canada, one of an even smaller group of women who owned and operated a hot glass studio, and the only one in Manitoba at that time. Thorkelsson is basically a self-taught glass blower, developing the skills she learned at her short workshop at Sheridan, and eventually creating a signature line of pieces that helped support her creative career. In the 1980s, Thorkelsson\u2019s glass practice transitioned from strictly blown glass to integrating cast glass (Figure 7). In 1993, Thorkelsson was invited to do a solo exhibition of her work at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. She has done several solo exhibitions in the years since and her work now resides in the permanent collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG). In 2010, the WAG curator nominated, and Thorkelsson was awarded the Governor General\u2019s Award in Visual and Media Arts (Saidye Bronfman Award of Excellence in Craft). Like Martha Henry, Thorkelsson\u2019s practice has evolved. Limitations brought on by the economy and the number of hours she was able to blow glass played heavily into Thorkelsson\u2019s decision to shut down her glass furnace in 2011. Now, when she needs to do blown work, she rents time in another hot shop, but continues to do her casting and cold work in her own studio at home.  41  Figure 7. Ione Thorkelsson cleaning a casting, 2012. Photo Courtesy of Thorkelsson.  In the 1980s, the glass programs at Sheridan and ACAD were in operation, but not filling the seats. Glass was becoming a hot new commodity in the art marketplace as the focus of glass blowing was shifting from the technical to the conceptual. Limited registrations allowed ACAD to fill some of their spots with students who focused solely on glass blowing, as opposed to a full academic program with glass as an elective. Brenda Taylor (Figure 8) was one of those accepted to ACAD as a special entry student. Taylor\u2019s first exposure to blown glass was in the 1980s at Skookum Art Glass, the shop that was owned by Robert Held and Martha Henry. Dropping by the shop on occasion, she would peruse the imperfects shelf for items she could afford. After visiting the shop a few times and speaking with a woman manager, she was eventually offered a job at Skookum. Her job was to evaluate the aesthetics of objects turned out by the resident glass blowers as either first or seconds, and put a price on them. She was also doing all the grinding, as well as filling and  42 shipping orders. Although Taylor expressed an interest in learning the skill of glass blowing, she was never given the opportunity to do this at Skookum. Taylor credits Martha Henry with encouraging her to make the initial contact with ACAD in 1988 to enroll in the glass program as a special entry student, which she did. After several years of school, Taylor left ACAD but had to work outside the glass world since the cost of setting up her own hot shop to blow glass was out of reach. She credits Jim Norton, the technical assistant in ACAD\u2019s hot shop, and one of the co-owners of Double Struggle Hot Shop in Calgary, AB, with giving her the opportunity to blow in his hot shop, thus enabling her to get back into glass blowing. I first met Taylor while videotaping her and Barbara Rumberger at Double Struggle. As the two of them worked together assisting each other in turn to create their individual pieces I was mesmerized yet again by the fluidity and strength required to blow glass. While Taylor recalls more lucrative times for selling glass, she still persists in today\u2019s lean economy because glass blowing is what she loves to do. Taylor also spent a number of summers at the Pilchuck School of Glass volunteering for the very labour intensive job of pole turner. It is a lot of hard work and people don\u2019t often go back more than once or twice, but Taylor holds the record for being there eight consecutive summers. At one point she led an all-woman team of Canadian pole turners, who called themselves \u201cTeam Spice.\u201d This team consisted of Natali Rodrigues, Barbara Rumberger, Nicole Kabath and Taylor. While Taylor can\u2019t recall all the fun names they had for each other within the team, she remembers being fondly referred to as \u201cOld Spice.\u201d In recent years Pilchuck became overwhelmed with offers to be volunteer pole tuners so they started an application process, at which point Taylor decided to step away. She had eight years of experience, meeting some of the well-known people in the  43 glass world, and she had the opportunity to work with many of the women glass blowers who are participants in this project.  Figure 8.      Brenda Taylor, Calgary, AB, 2013. Photo Credit: Ceramist Andrew Tarrant.    Bonny Houston had her first exposure to glass when she decided to take a stained glass workshop to make a window for her home. Then she saw a brochure for a summer hot glass workshop at Sheridan, taught by Fran\u00e7oise Houde and decided to try it. Houston fell in love with hot glass and took another class with Dan Creighton, who was the head of glass at Sheridan at the time. Living in Saskatchewan and working at a \u201creal\u201d job at the university, Houston wanted desperately to study glass full time, but knew it wasn\u2019t possible in Saskatchewan. While on a vacation in Japan, she met a glass blower and asked if she could apprentice with him. She returned to Saskatchewan and asked for a leave of absence so she  44 could go to school in Japan, which was denied. Houston promptly quit her job and moved to Japan where she studied at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute and worked in the Kumamota glass studio. A glass studio is an extremely hot place to work, and as Houston noted, the hot humid weather in Japan made the heat inescapable; with the language barrier the challenges increased. However, despite all that, Houston came away with an amazing skill set, which she fine-tuned when she finally returned to Canada, and continued her glass education at the Alberta College of Art & Design in Calgary. After her time at ACAD, Houston set up shop in Calgary with fellow graduates, but after some time decided that she needed to find a space of her own. At an interesting crossroads, Houston had to decide whether to take the next, very large step in her career. She recalls hearing past teachers saying that it was all well and fine to learn glass blowing, but don\u2019t expect to make a living at it, but this just made her more determined. After some searching, in 1993 Houston found a space to lease in the Inglewood neighborhood in Calgary and established her first studio. Ten years later, the desire to build her own studio led Houston to start a six month search for a home with a large garage that could be converted to a hot shop. She moved in July 2003, and after much labour and expense the shop went hot in January 2004. Houston related the headaches she had trying to find the right electrician, gas fitter and sheet metal worker, all with enough field experience to know how to adapt things to work for a glass hot shop, something they\u2019d never seen before; it was not an easy undertaking. Houston maintains her connection with the Saskatchewan Craft Council, and also has memberships in the Alberta Craft Council and BC Craft Council as well. She exhibits her work in galleries and also sells privately. Her hot shop is seldom idle, as she continues to teach introductory glass blowing classes. What I found most infectious about Houston is her love for glass blowing (Figure 9), and her acceptance of  45 the need to bind the physical aspects of glass bowing with the feelings of her heart and soul. Her philosophy as she stated it is \u201cLive to blow, blow to live,\u201d and, while she is lucky enough to make a living at something she loves, she jokingly adds that, \u201cIf you changed lawn chairs or thought about it you would've done something else if you wanted a good living\u201d (Houston Interview May 18, 2012).  Figure 9. Bonny Houston in the Houston Hot Shop, Calgary, AB, 2012.  One of the things I found so interesting while interviewing all these wonderful women glass blowers is the way in which they have crossed paths at various times in their career. Many of these women have taken workshops together and often have the opportunity to exhibit together in shows, or even blow together in a hot shop. Lisa Samphire has experienced these connections in many different ways. Samphire\u2019s training as a glass blower did not happen through a formal glass school (Figure 10); rather, she apprenticed under David New-Small, and attended several workshops over the years to expand her skill set. Her  46 first exposure to the glass community was working as a gallery assistant at New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery on Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC, doing gallery sales, shipping, accounts, and setting up displays. As a fulltime student, pursuing an undergrad degree in art and then graduate study in art therapy, Samphire worked part time at New- Small & Sterling\u2019s studio, while making her own glass jewelry on the side, with small scraps of glass from the shop floor. Her jewelry proved to be a hot item, and she would often be asked to sell the earrings she was actually wearing. After some time, Samphire asked David New-Small to show her some of the basics of working with hot glass; this allowed her to expand the jewelry line which supported her through university. Eventually she started learning to blow glass and found that she loved it. Having completed school, Samphire decided not to pursue a career in Art Therapy but, rather, she continued blowing glass and, in February 1997, along with Morna Tudor and Gary Bolt, Starfish Glassworks in Victoria, BC was opened to the public. Samphire too, has connected with many of the women in this project. Natali Rodrigues worked as a gallery assistant at Starfish for a year before she went to Australia, and Morna Tudor was one of the co-owners of Starfish. Brenda Taylor remembered blowing alongside Samphire at a workshop at Pilchuck, and as one of the member artists of V6 (more below), Samphire exhibited in group shows with Naoko Takenouchi, another participant in my research and a glass blower who rents time in David- New-Small\u2019s studio. I recall visiting Starfish Glassworks as a tourist. Wandering through the gallery space and reminding my children to look with their eyes and not their hands, I fell in love with glass in that amazing space. The stairs off the gallery led to a mezzanine level where the public could watch glass blowing in the hot shop below. When I met Samphire at her home in Victoria, BC, it was long after Starfish had closed its doors, but she has  47 continued to pursue her glass blowing career, renting hot shop time in another studio in Victoria, and completing her work in the cold shop and studio at her home. I also had the opportunity to spend a weekend with Lisa at a trade show in Victoria. This was a great opportunity not only to see how much work goes into the set up and preparation for an event like this, but also to observe buyers from different galleries and gift shops as they wandered through the displays.  Figure 10. Lisa Samphire blowing a murrini piece for \"Pattern Exhibition,\" 2005. Photo Credit: Darren Carely.  Morna Tudor is no longer blowing glass (Figure 11), but her early successes and her connections to the other women in this research warranted a visit to meet this remarkable woman. Tudor had an early fascination with glass. This initially started with an antique decanter and vase that her mother had; she was intrigued by the mystery surrounding glass making. Coming out of high school and majoring in clay and sculpture, she received a  48 scholarship to study sculpture at Capilano College in North Vancouver, BC, but realized that it wasn\u2019t really what she wanted to do. When a close friend moved to Ontario to study animation at Sheridan, she sent some articles back to Tudor about Dan Crichton and the glass program at Sheridan. Tudor travelled to Ontario for her friend\u2019s wedding and visited the school. After meeting Dan Crichton and being completely captivated by the liquid honey-like appearance of molten glass, she signed up on the spot. After three years at Sheridan, Tudor joined her husband Gary Bolt and another glass blower, setting up a studio for glass blowing, metal working and clay work in an old barn on borrowed property. After a couple of years, the studio was closed, and Bolt went back to school. Tudor continued her glass blowing, renting time at a studio in Mississauga, making functional items such as perfume bottles that she sold through a marketer. A short time later, on a summer trip to Vancouver, Tudor connected with another glass blower, Joanne Andrighetti and spent the summer working in her studio. She was invited to stay on and made the decision to move permanently to Vancouver. Tudor and her husband Gary Bolt teamed up with Lisa Samphire, Naoko Takenouchi, and three other glass blowers to market and exhibit together as a group that they called V6. Tudor also attended the Pilchuck Glass School in 1991, 1993 and in 2003 on a full scholarship. As one of the co-owners of Starfish Glassworks in Victoria, BC, Tudor blew glass alongside Lisa Samphire, and Natali Rodrigues; both participants in this project. She continued a very successful career in glass blowing, winning several meritorious awards and establishing herself internationally as an incredible glass blower. Her work is in several collections worldwide and she has an exhibitions list that is far too long to list here. After ten years at Starfish Glassworks, the economy and the price of gas to fuel the furnaces, played  49 heavily into the decision to shut down the studio permanently. This led Tudor and husband Gary Bolt to take a year off to pursue other interests; Bolt and Tudor decided not to return to glass blowing but to experiment with other creative projects. Tudor continues to create artistically with paint, and pursues her love of music as a devout Radiohead aficionado.  Figure 11. Morna Tudor, Victoria, BC, 2011.  Naoko Takenouchi (Figure 12) was born in Japan and did her initial glass blowing training at Tama Art University in Tokyo (1983-1987). Taking one year out of her program, she travelled to New York to attend the Experimental Glass Workshop, and then returned to Japan to complete her studies in glass blowing and design. Looking for a practical way to make a living when she finished school, it was the design portion of her degree that led her to pursue a position designing light fixtures. However, after one year Takenuchi realized that she missed the hands-on creativity of glass blowing and decided to move to Hokkaido in northern Japan, where they had numerous glass blowing studios. These studios were factories  50 established many years ago, to blow glass floats for fishing nets. As the fishing industry moved to plastic floats, these glass factories became studios that catered to tourists, doing demonstrations and selling production type tourist items made in the hot shop. Takenuchi soon realized that making small saleable items for tourists was not feeding her artistic appetite, so she applied to another studio in Sapporo called the Swedish Centre. Sapporo and Stockholm were sister cities and this particular studio brought in visiting glass artists from Sweden to work with the younger Japanese artists to teach them new techniques. This is where Takenuchi learned many different sandblasting techniques that have evolved into the intricate sandblasted designs seen on her current work. In 1989, Takenuchi came to Canada on a working holiday visa. Prior to her visit, she had been in touch with David New-Small seeking an opportunity to work in his hot shop while she was visiting. New-Small invited her to visit, with no promises of employment as he was not aware of her skill level as a glass blower. For three months she volunteered in the hot shop and worked at a restaurant at night, until New-Small decided to hire her based on the glass blowing skills he had seen thus far. Takenuchi stayed for one year but, due to visa limitations she had to return to Japan. She made several more trips to Canada for three month visits and in 1994 she went through the process of attaining landed immigrant status. For Takenuchi, blowing glass in the New-Small & Sterling hot shop was her greatest pleasure. New-Small allowed her to blow her own work after hours and she would often stay in the shop until nine or ten at night. This differed greatly from her experiences in Japan where, due to the expense of running the furnaces, the shop would close down for the night at the end of the work day, so there was no opportunity for doing personal work. While working at New-Small & Sterling, Takenuchi met Lisa Samphire who was working there part time. When Samphire had school breaks she would  51 come into the shop and Takenuchi would blow glass with her. Takenuchi was also part of the V6 group of glass artists along with Samphire, Tudor, and three other glass blowers. Outside of exhibitions, Takenuchi worked with an agent, who was selling her work to galleries in the United States, and although this went well for a few years, Takenuchi found the limitations of creating work to the specifics of galleries and gift shops had lost its appeal. She wanted to do more one-of-a-kind pieces for consignment sales. Not having a hot shop of her own, Takenuchi rents time at New Small & Sterling when she needs to blow her pieces and does the cold work in her studio at home. Takenuchi is actively involved with the new Terminal City Glass Co-op in Vancouver and is enthused about this creative space where glass blowers in Vancouver can come together to share ideas and blow glass together. With the installation of sandblasting equipment at this site she will contribute to the glass community by sharing her sandblasting knowledge in workshops.  Figure 12. Naoko Takenuchi, Vancouver, BC, 2011.   52 Barbara Rumberger (Figure 13) started her arts education in 1996 at ACAD in the Design program and took glass as one of her electives. By second year, she was one of only a few students who had chosen glass as a major. Rumberger also joined the ranks of volunteer pole turners at the Pilchuck Glass School one year, as a member of the all-woman \u201cTeam Spice,\u201d under the direction of Brenda Taylor. Living and working as a glass blower in 2000, Rumberger eventually became frustrated with the pressures of having to produce and sell enough to live, which took all the joy out of the creative aspects of her work. Leaving glass blowing behind she took up a full time job at an architectural glass company in Calgary, where after fourteen years, she still works today. In 2005, at the encouragement of her husband and her friends in the glass community, Rumberger returned to glass blowing on a part time basis and has regained her love for glass. Without the pressure of having to sell her work to survive, her creative energy has reignited and Rumberger now has her glass work in several galleries. Like Brenda Taylor, Rumberger rents at Double Struggle Hot Shop in Calgary to blow her work and to complete all her cold working as well. While visiting with her at Double Struggle, she showed me some of her recent work, and a new version of a faceted vessel that she used to make early in her career. These are beautifully blown pieces that require numerous hours of cold work to complete. I also had the pleasure of watching her blow glass with Brenda Taylor, and then watched as she assisted Taylor in making her piece as well. With several new exhibitions on the horizon, Rumberger has settled into a comfortable harmony, of creating and exhibiting.  53  Figure 13.     Barbara Rumberger at Double Struggle Hot Shop, Calgary, AB, 2012. Photo Credit: Amy Mailer  In the 1990s, the glass programs at ACAD and Sheridan were running at full registrations and the market for glass art was very strong. Jamie Gray received her introduction to glass blowing at the Houston Hot Shop in Calgary under the tutelage of Bonny Houston. One night a week for a full year, Gray learned the necessary skills of glass blowing. It wasn\u2019t until 2005 that Gray (Figure 14) was able to pursue full time studies at ACAD to obtain a BFA in glass. The program at ACAD was very focused on glass blowing, but Gray experimented with integrating warm glass with her blown work. With a young family, and the need to be closer to home, Gray opted to work in warm glass in a studio set up at home. When she wants to blow glass, she rents time at Firebrand Studios in Black Diamond, AB which is owned by two ACAD graduates, Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock. Gray  54 teaches introductory glass blowing at this studio as well. For Gray, her love of the material allows her to move between the two processes of warm glass in a kiln and glass blowing; her only goal is to make use of the beautiful medium of glass to support whatever concept she is currently working through. I first saw Gray\u2019s work at the Triangle Gallery in Calgary, and although this was not a blown work, as is the focus of this research, I was drawn to her piece in this gallery, which was full of other blown glass art. It was an installation of 80 fused white plates, each bearing the design of a hand in various gestures, arranged on the wall in a quilt- like form. Gray made these plates and then used them to serve cake at various functions in the community, and in this installation, they resounded with the concept of community. The overall piece evokes comparison to Judy Chicago\u2019s Dinner Party in the 1970s. Gray recently travelled to Scotland to participate in a glass workshop at Northlands Glass, yet another place where glass blowers can come together. Currently, Gray is the president of the Glass Art Association of Canada, which is an extremely busy position. The GAAC supports Canadian glass artists by providing them with a web page to promote their work, a means to connect with others in the glass community, and a semi-annual conference which provides learning opportunities and plenty of networking with artists and galleries.  55  Figure 14. Jamie Gray, Morley, AB, 2011. Photo Credit: Ashley Gray.  Susan Gottselig owns and operates Mineside Studios (Figure 15), a hot glass studio and gallery in Canmore, Alberta. Although she initially pursued art as a career choice out of high school in the 1960s, glass blowing was a late life career decision. Not seeing any tangible successes early in her artistic career, she chose to pursue a career in health care while continuing to do art on the side. Over the years she took various continuing education classes, including a stained glass course, and in the early 1990s, she took a glass blowing course at ACAD which captured her interest. Gottselig continued to work towards the completion of her arts degree by taking night courses, and taking one day a week off from her health care position to attend classes. Funding decisions in the Alberta health industry resulted in job losses, and Gottselig got laid off from the hospital where she worked so she enrolled in full time studies at ACAD to complete her degree. Already having an interest in glass blowing, she registered in the glass program. With the advantage of having completed  56 the required humanities courses, Gottselig was able to focus her energies solely on the studio classes. Developing some marketable imagery while in school, Gottselig was showing her work before she graduated and, like several other new graduates of glass in the 1990s, she rented time in Norman Faulkner\u2019s hot shop, called \u201cNorm\u2019s Garage,\u201d in Calgary. The market for glass was still doing well when Gottselig made the decision to pursue glass as her career. In the interest of making sound business choices that would establish her career she developed a line of production work which supported her glass blowing. The sales of her production work provided the income needed to create art pieces for exhibitions as well. For five years, Gottselig blew glass at a hot shop in Canmore that was owned by a former classmate. After this studio folded, the only other option available was commuting to Calgary (100kms) to rent in another hot shop, so Gottselig had some equipment built and reluctantly opened her own hot shop and gallery in Canmore. There are a lot of responsibilities and expenses in operating a hot glass studio and gallery, none of which Gottselig really wanted to take on, but she persevered and some ten years later, still operates Mineside Studios today. In addition to her corporate and gallery sales, Gottselig has one other line of work that is strikingly fascinating. Upon the loss of a family pet, Gottselig will intern the cremated ashes into a small piece of blown glass to commemorate the beloved pet. The ashes are not visible in the finished piece; rather, there is an array of small bubbles inside the piece where the ashes have dissolved. Approaching retirement age, Gottselig reflects on her second career choice, and remains pragmatic about her success. It has taken a lot of work, especially in the leaner economy of the new millennium, but her focus on sound business practices has kept her studio operational. She talks about shutting down the hot shop and having her work blown elsewhere, but as yet she has no definite plans to retire.  57   Figure 15.     Susan Gottselig at Mineside Studios, Canmore, AB, 2012. Photo Credit: Linda Cote.  At the age of thirty, Laura Murdoch (Figure 16) found herself at loose ends looking for a change of career, since acting and modelling were not providing her with enough financial support and creative satisfaction. Although she had an interest in glass, she had no basic knowledge of glass blowing or how to form objects from glass. Her curiosity led her to take a five hour workshop at a private studio in Seattle, Washington, which proved to be a life changing experience. Murdoch discovered the Pilchuck Glass School and applied for entrance on their lottery system. Being accepted to Pilchuck was yet another life changing experience, as Murdoch met an interesting group of seasoned glass blowers who were part of a team led by William Morris. While maintaining a career in the film industry to support herself and her glass blowing, Murdoch worked with Morris\u2019s team for several years, being  58 mentored along the way, developing her technical and design skills. The line of glass work that Murdoch developed is extremely detailed and time consuming to make. One piece that Murdoch described involved several layers of glass and paint and a number of different processes that, in the end, took almost a full year to complete. Sandblasting alone takes several hours, and Murdoch has to rent time in someone else\u2019s studio to do her work. Making a living at glass blowing proved to be difficult, especially when the economy took a downturn, and although Murdoch still finds time to work on her glass, she has a full time job with an architectural firm to pay the bills. While Murdoch has considered the idea of reducing the number of processes and techniques she applies to a piece, and perhaps increasing her sales, her artistic side rebels against the idea of making work that would be production-like. Murdoch is a member of the new Terminal City Glass Co-op in Vancouver, and is looking forward to having a space where she can blow glass with others.  Figure 16.     Laura Murdoch, Vancouver, BC, 2012.  59 After completing a degree in Philosophy at Western University in Ontario, Sarah Mulligan (Figure 17) was not satisfied with the idea of working a standard nine to five job. She had an interest and a talent for interior design, so she decided to apply to the Interior Design program at Sheridan College. On a trip to Sheridan for a portfolio interview, Mulligan wandered in through the bright yellow doors of Sheridan\u2019s School of Crafts and Design (SOCAD), and came across the glass studio. Like many other glass blowers before her, she never really contemplated how glass objects were actually made, and watching the process was enthralling. The atmosphere was charged with energy and the students wore blue jeans and tank tops, while rock and roll music blasted throughout the hot shop. Continuing to her Interior Design interview, Mulligan encountered an atmosphere layered with high heels and lipstick which immediately turned her around and sent her to registration to request a spot in the glass program. After being told the class was full, Mulligan returned to the glass studio and found the head instructor, Dan Creighton to plead her case. Following a discussion of their mutual interest in philosophy, Mulligan was registered in the glass program, and started on the path to her career in glass. After completing school, Mulligan did a residency in glass at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga, Ontario where she enjoyed the luxury of blowing glass twice a week for four years. The studio was subsidized, which allowed the glass blowers access to blow spots for only $6.00 per hour. When Mulligan moved to the west coast of Canada, there were no subsidized studios. Glass is a full time pursuit for Mulligan but she doesn\u2019t have a hot shop of her own, so she rents time once a month in a hot shop to do her blown pieces, and does her cold working at her own studio. She also hires out as an assistant in the same hot shop to help pay the bills. Mulligan developed a line of jewelry that is the mainstay of her practice, and helps support her blown glass projects for  60 gallery consignments and exhibitions. I spent some time with Mulligan at one of her many weekend trade shows, watching, and helping out where I could, as she set up display racking, lighting, draperies, and all of her beautiful glass work; a process that took almost two hours. It\u2019s a lot of work, but as Mulligan reminded me, this is her full time job and she truly enjoys what she is doing.  Figure 17.     Sarah Mulligan blocking a blown piece, 2011.  With the dawn of the new millennium (2000s) registrations in glass programs were still strong, with women students in the majority. Katherine Russell (Figure 18) completed her four year BFA in glass at ACAD in 2006, and immediately went to New York to study at the Corning Museum of Glass for the summer. After completing her studies in New York, she spent a year of work and study at Firebrand Glass in Black Diamond, AB. Like many other glass blowers who have participated in this research, Russell went to Pilchuck in 2007  61 to volunteer as a pole turner. Immediately after this, she moved to Perth, Australia to work and study at Glass Manifesto with co-owners Ann Clifton and Pete Bowles until 2011. When I met Russell in Calgary, she had just returned from Australia and was teaching a course at ACAD, and renting hot shop time at the Bee Kingdom glass studio. Shortly thereafter, Russell and her husband moved to the small community of Elkford, in the south eastern part of BC. She was able to set up a cold shop and a warm glass studio at her home, but she still rents time at a hot shop in Calgary when she needs to blow her pieces, and brings them home to Elkford to do the finishing. Russell\u2019s glass practice is going to undergo some small changes, as she anticipates the birth of her first child. At the six month mark, Russell was still blowing glass and making plans to continue her practice after the birth, with the reassurances of supportive family members.   62  Figure 18.     Katherine Russell at the bench, Bee Kingdom Glass Studio, Calgary, AB, 2012. Photo Credit: Kristine Lavoie.  Growing up in Calgary, Larissa Blokhuis (Figure 19) started her career planning at the tender age of seven, when she decided that she would go to art school, graduate and then move to Vancouver as a successful, established artist. At the age of fourteen, Blokhuis took a two week workshop at ACAD; one week in clay and one in glass. This was her first introduction to glass, and it satisfied her desire to work with something other than clay to do three dimensional pieces. After completing high school, she took the next step in the career plan she had established so very early in life, and from 2004 - 2008 she attended ACAD to complete a BFA in Glass. When Blokhuis completed her degree she took a break from art and her well laid career path, and worked in a cheese shop for a year while she collected her thoughts; then she made the move to Vancouver. In 2009, she applied for and was hired to  63 work in the gallery at New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery, located on Granville Island. Working at New-Small & Sterling has allowed Blokhuis to meet many of the artists whose work is displayed in the gallery, such as Naoki Takenouchi and Lisa Samphire. Besides enjoying the people she works with and getting to meet other glass artists in the community, Blokhuis has access to the hot shop to blow her own work on Saturdays, which is a huge advantage for any glass blower, and she is able to sell her own work through the gallery. Like many other artists, Blokhuis has another job outside the glass world which helps to pay the bills and support her glass art practice. Her employer is incredibly supportive of her art career, allowing her to schedule her hours to accommodate for exhibitions. In 2011, Blokhuis received an interesting birthday gift from her parents; a fifteen day workshop at Pilchuck Glass School. For Blokhuis, this workshop re-awakened her creative side, and opened her mind to new ideas and concepts. Immediately after returning from Pilchuck, she was able to put her new ideas to work as she was accepted in a number of shows. Her web site lists the many exhibitions in Vancouver and across Canada, where Blokhuis is currently exhibiting. Along with Naoko Takenouchi, Laura Murdoch and many other glass blowers in Vancouver, Blokhuis is actively involved in the new Terminal City Glass Co-op and will be sharing her experience in workshops and classes as well.  64                 Figure 19.     Larissa Blokhuis with some of her work, 2011. Photo Credit: Paul McGrath, North Shore News.   When Tara Pawson (Figure 20) was in high school, she had an interest in metal arts, metal work, and sculpture. Her metal work teacher tried to encourage her to take a glass blowing course at Jeff Burnette\u2019s studio which he thought would interest her, but it wasn\u2019t until a year after high school that Pawson finally took the one week introductory course. She immediately fell in love with glass and thought she\u2019d pursue a career in glass blowing. Pawson went to the Robert Held Studio looking for an apprenticeship, but was told they were not hiring. She was relentless, showing up on weekends to sweep the shop floors and just hang out, until Held finally told her to go to Red Deer College, take a workshop in glass blowing and bring back what she made. Pawson did two back to back weeks at Red Deer, boxed up the objects she made, brought them back to Held, and asked for a job. Held hired  65 her and she worked and trained at the Robert Held studio for almost five years. Pawson loved the challenge of working with molten glass, and thought she could not be luckier doing something she loved and getting paid for it. Starting at the bottom making small simple items, she eventually worked her way up to assisting the other blowers. The advantages of learning and working in this particular hot shop were not lost on Pawson. She had twelve different glass blowers she could learn from, averaging anywhere from fifteen to thirty-five years of experience. For the five years that Pawson was at Robert Held, she was the only woman glass blower on staff. Pawson had access to the hot shop on weekends to blow her own pieces, several of which are now in local galleries. When the economy took a turn for the worse, glass sales dropped and Pawson was laid off for three months. When she came back into the shop, it was as a production manager; pulling, packing and shipping wholesale orders, doing quality control and grinding or anything else that needed to be done. For Pawson this was an opportunity to learn the different business aspects of managing a studio. A short time later, working part-time hours, and doing contract work at the Held studio, Pawson was hired by Bocci Design. In July 2010, the Bocci position turned into a full time glass blowing job. There are two teams of three glass blowers working at Bocci, who make custom order light fixtures. Pawson is part of one team which includes Mitch Wren and Jeff Holmwood. Another team of three glass blowers, Jeff Burnett, Will Milner and Aiden Spur were hired when the shop became busy, and I note that once again Pawson is the only woman working in the hot shop. Glass blowing is a full time job for Pawson; it is her only source of income, and this gives her cause to reflect on the pending changes coming her way. Pawson is pregnant and although she is still blowing glass as part of the team at Bocci, her concerns for what will happen to her fulltime employment after her child is born, weighs heavily on  66 her mind. Outside of work, Pawson is a member of the Terminal City Glass Co-op in Vancouver, BC, and looks forward to blowing with and learning from the other members of the co-op.  Figure 20.     Tara Pawson at the bench, 2010.  Toni Johnson (Figure 21) was first introduced to glass by watching her mother make stained glass creations in her home studio. On a shopping trip to purchase glass supplies for the next stained glass project, Johnson and her mother bought out the woman\u2019s stock of glass and supplies with the idea of opening their own shop. In January 2005, this plan came to fruition and Tide Line Gallery & Stained Glass supplies was opened in Campbell River, BC. Johnson applied herself to learning the skills of working with mosaics, then eventually cutting glass for stained glass projects, and using the kiln to make warm glass pieces. Not  67 happy with working two dimensionally, Johnson registered in the glass program at Sheridan College in 2007 with the intention of learning more about kiln work. The first time she saw glass blowing at the college, she immediately signed up for the class, knowing that this was where she wanted to be. After a tough, but satisfying first year, Johnson returned to Campbell River, and opened Tide Line II; a hot shop built adjacent to the gallery of the original Tide Line studio. Returning to school for one more year to complete her program in glass, Johnson knew this was her last year at school and did not look forward to leaving Ontario and the glass community of which she had become a part. At Sheridan she had the option of blowing with a partner, something that was not available to her when she returned to her small community. When she returned home to Campbell River, the responsibilities of owning and running a hot glass studio came to bear on Johnson, often superseding her creative needs. She escaped by losing herself in glass blowing and sand casting projects (Figure 19). While the economy was good Johnson spent seventy percent (approximately eight months) of the year blowing glass to supply the Tide Line gallery. The remainder of her time was spent in creating pieces for craft fairs, shows and sales at other galleries on the Island. The economy also had an impact on Tide Line and Tide Line II, as the number of tourists venturing into the remote community of Campbell River declined from previous years. In 2011, the death of her beloved grandfather affected Johnson and her mother deeply, and the enthusiasm for running a retail gallery had dwindled. Johnson and her mother have closed the gallery and retail location and now concentrate their efforts on their own individual creative projects in their new studio space. Johnson\u2019s web site shows that she has been busy with exhibitions and sales, and it\u2019s obvious she has recaptured her enthusiasm and love for this material.   68  Figure 21.     Toni Johnson blowing into a sand casting mould, 2009. Photo Credit: Dakota Johnson.  On my many trips to Calgary, Natali Rodrigues would introduce me to glass blowers who were at ACAD as visiting instructors in the glass program. One of these glass blowers was Jane Bruce, who was a visiting instructor at ACAD in 2011. Bruce is originally from the United Kingdom and now resides in New York, so she does not exactly qualify for this study in terms of where she resides. However, Bruce has been a glass blower for forty years, starting her glass education with a Master\u2019s degree in glass from the Royal College of Art in the UK (1971-1973). This was about the same time as the studio glass movement fired up in North America. Bruce was quick to point out that there were many women doing glass blowing in the United Kingdom when she started, and the majority of glass blowing students in her undergraduate class were women. Bruce was a partner at \u201cThe Glasshouse\u201d in London  69 from 1973-1979 and, at one point there were only women in the studio, a sharp contrast to the studios in North America at that time. I have included some of Bruce\u2019s experiences below as they provide an interesting foil to put some of the Canadian experiences into perspective.  While attending the 2011 Universities Art Association of Canada\u2019s conference in Ottawa, I presented a paper on the under-representation of women glass artists in exhibition and collection catalogs. My paper drew out several people who approached me afterwards to discuss my topic. An independent, but well known glass critic, Gloria Hickey, introduced me to a young ceramist who was on her way to Pilchuck Glass School to study for one term. Eliza Au agreed to meet me at her home in Richmond, BC, where she cooked a fabulous lunch and shared her experience of Pilchuck with me. While pursuing an MFA in ceramics from Alfred University in New York, she experimented with metal and glass casting as well. Au has also done a residency at the Corning Museum of Glass, interpreting some of her ceramic designs into cast glass forms. The residency at Pilchuck allowed her to expand her skills with casting and to have at least one hands-on experience with glass blowing, which she discovered, was not to her taste. Au\u2019s skill with ceramics and the crossing over to experiment with glass sparked some interesting discussion, which again provides further insights. In the fall of 2012, Au started a one year term as a visiting instructor in ceramics at ACAD, where she has connected with Natali Rodrigues, down the hall in the glass program. These short biographies were designed to introduce the women glass blowers who participated in this research and to draw significant lines of connection among them. Their paths have crossed many times over their careers and continue to do so. I have presented them here in order of the year they first started working with glass either in a school or hot shop. The significance of this will become obvious in the next section, but briefly, the school  70 glass programs and hot shops have evolved over the years and the focus switched from the technical aspects of blowing to the more conceptual and design aspects of glass art. The differences in curriculum are reflected in the practices of the women involved in this research. Students who started their training in the 1970s were more likely to receive an education focused on mastering the techniques of glass blowing and creating functional forms. As these same glass blowers continued to improve their skills in workshops in the 1980s, they experienced a new glass curriculum which focused on concept and design. Consequently, many glass blowers today have a practice divided between production work and artistic creation.  71 Blowing Glass: Does Size Matter?  Writers can frequently be at a loss when it comes time to title their work. I thought it would be helpful to sit with a pen and paper making a list of all the words I could think of to describe glass: fragile, solid, hard, strong, transparent, translucent, opaque, fluid, soft, malleable, colourful, clear, tactile, hot, warm, cold, sharp, smooth, rough, textured, reflective, refractive, brittle, break, shatter, and shard. While I wrote these words, it came to mind that many of these same words have been used to describe feminine attributes or even women, either negatively or positively. Fragile is the first word on the list, and it is often used as a descriptive word for small or petite women, but glass is not as fragile as one would think, and neither are the women glass blowers who engage in this fiery activity. Glass blowing is physically demanding; it is laborious, hot and heavy work and, despite public perception, is not a male dominated activity. Thus, the title of my dissertation, \u201cNot so Fragile,\u201d which pertains not only to glass, but also to the women glass blowers who agreed to participate in this research. The title connects directly with a number of discussions I had with the glass blowers on the physicality of blowing glass, and also the mistaken perception that a person needs to be a large, burly individual to blow glass. The title also relates to choices made by individuals in terms of the size of the pieces they choose to blow. Thus the question, does size matter? Fragility and Resilience  As a material, glass has the ability to strike beautiful resonating tones both audibly and visually, or to strike fear and anxiety in people. A beautiful set of glass wind chimes can be magnificent in colour, design and of course in the musical sounds they make; but if that wind chime should break, the sound of breaking glass immediately causes anxiety, and it  72 becomes something that you want to distance yourself from. Working with glass over the years has reduced my initial alarm response when something breaks. I recognize that broken glass can be a dangerous thing and sometimes the breakage can be heart breaking as well, but I no longer fear breaking glass. During my field work, I witnessed many pieces of blown glass that never made it through to a finished form, usually accompanied by a few muttered expletives punctuating the breakage, but there was never any anxiety or concern surrounding the broken piece. Despite the time and care that goes into the making of a piece, breakage happens all the time. This does cost money for the glassblower in terms of time (often in a rented shop), and in materials; but part of the strength of glass blowers is in their ability to accept these losses as being inherent to the material and the process. The fragility of glass differs between commercial factory-blown glass sold in home d\u00e9cor shops and hand-blown glass. Larissa Blokhuis described the difference eloquently: \u201cWhat I want people to know about glass is that generally the stuff you buy at the mall is factory glass, and the factory cuts down on costs by using a little bit too thin of glass [blown too thin] and by not annealing it properly, so that glass is very fragile\u201d (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012). While explaining to me the durability of handmade pieces, she stated that, \u201csometimes they just bounce\u201d and recalled one humorous incident: Actually, one of the glass things I have up there (pointing) I dropped it, and I went \u2018aah god, it\u2019s going to break,\u2019 but it just went boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing \u2013 it just kept bouncing around (laughter). It didn\u2019t crack, it didn\u2019t chip and it was on a cement floor too! (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Glass can be amazingly resilient. Naoko Takenuchi laughingly reflected the thoughts of many of the other women on fear of breakage: \u201cNo. I think I broke enough. You know, during the process I break things sometimes. But I think that's the process, that's glass, I can't  73 get too upset\u201d (Takenuchi Interview, February 15, 2012). The heart-breaking experiences are when, after labouring for many hours over a piece and it breaks or when a favorite piece is sold and it comes back to you broken. Sometimes people bring back pieces they have broken in the hopes that Naoko can repair it. If she can repair it she will, but otherwise she is always willing to remake the piece if the client requests. People are often drawn to glass and sometimes they want to touch the piece, but galleries often have issues with people touching exhibits of any kind. Jamie Gray explains how this often conflicts with the views of crafts people: There is a religiosity about galleries and museums. When you walk in you\u2019re meant to be quiet and walk reverently around the work. Craftspeople, we want people to pick up the stuff. Generally, but I don\u2019t want to say, especially glass people, we love it when people have their hands all over the work. That's not accepted in galleries, they don't want you to do that (Gray Interview, November 2, 2011).  Natali Rodrigues creates glass art that begs to be touched. In 2009, the Triangle Gallery in Calgary hosted the \u201cCalgary Glass Now\u201d exhibition and posted a sign telling patrons not to touch the glass art. Rodrigues stated that she liked having the sign there, because people would be drawn to touch the work in a surreptitious way: I think because they were breaking the rules, people are drawn to touch my work. Which is what I want, and if they are in that moment of breaking the rules, they\u2019re profoundly focused on the sensation that they\u2019re receiving from the work, and without that injunction I think the way they approach the work is significantly different (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011).  She hilariously described one instance when a woman took this a little farther than expected and instead of just touching the piece, she licked it! \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have licked it. I know where that piece has been!\u201d (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011); but as she pointed out, one of the great things about her work is that the gallery can simply wipe off fingerprints with a bit  74 of window cleaner (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011). Naoko Takenuchi exhibited a large cast glass piece at the Canadian Craft Museum. Once a week she would go to the exhibition to check on the piece, and read the viewer comments: Every time I go, there are lots of fingerprints on this cast glass (laughter), and I wipe everything off and the next week I go back and it still has lots of fingerprints. I think people really like to touch. It looks like water so people really want to touch and make sure. It says \u2018Glass\u2019 on the sign but they still do that (Takenuchi Interview, February 15, 2012).  Both the above instances involved glass pieces that were fairly solid and heavy. As to the more delicate work Naoko does, she prefers that the gallery assistants help clients to remove pieces from display shelves and to put them back. \u201cSome things are quite fine but it also depends on the people. Some people are really afraid to touch glass or even to go near, but some people are quite careless, they just grab things and it might break\u201d (Takenuchi Interview, February 15, 2012). The gallery curators and assistants, with whom I spoke, prefer people not to touch the glass pieces but they will happily assist clients by removing and replacing the piece from the shelf. Gender and the Physicality of Glass Blowing  The head of the Glass Art Association of Canada, Jamie Gray, related what it was like when a group of glass blowers came together in a hot shop: You know, when you get a group of glass people, when you get us together, it\u2019s a strange, happy, cheerful, grubby, party. It\u2019s very accepting, and happy, and it\u2019s not like a black beret clove cigarette type of affair. It\u2019s like, let\u2019s haul this out and get dirty doing this for a while. Cheerful and grubby (Gray Interview, November 2, 2011).  Many of the women with whom I spoke, described glass blowing as a very laborious, dirty, sweaty activity, but it is also very exhilarating and rewarding. Tara Pawson, who works as a fulltime glass blower in a production shop, points out that \u201cit's a really tough job, physically  75 very demanding, and exhausting, and you get filthy. I have calluses all over my hands, I have no nails. It's not a pretty job (laughter)\u201d (Pawson Interview, February 13, 2012). Working in the cold shop, finishing a piece with grinders and sand blasters can be just as laborious, grimy, and sweaty. When I visited Lisa Samphire, she stood before me in her work clothes, layered with a huge smile, a waterproof apron, safety goggles, and ear protection, hamming for the camera and joking about how cold working glass was not exactly a glamorous activity (Samphire Interview, March 28, 2012). This creates a striking visual dichotomy between the industrial setting \u2013 with all the heat, sweat, noise and grime \u2013 and the indescribably beautiful glass creations created within this space.  For glass blowers, respecting the molten material and the hot furnace results in fewer injuries. There will always be burns, and sometimes cuts, but every movement has a purpose, and the grace and fluidity of those movements are all attained through years of practice. I had the honour of watching several of the women blowing glass, and found the experience quite different from the few times in the past when I had watched men glass blowing. While there is physicality to glass blowing, which sometimes requires strength, more often patience and technique will win the day. My own limited experience in a hot glass workshop educated me on the many challenges that glass blowers have to negotiate to end up with a completed piece. Aside from the incredible heat and the weight of the pole, gravity also plays a key role as the molten glass always seems to head for the floor. Manipulating the molten glass on the end of a pipe and cajoling it into the desired shape requires incredible technical skills. When I asked if they thought their gender had any influence on how they blew glass, several of the women thought they recognized certain differences between men and women glass blowers, but others were not as convinced. For several years, Tara Pawson worked in the Robert Held  76 Studio as a glass blower and she was the only woman on the hot shop floor. The Robert Held Studio makes production glassware for gift shops and gallery stores. Working alongside men for years, she has seen a difference in how women and men handle glass: Because glass is a \u2026 molten liquid you have to have a lot of finesse with glass; you can use brute force, but women have a lot more finesse than say a 220 pound man (laughs). I think I can coax the glass a little bit more than I've seen some men do it. I'm more patient than some of the men I think (Pawson Interview, February 13, 2012).  So while being a large or strong person can certainly assist you in moving the glass around the shop, there are techniques that can make this easier as well. Bonny Houston recalled her early experience with glass blowing in school and didn\u2019t think that gender played a role in how a person handled the glass. \u201cIt was heavy, dirty work. It was helpful to be strong and have muscle of course, but it was about being gentle with the glass as well. It was not about bullying it around, it was just about having a nice way with the glass. Anyone could do that, anyone\u201d (Houston Interview, May 18, 2012). Katherine Russell does not feel that being a woman influences her work, except in the area of size: Purely in size \u2013 I feel like I am limited in the size of work I can make, because there is a limit to how much I can physically lift, which is less than most men. Does this have anything to do with quality though? Of course not, some of the finest work in the world is made by female glass artists. But at times I do wish I could work on a larger scale more easily. I do have a [female] assistant as this definitely increases my scope in the hot shop as well as my efficiency (Russell Interview, June 28, 2012).  Sarah Mulligan had similar thoughts: \u201cSometimes I think, aah I wish I was a dude so I could make this by myself, or make this bigger. There\u2019s the physical limitation that I recognize\u201d (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011). Size and physical strength can be overcome with some creative thinking. Some artists use a system of pulleys to help them; others will work with an assistant. \u201cYou find a way. A car jack is an amazing thing, right. It's just about being  77 smart about the making process\u201d (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011). Brenda Taylor talked about the need for a certain amount of both strength and technique: \u201cYou have to develop certain muscles, and technique can really help you lift a lot more glass because you don't have to just muscle stuff. And being not super, super, strong makes it so that I have to use technique\u201d (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012). Being a small woman herself, Toni Johnson spoke of her experiences at Sheridan College and in particular her respect for one instructor that made size a non-issue: Sally McCubbin (third year teacher) was an inspiration to me, and still is. She\u2019s young, and she\u2019s successful because she worked hard for it. She is small, so you could see how she adjusted herself to fit the tools. Like her bench, she made a stool, so I made one; made a huge difference. She gave you little hints that made life as a female blower so much easier. Like, which sports bra protected you the best, or how to fold your paper a little smaller than the guys\u2019 hands. She was open and honest about her business. She was smart, and human. And she never said you can\u2019t do that (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011).  Whether man or woman, the physicality of glass blowing is dictated not only by the strength and stature or technical skills of a person, but also by their metaphysical connection with the process: There\u2019s always that push and pull with glass, because it's incredibly responsive, so you have to kinda be one with it, you really have to put yourself in the space where you\u2019re seeing what it's doing and respond[ing] because every time you make something, you make the same thing over and over, but it's a little bit different every time because the temperatures are different, you're feeling different, you're projecting onto it a little bit, and it\u2019s so responsive that it will pick up on stuff that you're not necessarily aware of, and it's responding to everything. You just have to be really there (Morna Tudor Interview, November 24, 2011).  When asked if she thought that being a woman had any influence on her work, Natali Rodrigues responded: \u201cIt\u2019s a part of who I am. As glass blowers, the way we blow glass is  78 dictated by our physical selves. I can\u2019t deny my physical self when I\u2019m making glass, because I\u2019m using my body to do it\u201d (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011). Gender Dynamics of Team Blowing  Blowing a single piece of glass is physically taxing, and the larger, or more complex the piece, the more difficult it becomes. This is when team blowing or having an assistant comes in handy. Hiring one or more assistants can be a costly endeavour, especially when factoring in charges for rental time in a hot shop, but there is no question that having an extra pair of hands in the hot shop can help the artist create more complex or even larger pieces. Rodrigues explains how this plays out: I think that if you have money to hire a team to make your work, whether you\u2019re the gaffer or not, it makes things way quicker, way more successful, the outcomes are what you want, but it\u2019s also a lot more expensive. Because you have to pay for your team, pay for the larger space, and be willing to lose the money that it takes \u2026you have to be willing to pay for the mistakes until your team starts working well together. You know, if you\u2019re by yourself, you have no one to blame but yourself (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011).  Depending on when and where the glass blowers did their training, they may have been trained to be a solo blower, or to work with a partner or assistant. When Bonny Houston studied glass blowing in Japan, she always had an assistant. Things changed when she came back to Canada and studied at ACAD where she learned to do solo blowing. \u201cI mean you could call out, \u201chey someone bring me a punty\u201d and you would get some help from people, but you still had to be able to do it by yourself\u201d (Houston Interview, May 18, 2012). Now in her own hot shop, Houston prefers to work with an assistant.  When Sarah Mulligan attended Sheridan in the 1990s, she was taught solo blowing, but she enjoys blowing as part of a team when she gets the opportunity. At the hot shop where she rents time to make her own work, she also assists others in making theirs:  79 Yeah, it\u2019s awesome when you get a good team working together. It\u2019s amazing, like when we work for Jay, there are six of us, and he doesn\u2019t have to sit there and bark orders; we all know what we\u2019re making for him, we all know what\u2019s coming next and we all play our roles. Like I\u2019m working on the mould, and I know that Michael has to go get a bit and a punty, and I know where Michael has to go, to help Jay, and I stay out of Mike\u2019s way, I stay out of Jay\u2019s way, but they know that I\u2019m doing my job and they stay out of my way (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  I love to watch team blowing. It\u2019s like watching a well-choreographed dance, and Sarah agreed; \u201cThat\u2019s one of my favorite things, watching team blowing. I love seeing it\u201d (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011). When Toni Johnson started at Sheridan in 2007, the program went through some changes under the direction of a new program head: We got a new program head, Koen Vanderstukken. He was awesome at encouraging team work, group critiques. It didn\u2019t matter your skill level or your sex. If you liked glass, you were on the team. The blowing class, it was of course our choice to have a partner or not, but we all chose to [partner] (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011).  Working with assistants and team blowing are two areas that often led to discussions of gender issues. Johnson was part of a class of eleven students and for her first two years her blowing partner was a fellow student named Tommy. Johnson recalls that they had the same drive for knowledge, and they worked many hours together improving their skills. During their school breaks, and in the summer between second and third year, Johnson invited her partner to spend time in her hot shop in Campbell River. For any young glass blower, this would have been an amazing opportunity to continue expanding a skill set over the summer months: We talked glass, we talked ideas, he was encouraging, and then we flew back to Ontario together, and something changed. I noticed it in all the third years, the big shows. My class, the guys were macho, they were show offs, they were hurtful, competitive, and Tommy was one of them. He dumped me in a heartbeat to work with another  80 [man]. Tommy told me he wanted to work on bigger pieces, and that I didn\u2019t have the strength. I found myself another partner. He was male; he was awesome to work with. I don\u2019t think he knows to this day if I was male or female, which I liked (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011).  One of the places where glass blowers can gain some heady experiences team blowing is at Pilchuck Glass School, especially in the summer months when glass blowers from all over the world come together volunteering as pole turners. Many of the glass blowers spoke of their experiences at Pilchuck and often commented on gender related issues. Brenda Taylor spent eight consecutive summers volunteering at Pilchuck, and describes the environment there as one where the men were all too willing to step in and take your pole, unless you told them otherwise: It\u2019s kind of like\u2026if you didn't sort of exert yourself a little bit then they would be happy enough to free you up to just open and close the doors for them and stuff. Yeah, they wanted to be the gaffers and you to be the assistants, but we stopped that kind of nonsense after a few years. You get comfortable and then it's like you don't come all this way to just open and close doors; not doing that, sorry (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012).  Barbara Rumberger, Brenda Taylor and Natali Rodrigues were all at Pilchuck the same summer: Brenda Taylor got to be like a team captain with the more experienced glass blowers, and she picked a team of all-girls. Well, the Americans (laughter) were like, really like are you sure because we were making quite big pieces? Brenda, Natalie, and I had all been working\u2026on this big team and we could all handle the larger glass and stuff, but they were very hesitant to let us have our own bench. It was quite fun because Spice Girls were big at the time, so we were called Team Spice. The other pole turners from the States, the men, they would stand and watch us, and they would step in if they thought we needed it or if we said yeah, can you take this for a while, but the first day they were just stepping in (Rumberger Interview January 26, 2012).   81 The women had to take a stand to make clear that they were capable, and eventually the men stopped assuming they could just step in. Rumberger believes the men were impressed that Team Spice was easily creating pieces that were just as big as the other teams. Aside from an opportunity to volunteer as a pole turner, Pilchuck also offers residencies and workshops. In May 2011, Larissa Blokhuis attended a workshop at Pilchuck: My teacher was a man, and he and his best friend came to Pilchuck to teach and TA. There were two younger TAs, one was a girl and one was a boy. The teacher I had, brought in a lot of guest glass blowers and they were a bit of the older generation so, they were all men. They were all \u2018go big or go home\u2019 glass blowers. But I really didn\u2019t feel like it was a masculine space or a feminine space, it just felt like an artist\u2019s work space (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Ceramic artist Eliza Au did a residency in glass at both Corning and Pilchuck to augment her artistic practice. Au\u2019s glass blowing experience comes from her time in grad school at Alfred University in New York and, in her experience there, the male students tended to hog the glory holes: I think that men tend to be maybe a bit more dominating; \u2026 I'm thinking more in terms of grad school but the thing is like the women that I've known they are the better blowers (laughing). I think they\u2019re more careful, and I wouldn't say all men because that's a total generalization but there is a tendency I think, with men, that they look at glass as a macho sort of sport, and they\u2019re like \u2018I want to blow this big thing\u2019 (laughs) like \u2018I want to do this humongous thing,\u2019 and the women are like, you know, what am I making, what shape do I want, all these other kind of considerations and technical considerations (Au Interview, February 14, 2012).  While at Pilchuck, she experienced some of the same macho environment, \u201cthe whole macho, loud music kind of thing, which is very American, I think. That kind of myth is more like an American kind of ideal\u201d (Au Interview, February 14, 2012). While at Pilchuck she worked alongside Marie, an artist from Denmark, who stated that in Sweden where she did her glass training, it was mostly men working in the production factories. She was one of the  82 very few women who did her apprenticeship at Kosta Boda in Sweden, a factory that makes production ware. Au stated that in conversations with Marie, she learned that the macho loud environment was not universally or internationally accepted: She's [Marie\u2019s] been to Pilchuck twice, she was like (laughing) \u2018what you see here, we don't act like this,\u2019 like when they were being all macho and stuff and the loud music, she was saying \u2018we don't do that in Europe\u2019 (laughs), \u2018it's just quiet, oh, we don't do this\u2019 (Au Interview, February 14, 2012).  Au also experienced a different environment at Corning where \u201cthere's no loud music, it's perfectly quiet, and everybody's focusing on what they're doing and stuff like that. So I guess it kind of does depend; it can be very macho I think\u201d (Au Interview, February 14, 2012). Aside from Au\u2019s conversation with the Danish artist, I also heard from other glass blowers that the glass factories in Europe predominantly hire men as glass blowers, but that the glass art world is very different in this regard. Lisa Samphire visited a number of glass factories in Europe: I traveled through Sweden, Germany\u2026 did all the glass cities, anyway, and when we were in Sweden I was actually traveling with Naoko. So, \u2026two female glass artists from BC going into these factories and, if we had the chance, we would tell them that we were glassblowers; and, at Orrefors, which is one of the biggest factories in Sweden, the head, the CEO, is a woman. Her face just lit up and she just put her arms around us and she took us on the floor; she just took great delight telling every one of the maestros that we were glassblowers, because there\u2019s not a single woman on the floor, anywhere in Sweden (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  While taking a two week long workshop at Pilchuck, Samphire met Czechoslovakian glass artist Petr Navotny and his wife who had travelled with him, and the group struck up a friendship. On her European tour Samphire decided to visit the couple in Novy Bor (Czech Republic) and met up with Navotny at one of several glass factories that he owned:  83 It\u2019s a totally different world over there but again male, male, male. You go into the eating room and all the pinups are up there of nude women, so there\u2019s that whole thing too. So I wouldn\u2019t even want to work there \u2013 that testosterone. They\u2019re drinking a really mild beer while they\u2019re working, and you know, it's just very male (laughter). But again [Navotny] took great delight in taking me out to the pub with him afterwards. Women don't go to the pubs; only the guys, after they\u2019ve blown glass, all go to the pub and sit down and have beer. But, I was a glassblower, so I was allowed to go (laughter). I hadn\u2019t blown glass that day\u2026 You know, and all the stories and stuff, and the guys just kept looking at me; \u201cdo you really blow glass? Can you really blow glass?\u201d Like, they didn't believe him (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  In the early days of studio glass in Canada, things weren\u2019t much different. At Sheridan, where Martha Henry did her training as a glass blower (1970s), the men were known to hog the glory holes: Because they\u2019re just more aggressive, and you know they figured, women, you\u2019re just going to get married and have kids. Absolutely, you know, you\u2019re not going to have a glass shop, you don\u2019t do that, men do that, have businesses. Women don\u2019t do that. It was the big change then, and women were feminists and pushing their own, and that\u2019s why I said, when I was twenty-one, when I get out of school, I\u2019m going to have my own glass shop (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  Despite the negative, often sexist comments heard in the early days of her career, Martha never allowed this to move her from her decided path. \u201cI would just blaze right through, this is what I'm doing, and it never occurred to me that women wouldn't do it\u201d (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012). Martha would sell her glass at trade shows, where gallery gift shop owners would order her glass items for their shops, and it was here that she often heard sexist comments: Actually \u2026 where I got a lot of the gender stuff was doing the trade shows and hearing the comments. Like, \u201cyou actually blow this?\u201d \u201cYou make a living at this?\u201d \u201cYou can actually make a living at this?\u201d I remember once I did a Christmas craft show and it was the end of the show, and a man came into my booth and asked, so what\u2019s  84 for sale, and I said well it\u2019s all for sale. And he said yeah but it\u2019s the end of the show so what\u2019s the discount? So I said, well there\u2019s no discount because I sell to galleries, and I\u2019ll do another show. So he said, so I can\u2019t get a deal? And I said, no. So he said, well you\u2019re just not starving enough (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  Martha has had many different experiences in her glass career, and drew a comparison with how gender issues are looked at in different professions: I worked for Culinary Team Alberta, designing glass things for them, and we went to Berlin and won the gold medal, and we became team Canada. It was interesting for me to look at all the chefs, because the women are pushed out. Those men dominate the kitchens, and there are very few recognized female chefs, and I thought, gee, it looked a lot like the glass world. So I could relate to the women, and they said, oh yeah, you have to be very aggressive, and just be like a bull to stay in the man\u2019s world. Glass blowing was something like that (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  While doing glass blowing demonstrations for the general public at New Small and Sterling, the windows are often open to relieve the heat in the hot shop. Glass artist Larissa Blokhuis frequently hears sexist comments from the general public standing at the windows, but doesn\u2019t allow this to bother her: If people do express surprise, \u2018oh I thought there was going to be a man blowing glass today.\u2019 I\u2019m just like, \u2018well, it\u2019s me.\u2019 I\u2019ve never felt that [being a woman] was a reason to not go and do something. I don\u2019t see it as relevant to whether or not I can blow glass (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Toni Johnson experienced similar comments at her hot shop in Campbell River, BC: I smile to myself when people come into the shop and ask when the glass blower will be blowing, and they refer to me as a he\u2026 it\u2019s assumed that the blower is male. Or, when my dad\u2019s blowing with me, he will prepare my colour for me and people assume it\u2019s him that\u2019s made everything in the gallery. And it\u2019s almost a shock to people when I say actually it\u2019s me. I try and just smile as they realize this, and I almost feel a sense of pride because yeah, I\u2019m 5 foot 5 and I\u2019m tough (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011).   85 Speaking with Ione Thorkelsson about gender issues in her early days, revealed another more positive perspective. Glass blowing \u201cwas a new field at a time when women were pressing into the community in different ways; \u2026it almost, in a lot of ways, could be associated with women becoming more able to do anything\u201d (Thorkelsson Interview, January 23, 2012). Consequently, she felt as though she was supported and even encouraged in her choices. Thorkelsson doesn\u2019t ever remember thinking that she couldn\u2019t be a glass blower because she was a woman, but thinks that there were other not so obvious barriers: What it might be though, is one of the things about being a female is giving yourself permission to do it, giving yourself permission to not only make the work, but to feel like \u201cI should be there.\u201d You know, maybe I'm selling here, but maybe I should be there. So it's the constant [laughs] pushing yourself in that position, was one of the things I constantly had difficulty dealing with. I'm sure there are males that have similar problems, but I think it's a pretty female thing to be doing, so it's pushing yourself into situations (Thorkelsson Interview, January 23, 2012).  Women glass blowers are not always willing to seek representation or patronage based on gender; they are more likely to want recognition based on the quality of their work (Ewington 1995: 108), something that Jane Bruce stated whole heartedly: I don't want my work in an exhibition simply because I'm a woman; I want my work in an exhibition or a museum because it's good. I really don\u2019t want to be a token woman. There\u2019s no point in that; it doesn't help women in general and it certainly doesn't help me in the long run (Bruce Interview, October 31, 2011).  Sarah Mulligan thought that her gender helped in her career; \u201cBeing a woman has not been a hindrance; if anything its opened doors for me\u201d (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011). Mulligan supported this by telling me her story about when she first left [glass blowing] school, and was selling bongs to pot shops to earn a living: It's pretty hard to cold call places\u2026 well \u2026 maybe I should restate this\u2026 it might not have been for the fact that I'm a woman; maybe  86 it's because I was a young, thin, not ugly person. It was very easy because all the head shops are run by dudes, and they would all make the time to talk to me and see what I had to say, regardless of whether they were interested in my product or not, I was a cute girl walking in and they made the time (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Working as a successful glass artisan today, Mulligan makes a line of glass jewelry, which is her bread and butter, and this augments the income she earns from her blown glass work. She still feels that being a woman helps her in selling her current line of work. \u201cSo being a woman has helped me do this for a living because, if I was a dude and I wanted to sell jewelry, I don't think it would work as much\u201d (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  The hot shop with its industrial type setting is often referred to as a masculine place; but, while many of the women have witnessed a macho display in hot shops at various locations, out-and-out gender discrimination or harassment is rare. Katherine Russell recalls only two instances in her ten year career where she felt discriminated against because of her gender. The first time was at Pilchuck (2007), when she did a summer volunteer session as a pole turner: The girls, by default, were given the most menial tasks and the dudes given much more exciting opportunities. I believe that had a lot to do with the designer that summer (he has a reputation of being a pretty self-centered, misogynistic guy), and likely is not usually the case \u2013 and of course that could happen in any work place, though I wouldn\u2019t be in a hurry to go back to that opportunity again (Russell Interview June 28, 2012).  The second occasion was in Perth, Australia, where Katherine studied and worked for several years (2007-2011): I was treated with disrespect in the hot shop at a small hot glass studio that had all men working out of it. I went to watch for the day, because the gaffer\u2019s skill level was high and it would be a great learning experience to watch another glassblower. However, I left halfway through the day because of all the sexist comments being made to me. They were extremely crude, perverse innuendos  87 involving me, and I was pretty offended. There was one female assistant in the shop, who was the butt of the same jokes, but she could \u2018cut it\u2019 whereas I decided my glass \u2018education\u2019 that day wasn\u2019t worth the humiliation (Russell Interview June 28, 2012).  The Arduous Task of Cold Working When observing glass blowers at work in a hot shop, it appears that the piece they are blowing is basically finished, aside from allowing it to cool and anneal (harden). The next step in the creative process is the cold working or finishing, and in the many hours I spent visiting and talking with the women glass blowers I learned that cold working glass is a laborious and time consuming activity. It can involve any number of different techniques and processes such as, sand blasting designs on a surface area either inside or outside a piece, cutting and polishing facets, etching surface areas, polishing an entire surface, or simply grinding the bottom to insure the piece stands level. While some of the more complicated or layered pieces require additional cold working processes in between return visits to the furnace, in the end, everything needs to be cold worked in some way before it is complete. Many of the women noted that cold working can consume up to sixty-five percent of their time in the studio. Although not all the women spoke of this labour intensive part of the making process, those who did were careful to emphasise that the cold working process is just as important as the actual blowing of the piece. When Rodrigues shows me her current work, I\u2019m always drawn to pick it up. Running my hands over the glass or simply holding the weight of it in my hand provides a haptic reality of the piece itself. Its transparency gives an illusion of weightlessness, yet, the weight is all too real when it is in your hands rather than just viewed on a shelf. The look and feel of each piece is something that Rodrigues spends a lot of time achieving through cold working; but for her it is all part of the creative process:  88 So, part of my approach to making, is because it is an act of finding silence, it is about building liminal space, and engaging these moments of pilgrimage if you will, my working process is about losing myself in the making. Once I\u2019ve blown the work, then I cold work it, and that\u2019s when I stop being me, where I just end up getting into the zone and making the work. I would say all the way up to making that work, it\u2019s a part of the discussion; but, once I\u2019m in the cold shop, once I\u2019m finishing the work, that last third of the making process, I don\u2019t think about it much. I don\u2019t think about much when I\u2019m doing it [laughs], I just try to hold the image of what I\u2019m trying to make in my head and try and get it there (Rodrigues Interview October 31, 2011).  For Takenuchi, cold work consumes seventy percent of the time required to complete one of her pieces (Takenuchi 2012). In the cold working studio at the back of her property at home, she finishes her pieces with her particular style of sandblasting. I watched Takenuchi as she moved through the many steps required to reveal the intricate design on the surface of a small vessel that was fifteen centimeters tall. While I witnessed only a short demonstration, Takenuchi estimated that it would take four hours to complete this particular piece. For a larger item, approximately 35 x 24 x 10 cm (Figure 22) it could feasibly take twelve hours to complete the cold working alone.  89  Figure 22. Naoko Takenuchi. Kataribe 13. 35 x 24 x 10 cm, 2006. Blown glass with silver foil, sandblasted, copper and fiber. Photo Credit: Kenji Nagai.  While visiting Lisa Samphire, I spent some time with in her cold shop capturing some video of how she creates and assembles her pieces. This is where I first truly understood the time consuming technique of cold working. Samphire\u2019s work is a process of steps; creating the colourful murrini (plural of murrine - Italian origin - coloured patterns made in a glass cane that are revealed when cut in cross-sections) in one trip to the hot shop, then back in her cold shop she chops the murrini into small pieces resembling rolled up Christmas candy and arranges them onto a design plate secured with plastic wrap for yet another trip to the hot shop. In the hot shop, Samphire heats the design tray or lay-out of murrini so it becomes a malleable piece of glass, and applies a strip of glass along the bottom edge, which allows her to pick up the predesigned murrini pattern by rolling the whole lay-out into a cylinder form.  90 She can then work with the cylinder, blowing it into the shape and size that she wants. Once annealed (cooled slowly in a tempered oven), the time consuming process of cold working each piece takes place back at her studio. While I did some video shots, Lisa hammed for the camera and joked about the glamour of cold working with wet saws, wearing safety glasses, ear muffs and a waterproof apron. I watched as she took an unfinished piece and moved it through a very brief demonstration of the lengthy polishing and grinding process that is used to bring out the coloured layers of the murrini on the surface of the piece. While I saw only one hour of this laborious and time consuming process, it would take several hours more to finish one of her murrini pieces (Figure 23).  Figure 23. Lisa Samphire, a design tray of murrini and a blown piece awaiting cold work, 2012.  Mulligan\u2019s blown glass requires a tremendous amount of cold working as well (Figure 24), which she does in rented studio space. Taking full advantage of the time she rents in the hot shop, the amount of work she produces in one day can take a month of cold work to complete (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  91  Figure 24. Sarah Mulligan. Cameo style blown glass, sandblasted designs in relief. Average size 15.2 x 25.4 cm, 2011, 2012.  Rumberger\u2019s glass vessels also require a lot of cold work to complete; most especially for the faceted line of vessels that she does (Figure 25): These take minimum six hours to make, and I don\u2019t make one at a time. I\u2019ll do two or three at a time, because I hand polish all of them on that wheel, and then go to that wheel, and then I have to do the two other wheels. So if I get in a groove on that wheel, I\u2019ll do two or three and get the shape set up. This is the harder wheel\u2026the most important wheel, once I\u2019ve got that going well then I\u2019ll do all of each facet on that wheel before I carry on (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012).   92  Figure 25. Barbara Rumberger. Faceted Vases, blown glass, 15.24 cm H., 1996. Photo Credit: Jeff Bright.  Murdoch\u2019s intricately designed one-of-a-kind pieces take many hours of cold working and sometimes a series of many different techniques and processes (Figure 26). Pointing to three overhead light shades in her loft, she commented that each one took approximately 60 hours to make because of the processes involved in her work. Murdoch spoke of one particular piece that took a year to complete and involved ten different processes.  93  Figure 26. Laura Murdoch. Layered Light: a Glass Exhibition, 2008.  Toni Johnson incorporates several techniques into her glass work, which can result in a finish that looks nothing like glass (Figure 27): Its sand casted, using a sand mold and ladling molten glass, then picked up on the blow pipe with a collar. It\u2019s on the pipe before punting that I apply all of the colours (usually 5 or 6). It\u2019s about 20 hours of engraving using the lathe and sandblasting to expose the layers and reveal the sand texture (Johnson Personal Communication, January 22, 2013).   94  Figure 27. Toni Johnson. Discovery. 12.7 x 12.7 x 33.02 cm. Blown glass, sand cast, and sand blasted, 2011.  Despite the fact that cold working is a time consuming and often tedious task, many of the women stated that they preferred to do this step of the creative process themselves. Johnson commented that, even if she had a busy thriving practice and was balancing family life with studio responsibilities, she still wouldn\u2019t want someone to do her cold work (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011). This is something that she likes to do herself. Blokhuis stated that she always considered cold working to be tedious, but aside from glass blowing on Saturdays and assisting in the retail gallery, she also does the cold working for New-Small\u2019s other glass blowers. As a result of all the cold working she\u2019s done in the shop she admitted that, \u201cI\u2019m a lot better when I\u2019m cold working my own stuff\u201d (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012). Cold working is physically demanding, often requiring  95 numerous hours of repetitive and highly technical processes which can result in repetitive strain injuries, as was attested to by both Rumberger and Gottselig (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012, Gottselig Interview May 18, 2012). The larger and heavier pieces require physical strength and stamina to accomplish the necessary processes of cold working, while smaller pieces and intricate design work can also be physically demanding (Figure 28). While the physicality of glass blowing and cold working was noted by the women, this was not considered a barrier to completing their work.  Figure 28. Susan Gottselig. Cheeky Chickens, blown glass, 17.78 x 17.78 cm, 2011.  96 The Realities of an Active Glass Practice For most artists or crafts people, success is a moving target, which is often difficult to define. While some of these women have found a place in the market where they are content, others are still struggling to find that niche. For glass blowers who established their careers prior to the millennium, success was somewhat easier to attain. Those who started their glass blowing careers after the year 2000 often find it difficult to attain a comfortable level of income and some rely on alternate employment to meet daily living expenses. In most cases, the women rent time in hot shops to blow their pieces, while some also rent studio space to do their cold work, which is a significant monetary outlay. For the few women who are hot shop owners the responsibilities, financial commitments and anxieties increase exponentially; theirs is a 24\/7 job. Marketing blown glass is an enormous task, and the dynamics of a changing economy has created a need for increasingly creative marketing skills. Defining themselves as artists, crafts people, artisans, or makers and their work as art, craft or both, directs not only what kind of work these glass blowers make, but also establishes their market and where their creations will be best received. Natali Rodrigues heads up the glass program at ACAD and, in her \u2018free\u2019 time, she does her own work for gallery exhibitions or shows. Not having the overhead costs of running a hot shop and studio of her own, or having to rely on the income from her glass, has removed several challenges; but, with a busy teaching schedule and the administrative functions that go with her position, finding the time to do her glass work is difficult. Interviewing Rodrigues as the head of the glass program at ACAD and as a glass blower, provided multi-layered and insightful responses. Rodrigues has seen a number of students  97 come through the glass program and go on to be successful in their artistic careers; however, when asked about the rate of attrition after graduation, her comments led to discussions about the state of the economy and how glass is viewed in the current market: It\u2019s hard to make a living at doing luxury goods. In the last five years there's been a huge\u2026yeah, maybe since I graduated\u2026but it's really become visible recently, a huge influx of hand blown objects from other countries, the designation was\u2026I can\u2019t remember \u2026but, I think it\u2019s called \u2018hand-blown quality\u2019, but it means that only ten to fifteen percent of the process has to be done by hand, and the rest by machine. So this has sped up [overseas] production significantly. You can get something at [a home d\u00e9cor store] that I would have to charge 1000 bucks for, for ten bucks (Rodrigues Interview October 31, 2011).  The Murano glass factories in Italy have started to ship their factory seconds out to the home d\u00e9cor market place to be sold for ridiculously low prices. \u201cWell, they used to just smash them, but now they need to make the money\u201d (Rodrigues 2011). When glass factories are flooding the market with lesser quality glass objects, it becomes very difficult for students to foresee a future as a glass blower: It\u2019s changed how we think; how students can visualize their future right? So when I graduated it was still possible to have a very comfortable life as a production glassblower making unique objects for use, and I think that it is still kind of possible. But I think that the market has shifted significantly (Rodrigues Interview October 31, 2011).  For most young glass blowers coming out of the Alberta College of Art & Design, the only way to continue to improve techniques and become successful, is to rent time in one of the hot shops in Calgary, or leave and go elsewhere. \u201cThey either go to Australia for further training or they go to the States, or to Toronto\u2019s Harbor Center, which has a postgraduate residency program, or they travel around Europe. You know, try to find gigs as glass blowers\u201d (Rodrigues Interview, October 31, 2011). Pursuing a career in glass has many  98 barriers, not least is having the funds to set up and maintain a complete working glass studio that has both hot glass and cold working facilities. Rodrigues recalls that in the mid 1990s the cost of setting up a hot shop in Calgary was about $50,000 but this expense has increased to the point where it is out of reach for most. However, natural gas is still cheaper in Alberta than in any other province; thus, despite the set-up and equipment costs, several hot shops have opened up in Alberta in recent years, including five in Calgary, three in Edmonton and one in Red Deer (Rodrigues Interview October 31, 2011). Not having to rely on an income from her glass work, Rodrigues measures her success simply on how well her work is received (Figure 29): For me, to make stuff is really about marking my place, to a degree, marking my passage through time. But its also, I think, that moment of non-verbal communication with the viewer,[which] is such a profound experience that if you could do it well, the money - I love the money, don\u2019t get me wrong - I love it when someone buys my work, and I think what I do has value. But for me personally, as a maker, it\u2019s that moment of resonance that\u2019s more important than the cash (Rodrigues Interview October 31, 2011).   99  Figure 29. Natali Rodrigues. Proximity and Touch # 13 Bigger, 18 x 32 x 7 cm, cast, hot formed and cold worked glass, 2010. Photo Credit: Ward Bastian.  If glass is your only source of income, then selling production or other types of glass work is often the only way to meet expenses, and keep the furnace lit. This provides the extra income needed to do one-of-a-kind pieces for gallery consignments, shows or exhibitions. Even when glass was considered to be a desirable commodity and glass blowers like Martha Henry, Morna Tudor and Lisa Samphire were selling collectable pieces for thousands of dollars; it was production work that kept a regular flow of income coming into the studio. Although glass was a desirable item in the 1980s and 1990s, the choices of galleries were, and still are, more abundant in the United States. Takenuchi\u2019s glass is in several Canadian galleries, and in the 1990s she relied on a marketer to sell her work to galleries in the United States. As Takenuchi was not comfortable promoting herself she was happy to pay the marketer fifteen percent to promote her work (Takenuchi Interview February 15,  100 2012). The arrangement worked well for several years, but this particular marketer was focused on wholesale or production orders as opposed to arranging gallery consignments. This presented a problem for Takenuchi because a \u201clot of good galleries [are] presenting serious artwork, one-of-a-kind work, they don't do wholesale, they only do consignment\u201d (Takenuchi Interview February 15, 2012). Being overwhelmed with wholesale orders for gift shops that lacked the content to satisfy her creativity, Takenuchi found that she didn\u2019t have the time she needed to devout to her one-of-a-kind pieces. \u201cI became very unhappy with it, so that's a difficult balance\u201d (Takenuchi Interview February 15, 2012). The balance for Takenuchi and many other glass blowers is based on economics. In 2006, Lisa Samphire and her partners closed the doors at Starfish Glassworks in Victoria, BC, after ten years in business. Sales had become difficult to make when the economy started its downward spiral (2009). Samphire, like other glass blowers who had successful careers in the 1990s, saw a distinct decline of sales to the United States market. She related this to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which consequently closed the borders, thus cutting off glass artists from the lucrative cross-border market. Sales have slowly increased over the past few years, but the glass market has definitely changed, with more buyers from Alberta looking for home d\u00e9cor, rather than collectible quality glass art: You know, after 9\/11 things change dramatically. Things went from the US market to the Alberta market, which we were thankful for, but it's very different. [Alberta buyers] had the money and they would still spend maybe $2000 but for four or five pieces. We actually had to make more work to supply that same dollar value than [selling] one piece at $2000 (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  With this decline in sales and in market value, it became increasingly difficult for glass blowers to continue their work as a full time occupation. Of the eleven original employees at Starfish Glassworks, only four continued to blow glass, but only for a couple of years.  101 Indeed, Samphire is one of a few from the Starfish group who still manages to do glass blowing for a living: It became too hard to pay the rent and wait for work to sell. [One guy was] supporting his wife going to school, they have a young girl, you know, it was just too expensive. He's got a full-time job now, and we are back to just [another guy] and I blowing glass, making a living. It's expensive, I mean, you can tell when you look at the work in the galleries and in the shops. [The price range is] $300-$500 for a piece, a vase, and a lot of that is tied up in the expense of renting, and then hiring an assistant, and then just the colour rods that we have to buy that come from the States; it's all expensive (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  To accommodate the changes in the market Samphire has modified the look of her work. While her name is associated with large, beautiful high end vessels full of murrini (Figure 30), she now creates smaller blown vessels with a much smaller amount of murrini inclusions that she can sell for less: The market has shifted definitely. The high-end pieces are few and far between. This last couple of years it's hard for me to justify going in and making the pieces I really want to make because they\u2019re not selling at a fast enough rate, and if I'm outlaying $800 for my day I\u2019ve got to know that I'm going to at least recoup that in a relatively short period of time. I need the cash flow\u2026 on one of those days that I make the semi- production stuff, the pieces are somewhere around say $200 to $500, then I can move them. I have to look at it differently; it\u2019s totally money driven (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).   102  Figure 30. Lisa Samphire. Spotted Swallow Tail. 21.59 x 17.78 x 8.89 cm. Butterfly Series, 2006. Regardless of the size of the piece, the process is lengthy and requires many hours of labour in a hot shop. Samphire rents hot shop time four days in a month to blow her work or prepare canes for murrini. She blows most of her glass objects by herself, but occasionally needs to hire an assistant, which adds to the cost of the end product: I have been making Christmas balls by myself for the last four years, and Christmas balls are those things that if you have a team of two or a team of three, you can double or almost triple your output. But it's hard for me to justify, with a $20 object hiring somebody to do that, especially if you\u2019re wholesaling and stuff. I can still make enough of them to make good money by myself, just renting and paying for the glass\u2026[laughing in disbelief]\u2026it is really money driven, I mean this is what I\u2019m hearing as I\u2019m talking to you\u2026I\u2019m just going, \u2018oh my god, it\u2019s all about money!\u2019(Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011)   103 Samphire does her own promotional work, getting involved with arts and crafts organizations, such as the Island Artisans Association, selling her work at wholesale and retail craft shows and gallery gift shops. She also shows at the Circle Craft Gallery, New- Small & Sterling in Vancouver and the Elena Lee Gallery in Montreal. However with the gallery market being slow at the moment, Samphire stated that it was hard to justify sending her work out to galleries (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011). Sarah Mulligan rents time in a hot shop when she needs to do her blown work, but she also leases space for her cold shop and studio. She doesn\u2019t have a second job to provide additional income; glass is Mulligan\u2019s full time occupation. \u201cI work with glass for a living. I get in the hot shop\u2026at least 12 days a year, maybe more if there are commissions. This is how often I get in making my own glass, but it\u2019s more with the work I do for others\u201d (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011). Renting time in the hot shop at $35.00 per hour means that Mulligan has to take full advantage of that time. Recently, Mulligan decided to lease out some of her studio space to another artist to help meet expenses. Mulligan has a line of jewelry that she calls her bread and butter. It helps keep her practice alive, but she recalls a time when selling blown work was somewhat easier: The economy 10 years ago was very favorable to glassblowers because of the Chihuly excitement and the US dollar being so strong. I can sell the same piece today, but have a hard time selling it at the same price I had 10 years ago. I\u2019ve not been able to raise my prices, even though the quality is better (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Making a living as a glass blower is a tough road that does not pay well in today\u2019s economy, and glass blowers are often forced to make the difficult choice of pursuing glass blowing or moving to another form of employment to survive and prosper:  104 Well my friend \u2026he had a glass studio here, but they had a son, and had an opportunity to buy a house, so he had to close down the glass studio and get a job as a house painter\u2026 you gotta do, what you gotta do (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Of the ten men and ten women who were in Mulligan\u2019s graduating class at Sheridan College, the attrition rate for men after graduation is much higher than for the women. Mulligan could think of only one male glass blower who is still keeping a hand in, but even he is not pursuing glass blowing as a full time occupation: We were a class of ten guys and ten girls, and of the women we\u2019re almost all still involved in glass in some capacity and all the dudes, they got a bank job, got an airport job; and these aren\u2019t guys that got these jobs because they had the responsibility of a family, all these guys who have no children, they can\u2019t use the excuse, \u2018well, I had to get the day job\u2019 (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Mulligan doesn\u2019t think that pregnancy or having a family is a barrier for women glass blowers: Most of my girlfriends have had babies, and are still doing glass. They\u2019ve had them and they\u2019re still managing to pull it off. For almost all glass blowers, you can\u2019t bring your work home. Its industrial, it\u2019s not in the house, it can\u2019t be. You might have a cold shop or a garage with storage. For the most part, most of us [women] can still stay in it because you just rent time at a studio (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Mulligan puts her work in gift shops and sells through wholesale or retail craft shows as well. Every weekend Mulligan transports several bins of blown glass and jewelry, along with display racks and lighting in her small car to one of the many craft shows. She invited me to tag along to a weekend wholesale show run by the Island Artisans Association and, when she arrived at the sales venue, it took about two hours, with my minimally skilled assistance, to set up the display (Figure 31).  105  Figure 31. Sarah Mulligan. Spring Show booth with blown glass and jewelry line, 2012. The first few hours of the show are open to gallery and gift shop wholesale buyers, and then the remainder of the weekend is open to the public. Mulligan participated in this same craft show the previous year (2011), but since she already had accounts with most of the buyers in attendance, she didn\u2019t get any new orders. This year (2012) looked a little better as a few new faces stopped by her display, and one buyer seemed very interested in her jewelry line. For two days I watched as the artisan transformed into a sales person as she stood at her display talking with people who stopped to see her work. These smaller retail and wholesale craft shows are less expensive for vendors, and a key consideration is that this type of venue can provide beneficial exposure and perhaps a few sales. Mulligan, like many other artisans, needs to consider overhead when pricing her items, but wholesale buyers want her to lower her prices because they want a larger profit margin when they sell the item: As a renter, I can hardly sell a drinking glass for less than $15, and the buyer says that $30 retail is too much for a glass. They want me  106 to drop my price to $10 for a $20 retail. I hum and ha - they play hard ball; fine I will sell it at $10 and then I find out they sell it for $30 anyway!!! (Mulligan, Personal Communication February 23, 2012).  While the retailer met their profit margin, Mulligan had to take a loss to sell her work. This might open the door to future sales to this buyer, but it\u2019s a gamble. The only woman in this research who works full time in a design house as a production glass blower is Tara Pawson. Her full time employer does not allow the glass blowers to access or use the hot shop after hours, so Pawson has to rent time in other hot shops to do her personal work (Figure 32). She has several pieces in commercial galleries and gift shops but, because of her full time position as a glass blower, she does not have to rely on the sales of her personal work.  Figure 32. Tara Pawson. Blown glass vessel, 2012. In the summer of 2011, Katherine Russell returned to Canada after working four years as an assistant at Glass Manifesto in Perth, Australia. Russell decided to dedicate her  107 time to developing her own practice, rather than working for someone else, and although this has left an income gap, she has managed. Russell received a Canada Council grant which allows her to devote time to developing a new line, without having to worry about supplementing her income with other work. When she first returned to Canada, Russell started renting hot shop time at the Bee Kingdom glass studio in Calgary, Alberta, and although she recently moved to British Columbia; \u201cI make my work there [Calgary], then bring it back to my studio here in Elkford, BC [300kms] to finish it (grind and polish)\u201d (Russell Personal Communication, June 28, 2012). Russell divides her time between making production work (75 percent), which is how she earns her living, and exhibition work (25 percent) (Figure 33). She detailed the many responsibilities that need to be managed in a successful practice: [Fifty percent of her time is] spent in the office ordering colour, drawing out plans for blowing, photographing work, scoping out new galleries, dealing with galleries (inventory lists, spreadsheets, invoices, packing work, shipping and collecting work), updating my blog, researching techniques, researching cold working equipment, applying for grants and exhibitions, seeking out commissions and work opportunities. (Russell Personal Communication, June 28, 2012).  When asked if the current economy has affected her practice at all, her response was positive; \u201cNot really actually \u2013 my sales in galleries have not dropped, nor has my success rate for grant applications. This could be because both cities I\u2019ve spent the last 10 years in (Perth and Calgary) are big mining cities that have fairly stable economies compared to the rest of the western world\u201d (Russell Personal Communication, June 28, 2012).  108  Figure 33. Katherine Russell. Lampposts. 40 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm, blown and lamp worked glass, 2009. Photo Credit: Kevin Gordon.  Brenda Taylor considers glass her full time occupation and sells her blown work through several galleries and corporate sales. Along with her blown work, Taylor does torch or flame work to create a line of unique glass beads which she sells through gift shops and galleries such as New-Small & Sterling in Vancouver. As she does not have studio space, she rents time at Double Struggle Hot Shop in Calgary to do her blown and cold work. She also hires out as an assistant in the same hot shop to help other glass blowers, which augments her income. As to the question of making a living as a glass blower, Taylor jokes that she makes an \u201cokay living,\u201d but with the current economy, she might need to consider hiring out at the local convenience store (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012); she laughingly admits that this is  109 something she\u2019s threatened to do for her whole 25 year glass career. Recalling a better market in the 1980s and 1990s, she explained that sales are not as stable as they once were: Oh yeah. I remember people collecting my work, and lineups and stuff, like whoa. Now it\u2019s like, \u201cno, no don't set it down, don't set it down\". It can be a little bit of a heartbreaker you know. But it's something I really love doing, well, most of the time...there are those horrible frustrating days where you think you never want to do this ever again. But on the whole it's been good (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012).  Taylor stated that retail craft fairs are often a poor venue for selling blown glass, as the prices for blown glass objects are often out of reach for the average consumer: I've done a few little sales and stuff through market collectives but it's the wrong product. It's like being, I don't know, I feel like an ashtray on a motorcycle sometimes standing there. It's tough you know cause most people have stuff for $5 or $10 and then [shoppers] come up to you and ask how much is that\u2026 and you're like \u2018$200\u2019 and their like, \u2018oh yeah, wow, good deal\u2019\u2026and they keep walking (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012).  Taylor\u2019s blown glass work changes according to what currently inspires her. At the moment she\u2019s enjoying the process of making bowls as they have both an inside and outside surface to decorate with colour (Figure 34). While visiting with Taylor at the Double Struggle Hot Shop, I watched her blowing one of these pieces, and it took almost an hour to complete, even with the help of an assistant. While I was speaking with someone in the hot shop, Taylor approached me with a glass vessel in her hands, juggling it and crying \u201cow, ow, ow\u201d, pretending it was the hot piece she had just finished! After she had a good chuckle at my obviously shocked expression she explained that this was a piece similar to the one she had just made, and she wanted me to see what it looked like when it is completely finished. Taylor has an amazingly quick wit, but she is very serious about how much she enjoys working with glass.  110  Figure 34. Brenda Taylor. Blown glass vessel with murinni inclusions, 2012.  While the market for glass has driven other glass blowers to leave this occupation, Taylor is looking at other ways to keep her hand in glass, such as teaching in the summer Series program at Red Deer College, or learning other glass skills to expand her portfolio. For both Barbara Rumberger and Laura Murdoch glass blowing is not their full time occupation. Rumberger is employed full time at an architectural glass factory in Calgary. One night a week she rents time at the Double Struggle Hot Shop to do her blown work, and also to complete cold work on previously blown pieces. When Rumberger finished school in 1996, she spent a few years trying to earn an income from her blown glass. She was reasonably successful, but the stress of not having a steady income, and knowing she had to sell everything she made in order to survive took all the joy out of the process (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012). Rumberger talked about the challenges of surviving from the sale of her glass:  111 A gallery in Banff saw my stuff and they approached me with an order. They weren\u2019t a consignment gallery, they bought it straight out. The order was large enough that it would take a while to fill, and it took me two months to make everything that they asked for. Then I got this cheque for quite a bit of money. I was waiting for that money as I hadn\u2019t been paid for two months while I was working on [the order] (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012).  Rumberger stepped away from her glass work, as she was looking at student loans that were not getting paid off and not seeing a very bright financial future. Several years later, with the encouragement of her husband and friends, Rumberger went back into the hot shop and she now blows glass strictly as a creative pursuit not really worried about whether it sells or not. Rumberger emphasized that being married has enabled her to go back to glass blowing: It\u2019s given me more time, because when I was single, single income, I couldn\u2019t afford to do it. Mike has encouraged me to just do it, and because we support each other, financially I\u2019ve been able to do it more. So that\u2019s a big thing for me (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012).  Despite her seemingly relaxed attitude, Rumberger is showing in exhibitions and her work is again selling quite well. Not having to survive off the income from her blown glass has given Rumberger the freedom to create strictly for the love of working with glass. Her work is in several galleries, including the Alberta Craft Council gallery. As with some of the other glass blowers I spoke with, Rumberger does not like promoting herself, so she is happy to let the galleries sell the work for her. Laura Murdoch works full time at an architectural firm while pursuing her interest in glass on the side. She does not have her own hot shop or studio space and has to rent time when she wants to make something. When she first started out, a career in the film industry provided her with enough income to enable her to spend more time glass blowing but, when that industry slowed down, the extra resources to spend on blowing glass became limited.  112 Murdoch still pursues glass blowing by renting time in hot shops and has continued to sell a few pieces a year. When discussing the economy and how this has affected the sales of glass work Murdoch contributed some interesting comparisons between the glass market in Canada and in the United States: It\u2019s not just the state of the economy; it\u2019s the state of the Canadian glass market. There just isn\u2019t the interest in artistic glass. There\u2019s an interest in cheap glass, [but] in the US glass is revered, there\u2019s a whole group of wealthy people that collect glass. It just fuels this incredible mecca of glass there that just does not exist here [Canada]; there is nothing. I don\u2019t know the reason for it because we\u2019re only three hours north of Seattle, but there\u2019s just no appreciation. People don\u2019t want to pay more than fifty dollars for a piece of glass (Murdoch Interview, February 15, 2012).  Murdoch has made some beautiful light fixtures (see Figure 26) but when I mentioned that there was a current demand for designer lighting fixtures, as demonstrated by a newly opened Vancouver design house dedicated to this pursuit, Murdoch explained that this is a difficult area for an individual to get into in Canada. Getting insured and having the electrical components CSA approved is a lengthy and expensive process in Canada, as opposed to in the United States where she was able to pay someone $25 to get her fixtures tested and approved (Murdoch Interview, February 15, 2012). Sourcing out electrical components and getting CSA approval were among the considerations that prevent her from creating or selling her work at a production level. There are a very small number of women glass blowers who own and operate their own hot shop. It\u2019s an expensive undertaking that consumes a tremendous amount of time and money to keep it running. Of the twenty women participants in this research, five opened their own hot shops but, as of the end of 2011, only three remain fully operational; Toni Johnson\u2019s in Campbell River, BC, Bonny Houston\u2019s in Calgary, AB, and Susan Gottselig\u2019s  113 in Canmore, AB. Both Martha Henry and Ione Thorkelsson have shut down their hot shops, renting in other hot shops as needed but, they still use their studio space for flame work, casting and cold work. Susan Gottselig calls herself a reluctant hot shop owner. When Gottselig finished school, she was quite happy renting time in someone else\u2019s hot shop: I loved it and I never intended to be a hot shop owner, I just wanted to rent studio time; no responsibilities. Then when I wanted to go away I didn't have to worry about anything. I didn't have to come down to babysit the furnaces in the middle of the night; I didn't want to do that (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012).  When the studio she was renting in shut down after five years, Gottselig did not want to commute on the hour long drive to Calgary from her home in Canmore to rent in another hot shop. This is what finally made her decide to lease space in Canmore for her own hot shop: \u201cSo that's how I ended up with a studio. I am the reluctant hot shop owner for sure. Anyway here I am 10 years later\u201d (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). Reluctant or not, Gottselig has worked hard to make her career choice and business successful. Balancing the costs of running a hot shop in a diminished economy, with the physical and personal demands of glass blowing is something that Gottselig articulates very well: Gosh how to put this\u2026It's multifaceted. The age thing, the amount of work you can make, and what you have to make in terms of income to support the studio. But right now I make everything myself, so there's a limit on the number of pieces I can make, and during recession there is a much tighter price point of what people will pay. You try to figure out what's going on with the economy and keep up with it. My income from three years ago is down about 25% so that's huge when you're in a rental situation, and a glass studio is the most expensive studio to operate. Even with a bronze foundry they only have their furnaces on when they're pouring, here sometimes there on 24 hours a day when we\u2019re blowing. So the gas, the dollars are just going up the chimney, and electricity is so high now, so you have to figure it out (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012).   114 One of the youngest hot shop owners involved in this research is Toni Johnson. She established Tide Line II, a hot shop, alongside the Tide Line Gallery and retail space that she jointly owned and operated with her mother. Johnson used to spend about seventy percent of the year making glass pieces to stock the Tide Line Gallery and retail space, leaving very little time to create for craft fairs and galleries throughout BC. In recent years, Tide Line felt the economic crunch like everywhere else, and tourism dropped dramatically. With the loss of a family member Johnson and her mother re-evaluated life\u2019s priorities: I got the last hydro bill that was $2700 dollars. I paid the rent\u2026 and I realized I was working for all of the bill collectors. (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011).  Tide Line Gallery and retail gift shop closed its doors, and Johnson and her mother have opened a smaller private studio and hot shop. Johnson now concentrates on doing blown work for various shows and galleries, and simply enjoying the process once again. Like a number of artists in today\u2019s economy, Larissa Blokhuis does not rely on the income from her glass art; she also works two bookkeeping jobs, as well as part-time at New- Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery. Blokhuis acknowledged that working at New- Small & Sterling has given her a tremendous advantage in pursuing her artistic goals: Yeah it\u2019s a huge advantage because a lot of people that I know had to give it up, purely for financial reasons. It\u2019s so expensive to rent your glass blowing time. As every artist knows you\u2019re always in a place where you either have a lot of money, because you\u2019re working a lot, and then you don\u2019t have any time, or, you have a lot of time and no money because you haven\u2019t been working as much. To find something where you can be working as much as you need to, to support yourself and be comfortable, and also have the time to blow glass is a really lucky sort of situation (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Blokhuis has been able to sell her work at New-Small & Sterling and she\u2019s had a couple of shows there as well. In 2011 she decided to start pushing herself to get into other gallery  115 shows and exhibitions to increase her sales, and it worked out well. Having experienced problems with consignment at certain galleries, Blokhuis decided that a better way to promote her work was through short term shows; but filing all those applications takes up a whole day of administrative work: So I\u2019ve been finding calls for entry and applying for them. Monday is my day where, I have a lot of different things I do, but if I have applications, that\u2019s the day I do them, and make sure I have everything the way I want it to be. I have them all lined up so I know which ones I have to work on first, and which ones I can sort of leave \u2018til later\u2026just getting that cycle of activity organized to keep it going (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Blokhuis has a policy of never turning down an offer to show her work; consequently in November and December of 2011, Blokhuis was in five shows: I didn\u2019t have all of the work for all of the shows that I said yes to, so basically every week it was like, making the stuff for the show on Saturday, cold working on Sunday, and sending it out on Monday to be in the show. I did that for five weeks straight, and it was very stressful, but I think it was a lot of good experience and just being able to really plan my time properly and make things work (Blokhuis Interview, February 13, 2012).  Blokhuis\u2019s body of work requires the help of an assistant in the hot shop, but this is an expense that she has to outlay in order to do the work she wants (Figure 35).  116  Figure 35. Larissa Blokhuis. Tunicates. Blown glass, 16H x 17 W x 14 D cm, 2011.  Gender Representation Despite the numbers of women in the field, gallery exhibitions and museum collections often favour the work done by men. One reason could be that there were more men than women in the early days of the studio glass movement (1960), and it is those seasoned artists that are garnering key exhibitions today. However, since the dawn of the Glass Art movement (1980), many women have established successful careers in the glass art world, and yet many exhibitions are still skewed in favor of men. Although there have been some changes to collection and exhibition mandates for galleries and museums, gender representation numbers have not balanced out. Ultimately, it is the curator who decides which work will be exhibited and how: Who is included in the exhibition or, more likely, who is not included, the identity of the institution, its relationship to the community and even attempts to present projects outside the institutional context are characteristics of the projected content. In  117 addition, our gender, race, and age as curators, our own histories, the successes and mistakes we make, how we position ourselves in a historical context, or how accessible we are, all shape the content of the exhibition and have implications for how the project may be received (Atkinson 1996:123).  Regardless of museum and gallery mandates to be more accessible and interactive with the general public or the rhetoric around acceptance and equality in regard to cultural identities or gender, the unbalanced representation of women glass artists still exists. This may be due, in part, to a social anxiety, one that recognizes the vast numbers of women entering the glass arts and is uncomfortable with this female incursion: \u201cIt is known from numerous studies in educational institutions and social groups that considerable anxiety is attached to increased recognition of women\u201d (Ewington 1995: 112). A brief conversation with a friend added some context to Ewington\u2019s statement. As a public health nurse working in the elementary, middle, and high schools, my friend\u2019s job is to contribute to the school\u2019s programming for sexual health. On a recent visit to a high school, the principal voiced his anxiety that the male students needed help re-establishing their masculinity within the school environment. His perception was that the young women students were becoming too strong, and therefore the young men were losing their way. His suggestion was to institute more male-only focused activities back into the school environment. It was obvious to me that Ewington\u2019s (1995) anxiety was being lived out in this small town school in 2012, by a person who has the responsibility to positively influence young people in the school system. A recent opinion column in the Globe and Mail newspaper discussed societal anxieties in regard to the ever increasing strength and presence of women in the work place, and \u201cdebunks the notion that for one gender to rise, the other must fall\u201d (Anderssen, Globe & Mail, Wednesday, December 26 th , 2012, P.L2). In this same context, galleries are either consciously or subconsciously  118 reassuring male art buying patrons that the glass blowing tradition is still firmly in the hands of men by portraying predominately men glass artists, in both print and online catalogs; thus decreasing the anxiety of men who invest in glass art. Maybe it\u2019s time for curators and women glass artists alike to recognize the power they have in sheer numbers, let alone talent, and make the appropriate moves to change the dominant discourse to reflect this accurately. Studies have shown that the more one is exposed to images of women in counter- stereotypical roles, the more these images become accepted. \u201cIn other words, the more frequently counter stereotypic exemplars occur in the social environment the greater may be the decrement in automatic stereotyping\u201d (Dasgupta and Asgari 2004). For Jane Bruce, women in key teaching roles provided her with a strong sense of identity: I went to an all-girls school and I had all women teachers in the 1950s and, thinking back on it, I think that made a huge difference. I wasn't in a mix school I didn't have to compete with boys I had all women teachers. I had these women in the 1950s who were professionals, the math teacher, the chemistry teacher, they were all professional women. You know, those were my role models that I had outside of home (Bruce Interview, October 31, 2011).   Despite the fact that curating in the contemporary art and craft world, \u201cis a female dominated profession\u201d (Deepwell 2006:65) and, that in Canada, \u201cmost glass galleries are owned and run by women\u201d (Prowse-Fainmel 2008: 55) this does not mean that there is now a movement favouring showing work by women artists. \u201cDiscrimination against women artists still exists\u201d (Deepwell 2006:66). Arguably, the selection criteria for most galleries will favour the most marketable pieces; however, marketable is often defined as work that appeals to the male art buying public. For owners and curators of privately owned glass galleries, it often appears that size matters; the bigger the piece, the more dramatic the display, the more patrons are attracted to the gallery or exhibition. While both men and women glass artists do  119 work in large scale, there is a perception that only men produce the larger pieces and women create smaller delicate forms. Galleries will often request larger pieces, as they want to use them as crowd pleasers but they want smaller more affordable pieces as well. Glass artist Morna Tudor understood this all too well, and related how size became the focus of one of the V6 group exhibitions: Galleries have big spaces and they need big pieces to fill in. \u2026 the Canadian Craft museum is this huge airplane hangar of a place. It was really tricky because none of us were making anything that huge at that point; I mean, Lisa was making the double bubble plates and stuff, but not really huge. It just becomes about something that's not about the work; like you're straining to make stuff big just for the sake of big. We made this show called \u201cBig Blue\u201d (2005) which was completely about our frustration with that exact aspect of what we were doing. Cause, blue\u2026at Pilchuck, I think on the bathroom wall, there was one of those truisms, or things that go around, that read \u201cif you can't make it big, make it blue,\u201d so we made it blue and big. Thinking that, you know, this is the most complete craft sell-out ever, but we had fun making big blue stuff (Tudor Interview, November 24, 2011).   While in the field, I often saw examples of how this unbalanced discourse can be proliferated through the bold humour and sexist comments made by people within the glass blowing community. In 2010, I attended an international conference, held by the Glass Art Society, which attracted artists, students, educators, museum and gallery curators and collectors. As I wandered through the tables of silent auction items donated by glass artists, I saw an example of sexist attitudes expressed through visual humour. It was a small item of clothing, a G-string to be exact, with a decal on the front that said \u201cGlory Hole\u201d (Figure 36). The connotations are multiple and, depending on the viewer, varied as well; but the message was still very clear. The next day I went on a tour to a local flat glass factory, and a young male glass student wore a t-shirt designed by his school club that stated, \u201cIf you can\u2019t stand the heat, get back in the kitchen!\u201d This bold display of gender discrimination and sexism was  120 not met with anger or ridicule. In fact, the response from both the men and women in the tour group was simply laughter, much the same response I noted to the underwear on the auction table.  Figure 36. Auction item at Glass Art Society conference, Seattle, WA, 2010.  The Power of Self-Identification; Artist, Crafts Person, Artisan, or Maker As mentioned earlier, I\u2019m not going to engage in the discussions defining the differences between art and craft or whether these women are artists or crafts people; this act of naming lies in the hands of the women glass blowers themselves. These women have actively taken this over, naming their own creative works and practices individually, and approaching galleries on their own terms. They are aware that their naming choice decides the fate of their creative work in the gallery or museum world and, essentially, the success of their creative career, so they employ strategic marketing and choose their gallery alliances carefully. For some of the glass blowers, placing themselves or their work in either category  121 limits their creative reach and, therefore, they simply refuse to be categorized. Natali Rodrigues thought that the \u201chierarchies were completely illusionary\u201d and when asked whether she thought her work was art or craft she stated that her work was a hybrid of both: Ah, this is where I have to draw the Venn diagram. [She takes out a paper and pen and draws three inter-joined circles, of art, design, and craft.] So, I consider myself a maker first and foremost. I don\u2019t think of myself as an artist, or a designer, or a crafts person. But I think each of my objects falls somewhere within that Venn diagram \u2013 art, craft, design. So depending on what\/where is my intended audience, depending on what my work needs to convey, it can fall anywhere within that Venn diagram. So, some of my things are definitely more within the art world, some relying heavily on craft and the context of craft to give them meaning. Because I, as a maker, have complete freedom to choose which discourse or multiple discourses I want to engage with (Rodrigues Interview, May 15, 2012).  On defining certain types of craft as \u201cFine Craft\u201d Rodrigues felt that her work could not be categorized within this seemingly catch all phrase: I absolutely think it\u2019s an important term, and I think a lot of what has happened within the glass world falls within that term of fine craft; but, I think my objects rely on a certain art discourse to give them voice as well. I think it relies on\u2026 if we\u2019re talking just about the sculptural work that I do\u2026 it relies heavily on notions of phenomenology, of the haptic world of understanding the world through your hands. It relies on people understanding glass as a material, something that they\u2019ve touched every day for that idea to sort of come to life. So it's not one, or the other, it\u2019s a pairing of the two: art and craft. I think of them as equal components but, depending on who views the work that changes \u2026 because you always bring your own understanding to the work or the material (Rodrigues Interview, May 15, 2012).  Jane Bruce provided an interesting perspective from a glass blower who started her training in England in the early 1960s. Others have stated that glass blowing was very male dominated in the glass factories in Europe but, in the craft domain this wasn\u2019t always the situation:  122 My experience is actually very different because this was in England, and in the1960s, and, in the States at that time, there were probably two women glassblowers, I don\u2019t know about Canada, and everyone else was men. In Europe it was the complete opposite. Believe it or not, the very first private individual studio in Sweden [1968] was set up by a woman, Asa Brandt. So my experience in Europe is very different. You had a lot of very high-profile women right through the 1970s in Europe. In Sweden there was Ulla Forsell, Asa Brandt in Holland, and there was Mieke Groot in England, and the five of us at the Glasshouse (Bruce 2011). At one point we were all women, before David and Steve joined us in the [Glasshouse], studio and we used to get letters saying \u2018dear sisters\u2019 and it was like \u2018no, we want some men, we can\u2019t find them\u2019! (Bruce Interview, October 31, 2011).  When asked where she positioned herself, in the art or craft community, Bruce\u2019s response was simply \u201cCan\u2019t I be both?\u201d (Bruce Interview, October 31, 2011). While Bruce\u2019s work often envelopes the same hybridity that Rodrigues mentioned, she shows her work in glass galleries \u201cbecause of discrimination against [the] medium in the art world, not against gender\u201d (Bruce Interview, October 31, 2011). Calling herself a skilled crafts person, Barbara Rumberger states that she doesn\u2019t see any sort of deep meaning in her work; \u201cI enjoy making it and it\u2019s aesthetically pleasing. I like doing functional stuff\u201d (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012). However, a recent exhibition has Rumberger exploring new areas; \u201cI\u2019m doing a left brain, right brain so it\u2019s kind of fun; but, whether or not I will be successful with that remains to be seen\u201d (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012). Sticking with vessel forms, she hopes to manipulate her colours to illuminate the difference between the left and right brain. Rumberger\u2019s training at ACAD was very focused on glass as an art form and there was a lot of pressure on the artists to be able to talk about their work. This made Rumberger uncomfortable. \u201cI would rather put it out there and sit back and see what people say then. I don\u2019t have the kind of message, I guess, that I\u2019m trying to get out\u201d (Rumberger Interview, January 26, 2012). So, while she  123 considers herself a crafts person, Rumberger is putting the category decision in the hands of the viewer: if they call it art, then so be it. Bonny Houston refers to her work as art. She was not sure how a gallery would label her work, but states that her distinctive style would most likely be how her work is recognized: \u201cOh, that\u2019s a Bonny Houston; so I think I have a style (Figure 37), but I don\u2019t know how they label it\u201d (Houston Interview, May 18, 2012). Her work is exhibited in many galleries in Canada and internationally and while she isn\u2019t concerned about how galleries categorize her work, she is confident that the craft community perceives her work as having integrity. As an active member of the Alberta Craft Council, the BC Craft Council, and the Saskatchewan Craft Council, Houston exhibits regularly in their gallery spaces and has had a solo exhibition and a few travelling exhibitions through the Saskatchewan Craft Council.  Figure 37. Bonny Houston. Courtesan Gem. Footed tea bowl, 10.16 x 10.16 cm, 2012.   124 Provincial craft councils promote craft and fine craft artists and educate the public; something Jamie Gray made a point of recognizing. Gray is proud to call herself a crafts person, but she loves \u201cpoking the fine art world a little bit\u201d and \u201coh my gosh, do I love it when craft material makes it into the art world. Love that\u201d (Gray Interview November 2, 2011). In an exhibition at the Triangle Gallery, the piece Gray exhibited was described as bordering on art and craft, but she emphasized that for her, concept usually dictates the choice of medium. Gray is a trained glass blower who works in whatever medium gets her concept across the best, which in this case were 80 fused glass plates; \u201cThis is what I love about craft too. The material can be the message or help support the message\u201d (Gray Interview November 2, 2011). Gray emphasized that, while she is proud of being an accomplished crafts person and having her work in glass galleries, she would like to show her work in fine art galleries as well: I would like someone to come upon it who hasn\u2019t even thought about glass as being a fine art material and say \u2018glass, that\u2019s weird. You know, in amongst all these paintings and whatever, oh, that stands out.\u2019 I\u2019d really like that to happen but I wouldn\u2019t like it to stand out for the sake of it being glass. But I would like glass to be the surprise element here. Where, ok, not only is it art that makes you think and have discussion, but this is weird because it\u2019s made of glass (Gray Interview November 2, 2011).  This crossover between art and craft is emphasized in Gray\u2019s Highland Tears, where blown glass orbs magnify significant words on the documents underneath (Figure 38).  125  Figure 38. Jamie Gray. Highland Tears. Paper and blown glass, 2009.  Katherine Russell firmly positions herself within the craft community alongside other artists\/crafts people, who earn their living from their chosen practice. When asked how she thought the art world would perceive her work, Russell\u2019s response supported the strength in her claim of being a crafts person: Maybe they see it as empty, that it has no meaning. That the world has enough objects. But I place value in different things. I believe being surrounded by handmade objects creates an atmosphere of warmth and a beating pulse that objects from [places like] Ikea are never going to have. I think that is reason enough to have handmade things \u2013 a reminder of where things come from (Russell Interview June 28, 2012).  Sarah Mulligan calls herself an artisan, that is, someone who is skilled at what they do, paying attention to detail and craftsmanship: I am no Picasso and my work isn\u2019t socially conscious, there\u2019s no driving force of explaining why I do what I do, which is more about art. I've always considered myself a glass blower not a glass artist, and that gets in the way too, because I don`t market myself as an  126 artist, I don't network as an artist, I don't walk the walk and talk the talk and, to be honest, I really want my work to be accessible. I like it to be functional, I like it to be accessible, I love making a scotch glass, that someone can buy my scotch glass, go home and have a drink out of something that is handmade instead of paying $3000 for something that's fraught with meaning and it's interesting but it sits in the corner and collects dust. That stuff is important too, but it's not who I am, or what I do, or why I do what I do (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  Mulligan has shown work in both the Elena Lee Gallery in Montreal, and the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in Toronto, which are both glass galleries, yet this has not been her focus: I have not actually gone the route of the glass galleries. I looked at art galleries, the gift shops, the AGO, the Gardiner museum, Art Gallery of Windsor, Art Gallery of Winnipeg, Art Gallery of London Ontario, Art Gallery here [Victoria], the museum, that's where I find I like to put my work, in their gift shops, and that's been a better venue for me (Mulligan Interview, November 24, 2011).  With a life goal of being an artist, Larissa Blokhuis completed a BFA in Glass at ACAD, and regardless of the material she chooses to create with, she does not consider herself a crafts person; \u201cWhen I was a child I felt I was born an artist, and I still think of myself as an artist, not as a crafts person\u201d (Blokhuis Interview February 13, 2012). For her, there is a distinction \u201cbetween glass blowers who do it as crafts people and glass blowers who do it as artists\u201d (Blokhuis Interview February 13, 2012), Generally speaking, she considers functional work to be craft, and non-functional as art. She uses the classic example of a blown vase that someone uses to put flowers in; however, \u201cif you make something that is non-functional they can\u2019t do that \u2026they can\u2019t manipulate it in that way and use it for something or for some other purpose, they just have to enjoy it conceptually and visually\u201d (Blokhuis Interview February 13, 2012). Blokhuis feels that presentation can influence whether a piece will be received as craft or as art in the gallery world. She recalls a talk given by a visiting clay artist, Sadashi Inuzuka, who does sculptural work. In his talk, he spoke of how clay as his medium of choice  127 presented a barrier for him to get into a particular fine art gallery: \u201cSo he made the exact same type of thing, but he made it so it could be mounted on a wall, applied to the same gallery, and they said \u2018oh this is beautiful art and we have to have you in our gallery.\u2019 It was purely presentation that made people perceive it in a different way\u201d (Blokhuis Interview February 13, 2012). Blokhuis creates art from blown glass and doesn\u2019t really allow the dichotomists to stand in her way: I think of what I\u2019m doing as fine art, but I don\u2019t find it useful to argue with other people about whether I\u2019m doing art or they\u2019re doing craft or whatever. Everyone\u2019s just making things that they want to make, hopefully that they want to make, and as long as wherever it takes you is fulfilling that\u2019s the key thing. So I think of myself as a fine artist, but if someone thinks of me as a craft artist, that\u2019s ok for them too, because it doesn\u2019t really change my perception or my reality of what I\u2019m doing (Blokhuis Interview February 13, 2012).  Naoko Takenuchi also thinks of herself as an artist and her creations as art, but she understands when people don\u2019t want to be labelled as either. Takenuchi has work in glass galleries and in galleries that carry fine art mixed with fine craft items. When she is looking at a call for artists or a call for submissions to an exhibition, her first consideration is whether they will consider glass; \u201cWell I think I see glass first \u2013 I think I'd look for something that's glass first and then, if I see art and I\u2019m fitting that, then ok. If it's craft and if it fits my work that's fine too. So I don\u2019t really think about that too much\u201d (Takenuchi Interview, February 15, 2012). Early in her career while working in production studios making tourist items, Takenuchi did not think of herself as a crafts person; she always thought of herself as a glass blower. Laura Murdoch considers all her work as original pieces of art, but she acknowledges the level of technical skill required to achieve her goal. \u201cI\u2019m very technical about what I do, but I also have this sort of appreciation for\u2026I don\u2019t really know how to describe it. It\u2019s not  128 all about the craft, it\u2019s a lot about a feeling sometimes. Yeah, I\u2019d say it\u2019s fifty, fifty\u201d (Murdoch Interview, February 15, 2012). Murdoch has no interest in doing production work, and equates her glass pieces with original paintings: \u201cUsing the glass as a canvas for an original, it\u2019s kind of like an original painting. I don\u2019t want to paint it again particularly\u201d (Murdoch Interview, February 15, 2012). As there are so many hours and multiple processes in each of her pieces, it would never be cost efficient to reproduce her work in a production line. For some glass blowers, being called an artist or a crafts person does not fit within the parameters of their practice. Lisa Samphire is not comfortable being called an artist, although many have referred to her as one, and she is definitely not happy with the label of crafts person either: NO. I don't like that one at all [laughter]. I do consider a lot of the work that I make art, rather than craft, and I do have this sort of this delineation in my mind [laughter]. It comes down to production; it comes down to how many pieces you can make in an hour, and the kind of money you can charge for it. And the other one is where you labour over and enjoy the process and you spend so much time on it that even if you sell it for thousands of dollars, that\u2019s not paying you any money, right? If people ask me, I usually say I'm a glass blower and I use that because then I let them decide (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  While Samphire creates smaller pieces for the fine craft galleries and art gallery gift shops, items some would consider their bread and butter, she also creates one-of-a-kind pieces for art buyers or collectors. One of the galleries she sells her work through is the Circle Craft Gallery on Granville Island, Vancouver, BC. The items in this gallery shop are all handmade craft items of the highest quality. One exhibition that Samphire had at Circle Craft in 2006, titled Pattern in Light, was enthusiastically reviewed by guest commentator and ceramic artist, Penny Birnam. In this exhibition, the reviewer referred to Samphire work as glass art,  129 and Samphire as a glass artist. Although she has exhibited in many galleries both domestic and international, and her work is widely collected, it is unclear as to how these collectors have categorized Samphire\u2019s work, if at all.  Martha Henry has always had a problem with trying to define her work as either art or craft because, like many other glass blowers, she has a foot in both domains: I did both. Craft I considered utilitarian and that\u2019s what production was for me. The one-of-a-kind pieces had more of a personal agenda, a personal statement, something that was experimental usually, drawing on something very different\u201d (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  However, Martha was careful to distinguish that her one-of-a-kind pieces did not automatically earn the label \u201cart\u201d; \u201cIf it was successful, it was art; if not, then it was garbage [laughter]. Well you know, not every piece is a piece of art. It depends on the end result. If it\u2019s good, its art\u201d (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012). Starting her career in the 1970s, she witnessed a time when glass was new and exciting and very much in demand in the market place. Henry considers the production pieces that she sells through gallery and high end gift shops as her bread and butter. Over the past three decades, this was the income that fed the furnace and kept her studio afloat, which allowed her to do her one-of-a-kind art pieces for exhibitions and private collectors. Another glass blower who separated her artistic creations from her production work is Morna Tudor. Recognizing that earning a living from blowing glass is an all-consuming activity, Tudor did production work which she sold through a marketer or directly through gallery shops, and this supported her artistic glass career. While Tudor had her work in several commercial galleries, she noted that civic galleries were another issue: I never had much luck with those [civic gallery] guys. There\u2019s a certain prejudice about people making art with craft materials,  130 especially if they\u2019re kind of exclusively doing that. There are people who have transcended that, but most of us are stuck in the glass ghetto as far as fine arts go (Tudor Interview, November 24, 2011).  Tudor makes the argument that glass art should be considered a \u201cfine\u201d art because there is an equal amount of inspiration, design and technical finesse that goes into a piece, not unlike any other artistic medium. \u201cI hate the idea that because there\u2019s technique involved, that it takes away from it. It doesn\u2019t, it\u2019s a part of it. That thing is a beautiful thing, it's an object that is compelling and it should be\u201d (Tudor Interview, November 24, 2011). On the argument of art versus craft, Tudor thought that people like to understand things by segmenting or pigeonholing things. She drew a comparison to music and its many different genres, and some music that just doesn\u2019t fit into any one genre: You have stuff that's just not really pigeonhole\u2013able; it doesn't fit into the genres. So they make a new genre for it and so you have all these little groups, like what is this? It's totally fucking meaningless. Like eight words to describe this thing, it's just music okay, just shut-up. But it's the same thing with, like fine crafts \u2013 when you have to start getting into using these multiple word descriptions for your little pigeonholes. I guess that was one of the frustrations that make it good about not doing it anymore, just letting go of all that stuff, and like, yup, I don\u2019t care (Tudor Interview, November 24, 2011). Susan Gottselig also referenced musical genres and how this relates to dichotomizing art and craft. \u201cI don't feel those definitions are necessary. It's like categorizing music, why would you even want to specify a genre\u201d (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). Gottselig feels that glass can fit in both worlds, depending on how it is used as a material. She creates pieces for art exhibitions, production work for corporate gifts, and pieces that fall somewhere in between. When asked if she defines herself as an artist Gottselig replied, \u201cI try not to define myself because I find that very limiting. It depends on the arena I'm in. If it's required I do, if it's not required, I\u2019ll define myself as something else\u201d (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). She also explained that, the term \u201ccrafts person\u201d wasn\u2019t a good fit either because \u201ccrafts  131 person\u201d considered technical skill but did not encompass design skill. Gottselig looks at her production work as craft, but recognizes that \u201csome people might see it as art;\u201d however, she would like to be known for her creativity and strength of imagery. Always pragmatic about her career and the role of the galleries in any artist\u2019s career, Gottselig doesn\u2019t deal with galleries that buy into the hierarchy. Thus, \u201cwith the galleries just remind them that they work for you, you're paying for their gallery. So I never buy into any of that kind of crap. I won\u2019t deal with anybody who is of that mindset, it's just silly\u201d (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). The glass scene in western Canada, both in curating and creation, is dominated by women. This is similar to what is happening in arts and crafts in general. In the 2006 Canadian Census, 140,000 people declared themselves as full time artists, and of this group 74,000 are women. Women represent fifty-three percent of the art community in Canada but they still earn substantially less than their male counterparts (Hill and Capriotti 2008). Of the 140,000 artists, 17,350 declared as artisans and crafts persons. In this sector, the statistics indicate that sixty-one percent of this group is women, but they earn thirty-seven percent less than their male counterparts in the craft world (Hill and Capriotti 2008:13). While few of the women in my research have had what they would define as a financially successful career, most have measured their success in terms of their continued involvement with something they truly enjoy.  132 Chapter Three \u2013 The Glass Scene in Western Canada This chapter explores the places in western Canada where the women exhibit and sell their glass creations, including wholesale trade shows, retail craft shows, both juried and non- juried; community and provincial art and craft council galleries and gift shops; private commercial galleries and public civic galleries in western Canada. Some of the women shared detailed descriptions of their experiences with these different venues for exhibiting and selling their glass. My perceptions of the gallery world were just that, my own, which were reaped from numerous gallery visits and required readings about the art and craft world. Coming into this research I was under the impression that galleries were staid, biased institutions, with staunch gatekeepers and immovable mandates. The problem with this view is that it paints all commercial and civic galleries with the same brush. I have come to understand that they are each very different in how they operate. Each of the women views the gallery world from their own individual perspective, relative to their own experience; therefore, it is important to distinguish that the majority of galleries they deal with are the private or commercial galleries and rarely the civic galleries. In lean economies, artists and crafts people struggle as society reduces its expenditures on luxury goods, and commercial galleries necessarily change the way they do business. I include thoughts and insights from several gallery representatives to illustrate how they view glass and the changes to the arts and crafts market over the past few decades. Of interest to my research was how gendered barriers are enacted in these different exhibition and sales venues. My research revealed that the women were more concerned with finding the right sales or exhibition venue for their glass, and that gender exclusion was not something they had encountered or had to deal with in a gallery space.  133 Trade shows, Juried Fine Craft Shows and Craft Fairs Trade shows are a means to sell production glass, and several of the women talked about their experiences in the past and how this venue has changed. Martha Henry was the only woman who stated that she established her career through sales of her production work, and connections with galleries made at trade shows. Henry provided some interesting insights about trade shows in the two decades from 1970 to the1990s, and through her words we can follow the market changes over that time period. In the late 1970s, Henry worked at a trade show booth representing Canadian Art Glass, a sheet glass factory in Calgary where she was employed as an artist in residence. Working the trade show at that time meant promoting glass, doing eye catching demonstrations of glass cutting and competing with vendor representatives from the United States to see who could cut the longest strip of glass without breakage (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012). In the 1980s and 1990s Henry was working the trade shows as a vendor selling her blown glass work, and from her perspective, trade shows were a very lucrative venue to sell her glass. Trade shows changed in the new millennium as imported factory glass made its way into the vendor booths, selling at much lower prices, and driving out the once established glass vendors. The price of renting a booth for a weekend outweighs the return of sales; consequently, artists and crafts people can rarely afford this avenue of marketing. Sarah Mulligan and Larissa Blokhuis give their perspective on how the trade shows have changed over the last decade, and what the current reality is for glass artists, artisans and crafts people. Henry\u2019s story is best left intact, rather than bisecting it with my own observations, so I will relate Henry\u2019s words first, and follow up with additional observations made by  134 Mulligan, Blokhuis and some of the other women. This is Martha Henry\u2019s experience with trade shows: M. So in 1990, Bob [husband] moved Skookum glass to Vancouver and called it Robert Held Art Glass and I moved my studio to 10th Avenue [Calgary], built a new studio, and still called it Martha Henry Glass Studio, and I was doing tradeshows. I\u2019d done a lot of trade shows. That's pretty much how I made my living \u2026 doing tradeshows twice a year. February \u2026 was called the spring show and in August there was the Christmas show. There is the whole circuit of Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver, but I\u2019d just do the Edmonton one.  C: So who were the clients at these tradeshows?  M: Well, various galleries from all over Canada, they all owned galleries or stores. You\u2019d build a booth, set up all your glass so people would come to you, because you didn\u2019t know where all these stores were; there were all kinds of stores all over the prairies and everywhere. So they would say, \u2018I want six paperweights, in these colours, and I want that vase; I want four of them in that colour\u2019 and this and that. So you would get anywhere from $500 to $2000 in orders. So I\u2019d come home, and I would have a couple of months before it was due to be shipped out. They would get it before Christmas and put the work out, and they would call if something really sold out to re order. I was just constantly re-shipping, to fill in their stock. I did that for, oh gosh, I guess I started that in 81 or 82\u2026til 1998; a long time. So I\u2019d known these people and galleries for a long, long time. My work was selling and they just kept ordering, so I had a good clientele for many, many years, [which enabled her] to build a studio in my backyard. I bought a house and I was paying a mortgage, and I was paying $1100 a month for a warehouse [studio on 10 th  avenue], so I went to the bank\u2026I'm single I'm female and I'm an artist\u2026 so I went to the bank and I said I want to build the studio in my backyard and I wanted a $30,000 loan. So I took all my orders from the trade show, and said look I have all these orders and they'll come back and reorder, and they said okay, and I got a loan.  I was getting tired of doing the trade shows, loading up the van and schlepping around, building walls, and hanging lights, and building a booth. That was taking a toll, the physical strain; probably when I got into my fifties, I noticed it wasn\u2019t quite as much fun. A lot of friends that were doing shows had dropped out so you didn\u2019t have your same people there that you saw. It just wasn\u2019t as much fun. The economy  135 changed, my sales had gone down, so it [quitting trade shows] absolutely had everything to do with recession, the economy, and you have to work so hard to be on top. You can\u2019t let up, and I just couldn\u2019t keep that up. Like I said, it was very stressful. So now it\u2019s just like\u2026aaahhh\u2026no stress, I\u2019m enjoying my life now. It\u2019s not so stressed with the demands. So now I can enjoy it, and now I can diversify and enjoy being an artist in a whole different way (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  I sent out an email query to all the women, asking everyone to share their trade show experiences; if they had ever participated in one. Mulligan and Blokhuis both responded with experiences that seem to provide a conclusion to Henry\u2019s story; the demise of the trade show for those in the glass community. Mulligan started her career in the late 1980s and she has an established line of production work. Her response reads: Hi Catherine Thank you for your continued support and interest in women in glass! I do have a few thoughts and experiences to shed some light on the business end. I can only speak (or in this case, \u2018rant\u2019) for myself of course. First, I wish I could do a trade show but;  a) They are very expensive,  b) You pretty much need your own hot shop to take on such a venture (renting does not cut it on many levels)  c) These trade shows used to have a \u2018By Hand\u2019 section that was less expensive to be featured in, but they have slowly cut them out of the trade show circuit in Canada. Edmonton was the last to have one; I believe it was 2 years ago [2010].  d) We have one small wholesale show here in Victoria, run by the Island Artisans Association; it is part of a spring craft show open to the public but the first 2 hours before the show opens to the public, the wholesale buyers can \u2018shop\u2019 for their galleries. Last year I got zero orders, but mostly because I already had accounts with most of the buyers coming through - but I am willing to try again this year.  I have done these big trade shows in the past in Toronto, and 90% of it is geared mostly to cheap imports. The small \u2018By Hand\u2019 section  136 would have browsers, and a few gallery owners that would come through --but most of them don't have to buy wholesale, because most galleries work on a consignment basis for blown glass. Of course this was all very different 10 years ago when the market was strong for everyone -- but a lot has changed! The wholesale end in this market is almost impossible now with the recent introduction of [off-shore] blown glass wholesalers that retail at our wholesale. Cheap, cheap! \u2026 It\u2019s really tough, is all I am saying. On a positive note: For the other glass women reading this --my best luck have been doing retail craft shows where the buyers for these galleries \u2018find you\u2019 and from there I have gotten great wholesale accounts. For some reason, if they \u2018find you\u2019 they are more likely to support your work than some shop that takes you on from you approaching\/cold calling them. Weird but true. Of course, there will always be exceptions; I just have not had one yet. Just keep at it, and keep the discussion open so we can all learn from one another.  Regard, Sarah (Mulligan, February 23, 2012)  Larissa Blokhuis started her glass career in 2004, but her focus has been on one-of-a-kind pieces, rather than creating a line of reproducible production type pieces. To sell her work at a trade show would mean creating a large body of work with pieces that she would be able to reproduce for gallery or gift shop sales. The costs involved in creating this amount of blown glass and then keeping up with wholesale orders would be very difficult to manage when renting hot shop time. Blokhuis basically summed up the scenario for new glass artists in the millennium: Hi Catherine, I haven't gone to a trade show because I don't have the money. [A source] told me it was the best way to get wholesale customers, but that it cost about $10 000 to rent the booth, ship your stock, and get there yourself; and you are unlikely to make a profit the first few years you go, Larissa  (Blokhuis, February 21, 2012).  Doing a quick perusal online for the annual trade show in Alberta, I found the Alberta Gift Show (http:\/\/cgta.org\/Giftshow\/AB\/Home.aspx) that Henry and Mulligan were referring  137 to that will be held again in Edmonton for four days in February 2013. The online information quotes the smallest booth size as a 10 x 10 (100 sq. ft.) which a vendor can rent at $13.20 per sq. ft. plus five percent Goods & Services Tax ($1386). A forty percent deposit is required upon booking, but vendors are not allowed to share booth space with other vendors. The inherent costs to set up a booth at this trade show also include travel expenses, accommodations, and the cost of transporting all the glass and display materials to Edmonton. The costs far outweigh the benefits; thus, this particular sales venue is out of reach for most of the women I spoke with. There are similar venues on a much smaller scale that are run by local artisans, community arts groups, or craft councils 3 . These events are usually annual or semi-annual juried events which bring together wholesale buyers with local crafts people in a one \u2013 two day event. Both Sarah Mulligan and Lisa Samphire are members of the Island Artisans Association (IAA), and attend the two shows held annually. I attended the Gifts for Myself & Others, Spring Show 2012, held in March, 2012 at a small community hall in Victoria. The cost of a booth is $100 for members, and vendors are allowed to share a booth. If a member has been in two previous shows, their work will not be juried again for upcoming events, but new members or non-members must submit photos of their work for jury selection along with an application. Mulligan explained that jurying insures there are a variety of crafts represented, and that all the work is of consistently good quality (Mulligan 2012) and different in design. In previous years, this event was open to wholesale buyers only, but as the economy dwindled, so too did the wholesale buyers. Rather than terminate the annual  3  The craft councils referred to most frequently by the women were; the Alberta Craft Council, the Craft Council of BC, and the Saskatchewan Craft Council. There are also art councils in individual cities, such as the North Vancouver Community Arts Council, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria, and in Alberta, the Edmonton Arts Council and the Calgary Arts Development.  138 show, the IAA voted to open it to the general public as well, with the hope that the vendors would recoup some of their expenses through retail sales to the public. The first morning of the event is reserved for wholesale buyers, who are usually local commercial gallery owners or retail gift shop owners; at this show there were also buyers from the BC Ferries Corporation, looking for items for the gift shops aboard their fleet. I watched the wholesale buyers wander through the displays, as the vendors waited in anticipation of a visit to their booth. It was obvious that the buyers all knew each other as they often stopped to speak, but they seldom spoke to the vendors. One ceramics vendor was approached, and spoken to at length about her work; cards were exchanged, but I don\u2019t know if a sale was made. I wanted to speak with the buyers to get some insights into their role, but after repeated requests for brief interviews or even an email query in the future, I came away empty handed. Mulligan had warned me ahead of time, but I had to try. \u201cTalking to buyers may be difficult, they hardly talk to me when in buying mode...they look and take info but then deliberate back at the stores\u201d (Mulligan 2012). Mulligan spoke of how the vendors were all a community of makers who would often help each other out in setting up clumsy display racking, or sharing an electrical outlet at the many different shows. However, survival as an artisan, artist, or crafts person requires a competitive edge. While at this particular show, I observed a very focused and competitive group of people who changed their demeanor or display depending on the buyers they were attempting to connect with, whether wholesale or retail. In the first few hours of setting up, I ran back and forth between Mulligan\u2019s and Samphire\u2019s booths, doing some video and photography of their displays. As I passed many of the vendors, they extended a handshake to me and asked about my reason for attending the spring show and why I was carrying a video camera. Others were careful to drape their displays when I  139 ventured into the vicinity of their booths and some warned me against taking any pictures of their work. I assured each of them I was only recording the booths of Samphire and Mulligan, but they remained cautious throughout the morning. While the vendor items are juried, there is a range of similar items on display and vendors are very protective of their individual concepts and designs. The vendors that covered their displays were preventing the possibility of having their work copied and therefore losing their unique place within a very competitive market. As the wholesale buyers wandered through the show, the vendors talked among themselves. Some wondered what attracted buyers to certain booths, while others thought their particular product would be a \u201chot item\u201d in the market; some spoke quite negatively about the quality of other work in comparison to their own items on display, thus endeavouring to separate their work as professionals, from those they considered to be hobbyists. These comments were not surprising, as the wholesale buyers represent those who control the discourse of what is considered fine craft or hobby craft. However, the hierarchy these representatives are upholding is complicated. While perusing the display booths for items that \u201cfit\u201d within their retail spaces, they are looking for items that speak of being hand made, but can also be reproduced as many times as needed; a hybrid of mass production and art. \u201cYou have to make them so they look all the same, but they also look handmade at the same time\u201d (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012).Thus the hierarchy between art and craft is applied to the craft world, or in this case the glass world and it becomes \u201cfine craft,\u201d a label that Alfoldy unpacked in her historical treatise on professional fine craft in Canada (2005). When the wholesale buyers left and the general public were admitted, I noticed a visible and relaxing change in some of the vendors. Lisa Samphire\u2019s booth underwent a  140 display change as she put out pieces that were more appealing to the general gift buying public; other vendors made similar changes to their displays and pricing. As the public wandered through the booths, stopping to speak with vendors, the atmosphere became more relaxed and communal.  Another venue for sales is small local craft fairs, which may or may not have juried entrance requirements. The summer of 2012 was very busy for Toni Johnson as she travelled to craft fairs and artisan markets on Vancouver Island, BC to display and sell her line of blown and cast glass. It\u2019s a lot of work, preparing for the weekend markets, travelling to the location sometimes a few hours away, setting up a tent or canopy and the glass display; not to mention standing for hours, regardless of weather, talking to prospective buyers. While Johnson was pleased with her sales in 2012 at these numerous fairs, she recalls 2011 as being less profitable. At one craft fair in 2011, she shared a booth with someone, but stated that without the shared expense, the weekend would have been a loss (Johnson Interview, November 25, 2011). In previous years, Johnson had a booth at the BC Ferry terminal Marketplace, located at the Swartz Bay Terminal in North Saanich, BC (Vancouver Island), which is situated in the departure terminal to capture the interest of travellers, both locals and tourists while they wait to board the ferries. Johnson stated that, in past years, she did very well in sales of her blown work and cast glass; however, the summer of 2011 did not work out as well, and she was not leasing a booth at the Marketplace for the 2012 summer season. Sales in this season were very low as travellers were not spending their money on higher priced gift items such as glass. To lease a booth, vendors must submit an Expression of Interest in the form of an application with photos and pricing included; a similar process to a juried show. Upon acceptance, the vendor signs a lengthy non-exclusive license agreement  141 which dictates the hours of operation (minimum 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 2pm Saturday), conduct of vendors on site, liability, and the right to have all sales receipts audited by the licensor to insure the vendor is paying their fees as set out in the agreement. The rates for leasing a booth space are as follows: \uf0b7 Rent for Shoulder Season \u2013 May 9 to June 30 and Sep 1 to Oct 9, 2013 = twelve percent of Gross Revenue (plus Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of twelve percent). \uf0b7 Rent for Summer Season \u2013 July 1 to August 31, 2013 = sixteen percent of Gross Revenue (plus Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of twelve percent) (http:\/\/ www.bcferries.com). To put this into perspective, if a vendor had $100 worth of sales per day for six days, this would result in gross revenue of $600. Using the summer or peak season rate, deduct the sixteen percent lease fee and the HST, and the net would be $576 for a week of sales. Without even considering the cost of utility hook-ups (phone\/Interac for debit or credit card sales), the basic wage earned for six days of labour equates to $12 per hour, but this does not take any other costs into consideration. A vendor would need to sell far more than $100 a day of items to make this anywhere near viable, and in today\u2019s economy that would be difficult. In recent years, I have often travelled on the ferry and would frequent the Marketplace, but my funds were reserved for vacation or business expenses, not for shopping; thus, like many other travellers, I was only there to browse and spend time until the ferry arrived. A few vendor\/artisans may remember a time when this was a worthwhile location to sell crafts but, while the BC Ferry Corporation states that they prefer local artisans, they are now granting applications to vendors selling imported goods as well.  142  Several of the women exhibited and sold their glass through galleries and gift shops owned and operated by provincial or city art and craft councils. City based art and craft councils provide funding and media support to individual arts venues and organizations and sometimes to individual artists or crafts people through hosted exhibitions. Provincial art councils have a mandate to support individual arts organizations and arts related community projects but they do not support individual artists through exhibitions and sales. The art and craft councils often have galleries and gift shops at their locations where they exhibit only juried items, and as many of the women stated, these are a good venue for selling glass.   Most of the women have their own websites to promote their glass (Appendix A), but for up and coming glass blowers this is often an unmanageable expense. At one time all the provincial art and craft councils assisted members with access to a web page for their portfolio, but due to the expense of maintaining the web site, some have removed this benefit from their membership. The Glass Art Association of Canada (GAAC) supports its student members by providing a web page at a nominal rate to showcase their portfolio online. Professional members also have access to the web site to post their portfolio. The Canadian glass community can use the site to post calls for exhibitions, access grant funding, or seek employment in the glass community worldwide. The GAAC also has a member\u2019s exhibition hosted annually at different venues across Canada, as well as a semi-annual conference. In 2013 the GAAC semi-annual conference was scheduled for May, but due to low registrations the organizers had to cancel the conference. The consensus of the organizing committee was that members of the glass community simply could not afford to attend. Some of the women mentioned donating pieces to auctions for fund raising; Larissa Blokhuis, Naoko Takenuchi, Morna Tudor, Lisa Samphire and Laura Murdoch all donated  143 pieces to the grand opening event and silent auction in support of the new Terminal City Glass Co-op in Vancouver, BC. There is no monetary gain from donating this work, as tax receipts are not provided; \u201cIt is incredibly rare that one gets a tax receipt for a glass gift. I don't know why. It is entirely appropriate, yet even Pilchuck doesn't do it. That would be nice. I'd do it more\u201d (Murdoch, Personal Communication, March 12, 2013). Exposure is the number one reason for donating a piece to publicly attended events, but Laura Murdoch states that there are many other reasons as well. As alumnus of the Pilchuck School of Glass, Murdoch frequently donates work to auctions in support of their programs: I guess I give stuff away for a myriad of reasons. It's good to give back, especially to Pilchuck for me. It can be good exposure depending on the organization, and provide a decent photograph on a catalogue tear sheet. It puts attention on my work, and it is good for setting a price for your work for those that don't believe it's worth that, or at least getting an idea of what market value might be. Also, because I am not doing much glass these days due to financial constraints, it is a way for me to still be involved in the glass world, in the event itself, and to be seen and on people's minds. I must say also that when I decide to give away a piece, it is a whole different experience. It is no longer about trying to make a sale. I can sit back and just enjoy the experience and revel in someone else appreciating what I made in a way that doesn't happen in a sale. I appreciate the piece in a new way, thinking of how much I enjoyed making it rather than whether or not it will sell, and for how much. It's a different kind of relationship. I feel celebrated by the school, along with all the artists that give (Murdoch, Personal Communication, March 12, 2013).  Collectors and Collections, Private and Public The curriculum vitae of an artist or crafts person, contains a list of exhibitions and sometimes a list of private or public collections where pieces of their work resides. Having one\u2019s work in a collection is a creditable honour. However, it is important to clarify here that, although glass blowers are sometimes commissioned to make specific pieces for clients, these clients may not be specifically collecting glass work from that particular maker, or even  144 collecting glass in general. Often these commissions are for corporate gifts or awards, but there are also clients who will commission work to display in their corporate offices. When a piece, which represents the work of a group of artists or crafts people, is commissioned for a specific collection this is often different from commissions made for corporate clients. While a glass blower may sometimes state that their work \u201chas been collected internationally\u201d this often translates as \u201cmy work has sold internationally.\u201d Several of the women who established their glass careers prior to the year 2000, spoke of private collectors or of having their work in specific collections. Those who started their careers in the millennium have little experience with either. Martha Henry saw the emergence of glass collectors in Canada in the 1980s, something she attributed to the acceptance of glass in the gallery world: There were more, and more high end craft shops starting to happen \u2026 it was the first time that they considered glass to have the status to be in a gallery. That\u2019s when the collectors started coming out. That\u2019s when you started getting your first collectors (Henry Interview, January 25, 2012).  Henry has private collectors still buying her work after thirty-five years, and she has pieces in several public collections. Ione Thorkelsson witnessed much the same glass market as Martha Henry, and her work has been collected both privately and publicly since 1973. Lisa Samphire has seen her work go into the hands of Canadian and international collectors but, with market and economic changes, Samphire has noted a difference between Canadian glass collectors and those in the United States: I think there's a lot of Americans who are collectors\u2026collecting art. They\u2019re collecting glass that's higher end \u2026 an expression of the artist and unique to the artist. So they could still be vessels, but it's just more personal; art versus production. People in Alberta were buying objects to decorate their homes. They were buying things which they considered beautiful, that they wanted to surround  145 themselves with, but they weren't collecting a Lisa Samphire or a Gary Bolt, or a Morna Tudor. It was more [that] they were decorating with high end production pieces (Samphire Interview, November 23, 2011).  Natali Rodrigues and Barbara Rumberger started their glass careers in the late 1990s, and both have some experience with private and corporate collectors. Rumberger made an interesting observation about the people who collected her work on a regular basis, noting, \u201cIt was mostly middle aged men buying my work as gifts for women. There was this one man from Seattle, that every time I had new work, he would be on my list, he bought this and he bought this\u201d (Rumberger 2012). She also mentioned one collector she happened to meet: At this Christmas show that I\u2019ve been involved in\u2026I heard my name, and it was this gentlemen saying \u201cthat\u2019s Barbara\u2019s work.\u201d I hadn\u2019t seen him since I was in school and he recognized my work, even though it was quite different. He buys a piece every year. His wife says he\u2019s got a collection in his office at home, a piece from each year lined up in a row. He just loves my stuff [laughter] (Rumberger Interview January 26, 2012).  Naoko Takenuchi did not talk about collectors in our time together; she is very humble when speaking of her own work, however, her CV speaks volumes. Takenuchi is in several collections, both private and public, internationally and in Canada. While reviewing the portfolios of several of the women, I noted that commissions and collections were often combined in one list, making it difficult to distinguish between private, public, or corporate collections and one time purchases\/commissions.  146 The Gallery World in Western Canada When speaking with many of the women, I often heard the expression \u201cI am in the \u201csuch and such\u201d gallery.\u201d What I came to understand is that this could mean one of two things: their work was actually in a commercial gallery, exhibiting and being offered for sale; or, their work was in the gift shop of a civic gallery. In most cases, the galleries these women referred to were private or commercial spaces which display work for purchase to the public. These galleries do not maintain a permanent collection as is the purpose of civic galleries or museums. Civic galleries have gift shops, and a few of the women have their work in these gift shops as well. Depending on the type of gallery, glass can be viewed as art, decorative art, or craft. By interviewing curators or owners of galleries, both commercial and civic, these differences became more apparent. While gallery owners or curators would not always agree to an interview, some provided responses to a few questions by email. Amy Boyle at the West End Gallery in Victoria, and David New-Small at New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio and Gallery in Vancouver both provided interesting and informative interviews which supported the knowledge obtained from interviewing the women glass blowers. I was also able to conduct a telephone interview with the curator of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), Helen Delacretaz, and an email interview with Patricia Kidd, the Adjunct Curator of Decorative Arts at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV). Gathering some insights in a less formal manner, I participated in a non-guided gallery stroll in Victoria, BC, where I talked with employees and owners of commercial galleries on the lack of glass pieces in their exhibition or display spaces. The responses were varied, but most simply did not understand enough about glass to enable them to feel comfortable promoting it within their gallery.  147 While the women had both positive and negative experiences with commercial galleries in western Canada and beyond, some were cautious when sharing these experiences, or the names of particular galleries. There was a time when galleries would buy glass directly from the maker, and then sell these pieces in their gallery. The recent economic changes resulted in the decision of most galleries to only take work on consignment. When a piece sells, they notify the maker and send them a cheque. However, some of the artists reported that galleries were not always honest, and often would sell pieces and not notify them, or even go out of business taking all the work with them. While contacting galleries was seen as a disheartening experience to many of the women, Susan Gottselig emphasized the need for strict business practices when dealing with galleries, keeping track of inventory and staying in touch with the galleries that carry your work (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). Civic or Public Galleries Civic galleries do not generally consider blown glass vessels to be of fine art quality and therefore do not hold pieces in their permanent collections. The exceptions to this would be those institutions that have a decorative arts collection with a mandate to collect historical and contemporary examples of glass. The Mus\u00e9e des beaux arts in Montreal have the largest international collection of contemporary glass in Canada, a major portion of which has been contributed by private collectors. This is housed in the Decorative Arts gallery and there is a selection of glass pieces made by Canadian glass artists. In western Canada, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) in Victoria, BC has a Decorative Arts collection which features numerous pieces of factory glass from the early to mid-twentieth century. These are examples of mould blown or pressed glassware from factories such as the Burlington Glass Works (Canada), or the Tiffany Studios (United States). While online reviewing their  148 collection of glass, I also found a few examples of blown glass from after 1950, or what would be referred to as contemporary or studio glass. Patricia Kidd, the Adjunct Curator of Decorative Arts, stated that the gallery has held small exhibitions of glass over the past twenty years, but there have been very few: \u201cOur permanent collection of contemporary glass lacks the breadth necessary to organize large exhibits, and as you can no doubt appreciate, loan exhibitions would be expensive to arrange and transport\u201d (Kidd, November 15, 2012). While many civic galleries have examples of historic glass in their collections, few have contemporary glass, and fewer still have hosted exhibitions of contemporary glass. The reasons for this are varied and often include the art versus craft discussion which informs the gallery mandate. Historically, the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has not exhibited the work of glass artists, and does not have a decorative arts collection. Senior Curator Ian Thom stated that, \u201cI think it is fair to say that today we would not decline to show a glass artist if we felt that the work was sufficiently engaging in terms of the larger artistic praxis of the region\u201d (Thom, May 31, 2012). Thom clarified that the gallery would not likely show glass that fell into the category of decorative art, \u201cjust as we do not show fine quality wood work or ceramics, unless we feel that the artists using these materials are making a significant contribution to the story of art making in the province\u201d (Thom, May 31, 2012). The decision here is not just in the material, but in how it is being used. A blown glass bowl would fall into the category of decorative art and thus would not be something exhibited at this gallery. However, a glass sculpture, perhaps mould blown or cast might be considered, if it is \u201csufficiently engaging\u201d (Thom, May31, 2012). Ione Thorkelsson\u2019s pieces which combine cast and blown glass (Figure 39) would most likely meet the (VAG) mandate; they are part of  149 the permanent \u201cStudio\u201d collection at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), as are a number of her earlier blown glass pieces.   Figure 39. Ione Thorkelsson. Tick. Blown and cast glass, 43 x 46.5 x 23 cm H, 1998. Photo Credit: Ernest Mayer.  Helen Delacretaz is the Chief Curator at the WAG and in her tenure has seen the addition of a new category in the gallery collections; the Studio Collection. While the WAG recognized that it was necessary to keep historical examples in the Decorative Arts collection, they felt that changes in the use of materials such as metal, ceramics, and glass in the contemporary world should be considered separately. The newly established Studio Collection acknowledges the contributions of contemporary crafts people, with one-of-a-kind pieces that are conceptual in nature and created after 1980. The Glass Art Movement, which started in the 1980s, inspired glass blowers to create conceptual work, and for glass artists such as Thorkelsson, this provided an opportunity to move their work into the art world. As a curator, Delacretaz has had many opportunities to speak with artists on how they identify  150 themselves and their work (Delacretaz Interview, May 22, 2012). One of the artists represented at the WAG is Ione Thorkelsson, who stated many times that she is happiest with a foot in both the art world and craft community; a liminal and very creative space. Examples of Thorkelsson\u2019s earlier functional pieces are held within the Decorative Arts collection, but her sculptural pieces created after 1980 are part of the new Studio Collection. Below is a description taken from the WAG website of how Ione Thorkelsson\u2019s glass fits into the new Studio collection: The greatest representation in this aspect of the collection is held by a leading Manitoba glass artist, Ione Thorkelsson. The Gallery\u2019s holdings survey her career from early functional wares (c. 1973-78) to signature pieces (late 1970s) which treat the vessel\u2019s glass body as a field for colourful abstract compositions, and finally to the body of work she has spent the last two decades concentrating on\u2014sculptural, non-functional pieces incorporating cast animal parts attached to blown vessels\u2014which have been widely exhibited and continue to be the thrust of her investigations today (http:\/\/wag.ca\/art\/collections\/studio).  Commercial or Privately Owned Galleries Commercial galleries form the majority of exhibition space for the women glass blowers in my research. Although there is a noted paucity of galleries in Canada that will exhibit glass, in eastern Canada there are more choices than in western Canada. In terms of larger glass focused galleries the West End Gallery was frequently referred to by the women in my research. The West End Gallery has two locations; Edmonton, AB (1975), and Victoria, BC (1994), both owned by Dan and Lana Hudon. They exhibit glass as well as paintings in their gallery spaces, and the West End Gallery considers all their glass objects as art. Amy Boyle is the gallery assistant at the Victoria location, and we met at the gallery for our interview. Boyle explained that the representation of women glass artists in the gallery is about fifty-one percent with forty-nine percent representation from men glass artists. This  151 fairly balanced gender representation is not intentional; Boyle insisted that gender is not a selection criterion for the West End Gallery (Boyle Interview March 27, 2012). She kindly showed me through the gallery and a downstairs vault where a very large collection of glass is stored. The large storage vault is extremely important to the gallery as it enables them to securely store a large number of glass objects, to rotate them into their gallery exhibits, and to have extra examples of an artists\u2019 work on hand to show prospective buyers. The primary concern of the many galleries that refused to exhibit glass was the expense of exhibiting, and the lack of storage for such fragile objects. With regard to the inherent difficulties in exhibiting glass, Boyle singled out two areas of concern to their particular gallery; theft of small items, and breakage. Breakage is always a concern when there are people in the gallery and Boyle emphasized the importance of stable shelving designed to accommodate several large heavy pieces of glass. Many times over, she has witnessed the phenomenon of people wanting to touch the glass pieces: Everybody likes to touch. So generally when we have people in the gallery we request that we are the ones moving the glass and touching it or handling it. We do pull it out for people so that they can lift it and touch it but we take it off the shelf and put it on the more stable counter so there's not the threat of an elbow knocking it (Boyle Interview, March 27, 2012).  The West End Gallery has an annual Canadian glass exhibition which runs from July to September at the Victoria location. Approximately fifty artists have their work in the gallery over the summer exhibition, and the dazzling display attracts tourists and international collectors as well. With the sluggish economy, this gallery, like many others, has made a few changes in how they work with customers (lay away plans, or other easy payment options) to assist them with their purchasing decisions (Boyle Interview, March 27, 2012). The West End Gallery has seen decreasing numbers of buyers from the United States since 2008, but  152 Canadian tourists and local clients were still frequenting the gallery, as were a few international clients. I noticed that several of the artists in my research had work in the West End Gallery, and most gave the gallery a good appraisal. Boyle stated (Interview, March 27, 2012) that the owners worked hard to maintain a good reputation with the artists, which is refreshingly different from many other galleries. Several of the women told me of disreputable galleries that had engaged in unfair dealings with artists. Brenda Taylor stated that if the gallery is in your own city it can be easier to stay on top of business, but it was very difficult to oversee galleries in distant locations: Galleries are hard, if you have a good gallery it's great; if you have a bad one you can really get screwed. I've been screwed several times by galleries. The last one was in Vancouver, the [no name] Gallery, they shut down and all my work is gone. It was on consignment and I asked the gallery to send it back. I phoned as I found out [the gallery] had traded hands, and I [provided] a list of my consignment pieces.[The gallery said they] only have about half of that, and it's not their problem, and I said well, oh, okay, can you send me back my work? [They] said not on my dime [and] wouldn't send me my work, so I got [a friend] to go get it a week later, but they were closed and gone (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012).  Keeping accurate records of work sent out to galleries is essential business practice, especially when there are some unethical galleries. Susan Gottselig has narrowed her choices of galleries to a select and reputable few; however, she still insists on a signed agreement invoking the gallery to inventory her work every January and to account for every piece sold (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012). It takes a lot of time to follow up on galleries, not to mention the record keeping involved, which is why some artists select only a few galleries to deal with on a regular basis. Some have found it easier to deal only with galleries in their home province, making it easier to deliver items in person or collect any monies owing from  153 sales. With so few galleries in Canada that will exhibit glass, many of the women place their work on consignment in galleries outside Canada, which makes sales harder to track. Most commercial galleries moved to a consignment based system in the late 1990s, instead of purchasing the work directly from the artist, and many of the women who started careers prior to the millennium had the experience of galleries buying their work outright. There are inherent difficulties with both systems, and either way, the glass blower carries all related expenses until the gallery purchases or sells the items. A frequent complaint was that gallery buyers would negotiate a lower wholesale price for the piece when purchasing it from the artist, but then quadruple the price in the gallery, gaining a huge profit. With a consignment based system, the work is sent out to the galleries in the hope that they will do their best to sell it for you and send you your percentage. Taylor thought that the switch to consignments occurred when galleries decided that they didn\u2019t want the risk of carrying inventory; that the risk should be carried by the artist. Taylor also spoke of instances where galleries would not accurately report the full amount a piece had sold for and therefore pay the artist much less than they should have (2012). There are other issues with consignments, but as Taylor states, \u201clots of people are willing to take your work but if they don't have any investment in it sometimes it just doesn't pay off. So, yeah sure, give us a lot of your work but we\u2019re not going to give you any money for it\u201d (Taylor Interview, May 16, 2012). Consignments often mean idle inventory and the glass can sit on a gallery shelf for many months. This outdated stock sitting in a gallery doesn\u2019t represent the current work of the artist. Some of the women keep in touch with the galleries and rotate older pieces off the shelves to replace them with current work or with other pieces that may sell better in that location (Gottselig Interview, May 18, 2012).  154  One other problem that the women deal with is galleries that want the glass blower to change their glass \u201cto order,\u201d thereby disrespecting the originality of design that goes into a one-of-a-kind piece. Takenuchi (2012) encountered this when she was dealing with a wholesaler a number of years ago; part of the reason she moved away from using a wholesale representative. Katherine Russell has also experienced this, and has gained the confidence needed to handle this request from galleries: I have more experience with galleries. I am much, much, more comfortable choosing which galleries I want my work in, what work I will put in and how much I\u2019ll charge for it. Now, if galleries are pressuring me to do something different (i.e. can you start making something in blue that\u2019s like that guy\u2019s work in Edmonton, only a bit smaller, so.. cheaper?) I have the confidence to say \u201cno way\u201d and go elsewhere (Russell, June 28, 2012).  Vancouver\u2019s New Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery was one of the galleries that the women spoke highly of in terms of fair dealings and good exposure. David New- Small and his daughter Alannah shared thoughts on the current state of the arts community and the history of their gallery and hot shop. Alannah New-Small stated that the gallery represents about fifty artists, evenly divided between glass blowers and other types of glass artisans. Of approximately twenty-six glass blowers represented, eleven are women, of whom only six are full-time glass blowers. She noted that \u201cthere are fewer full-time artists than there were a few years ago, as the recession has restricted spending on the arts and has increased the materials and fuel costs of glass working\u201d (A. New-Small, February 18, 2012). Alannah also noted that, based on what she was seeing in the gallery, her impression was that women made up the larger majority of young glass blowers coming out of art schools. David New-Small had his own theory as to why there were more women than men in this craft; \u201cpartly because it\u2019s so bloody hard to make a living, and guys are just getting away from it,  155 and craft in general. We\u2019re never going to be\u2026I mean the eighties were fantastic\u201d (D. New- Small, Interview, February 14, 2012). New-Small and Sterling opened in 1984 and, until recent years, was a very active studio and gallery. The gallery space has a broad range of work from Canadian glass artists and crafts people. David New-Small recounted his experience with attending wholesale trade shows in the United States (2004) and hearing a familiar lament \u2013 the newest electronic devices were garnering a huge share of people\u2019s disposable income and glass art sales had reduced dramatically. \u201cI looked up [mobile device] sales on the internet, and again I\u2019m not an expert, but their sales graph goes like this (up), and mine goes like this (down). I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a coincidence (New-Small, D. Interview, February 14, 2012).  Figure 40. iPod Sales \u2013 Cumulative. Source: Kingsley-Hughes, zdnet.com. What New-Small was alluding to was that glass was no longer a new and exciting gift item to buy for someone; it has lost its cachet when compared to the new electronic items that people buy as gifts for each other (Figure 40). Like a lot of other small galleries, New-Small is struggling to keep the doors open, and he notes that mostly the smaller items are selling.  156 Participating in a gallery stroll in Victoria, BC, I had the opportunity to make casual enquiries of gallery employees and owners as to whether they ever exhibited glass in their gallery. For the most part, there was reluctance to exhibit glass because it was too fragile, too costly to ship, required careful storage and special considerations to exhibit. However, there was also mention of glass being a craft type material or that it was not something that would fit with the other work in their gallery. In one particular gallery, I recall a rather large clay vessel balanced on a narrow plinth near the entrance of the gallery. When I inquired as to whether the gallery had any glass art, the director stated that craft materials (glass) were not something that his clients were interested in, and of course there was the issue of fragility. When I pointed out the large clay vessel and the fragility of that particular object, the director stated that the artist was a painter whom they regularly represented, and he was trying out new materials. As the gallery had carried his work in the past, they were thrilled to offer their clients the opportunity to see the artist\u2019s new line of work. The director of this gallery refused a formal interview so I was not able to discuss this any further with him. In another small gallery on the stroll, the owner spoke of how she thought glass art was beautiful and wished there was space in the gallery to show some pieces. She then commented that it would be especially nice if the glass art \u201cobjects\u201d were to match the paintings! A comment such as this immediately moved a beautiful glass art piece into the category of home d\u00e9cor, being purchased by the gallery to accent their paintings to hopefully encourage buyers to purchase the glass \u201cobject\u201d that matched the painting. Overall, most of the gallery owners, directors, managers and employees did not know enough about glass to be comfortable exhibiting it in their space. They often pointed me in the direction of the West End Gallery, which they thought was the only gallery in town that showed glass. Boyle, at the West End Gallery,  157 stated that there were two other small galleries in Victoria that had shown select glass work in the past, but when I visited these particular galleries, there was no glass on display and neither of these galleries wanted to participate in an interview. The glass scene in western Canada is extremely active, with a predominance of women either working in glass or curating and exhibiting glass. This chapter explored the places in western Canada where the women exhibit and sell their glass, including wholesale trade shows, retail craft shows, both juried and non-juried; community and provincial art and craft council galleries and gift shops; private commercial galleries and public civic galleries. While few of the women have their work in the decorative arts collections of civic or public galleries, many of the women have their work in private collections both locally and internationally. The women glass blowers choose their venues with extreme care, factoring in such variables as location, cost, exposure and return on sales. These decisions are made based on the type of work that the women are creating and where they feel it will be best suited. Not all commercial or private galleries are willing to exhibit or sell glass, and this decreases the amount of available exhibition space in western Canada. For some of the women, this is their only point of sale. Local galleries run by provincial or city art and craft councils often provide exhibition space and opportunities for group shows; these are always juried spaces often restricted to members only. While juried and non-juried retail craft and studio events appeal to a number of the women because of the lower costs for display booths, the smaller more affordable pieces often garner higher sales, leaving one-of-a-kind pieces sitting on the shelf. While the sales of smaller pieces may give the appearance of success, producing a significant number of smaller affordable pieces for a display consumes far more time in the hot shop than a one-of-a-kind piece, and in the end often results in less income.  158 The costs involved in making production type glass work contribute to the decision made by most of the women to avoid wholesale trade shows. These venues have become extremely expensive and competition from off shore factories results in poor sales, making this venue un-accessible to most people in the glass community.  159 Chapter Four \u2013 Annealing their Stories The narratives contributed by these women about their experiences as glass blowers, artists, makers, crafts people and artisans, cross over the theoretical boundaries of art or craft, and move beyond discussions of material culture. This is why the interdisciplinary approach chosen for my research was the perfect medium to illustrate an alternative viewpoint from traditional craft theory, art history or anthropological investigations. Feminist ethnography brings another layer of understanding to this research by involving the glass blowers in a discussion of their creative process, lived experiences and how they perceive their relative position to the art or craft world, which goes beyond the socio-historical context (Pollock 2003; Boetzkes 2009:690-711) of the glass work and the creators. My emphasis on the unique narrative descriptions of their lives as glass blowers was done with the intention of insuring that their individual stories are taken as an important and relevant source of knowledge. At the intersections of their many shared experiences their stories annealed into a solid and cohesive representation of women glass blowers in western Canada. This research makes a significant contribution to the story of Canadian women in the arts and crafts and specifically those who reside and practice in western Canada. Self-identification is an act of taking back the hegemonic power from those who would label creative people and creative works based on their own criteria. Many of the women self-identify as neither artist nor crafts person but choose to work as both. Some of the women self-identify as glass blowers, artisans and makers; and others self-identify as artists and direct their practice accordingly. I have come to understand that glass and glass blowers can be at home in either the art or craft worlds, as well as in that liminal space  160 between. An understanding of this liminal space is prevalent amongst the women I interviewed. Ione Thorkelsson summarized this far reaching attitude: I am often asked if I consider myself a craftsperson or an artist. Well yes, I consider myself a craftsperson. But that\u2019s not to say I don't consider myself an artist. If this answer seems evasive, it\u2019s intended that way. May the contradiction never end because I believe it is in my best interests that this conundrum never be resolved. The fact is, I operate in that vague, ill-defined zone that lies between and includes both. I have found my niche. I thrive on the ambiguity and I have found the possibilities here endless. This is such fertile territory (Thorkelsson 2010).  By not choosing to be firmly camped in either the art or craft world, there is a certain amount of creative freedom which allows the women to create work that is relevant and contextual. For some, there are economic advantages to creating work within this liminal space, as one is not reliant on the art or craft market alone to make a living. For others, the liminality of their work causes concerns for curators of galleries and gift shop owners who have trouble understanding where the work will best fit. Gender as a Glass Barrier Within the larger Canadian glass community, I have focused my research on the experiences of eighteen women in western Canada, and although many of these women have learned, worked or exhibited together, or studied at the same school, each of their experiences is very different. However, at the intersections of their stories and experiences lies an understanding of how gender is perceived within the glass community of western Canada. When I first approached this research topic, I was under the mistaken illusion that there were more men than women practicing glass blowing in western Canada. I have come to realize that this is the discourse presented in texts and other visual sources, but it is not the reality in Canada. In 1976, Lippard argued that women were underrepresented in exhibitions  161 and in collections both public and private. Dobrynski (2010) noted the same abysmal statistics three decades later and by looking at the discourse of museum, gallery and private collection catalogs, it is obvious that women glass blowers are extremely underrepresented internationally. 4  Media, galleries and printed texts all show a distinct preference for images of men blowing glass and often feature their individual creations. Van Dijk states that \u201cthe powerful have recourse to a large variety of dialogical, and especially printed, formal forms of text and talk, and, in principle, can reach large groups of people. Thus the powerful controls discourse through control of its material production, its formulation, and its distribution\u201d (1989:50). The images that the general public see are based on misinformation from sources they have come to think of as reliable; it is no surprise that they are left with the impression that men dominate the glass world. Going into this research, I was under the same mistaken impression. Overall, the women in my research who spoke of international work experiences noted that men were predominant in European glass factories, but not necessarily in the glass art world. In the United States, the women noted that while men glass blowers were more inclined to macho displays within the hot shop and media presented a male dominated view of glass blowing internationally, this was not the reality in Canada. Prowse-Fainmel noted that \u201cone unique aspect of Canadian glass is the predominance of women\u201d (2008:55), and indeed, the involvement of women in glass blowing has increased dramatically since the early days of the studio glass movement (1960-1980). The experiences and stories shared by the women in my research cover the experimental early days of studio glass through to the glass art movement of the 1980s up to  4  For a closer look at some examples of this under-representation, I surveyed the following catalogs and texts: Miller Dehan 2009, Oldknow 2009, Drexler Lynn 2004, Opie 2004.  162 the present day. Their stories reveal that glass was a desired commodity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and despite both transparent and opaque gender barriers, women glass blowers had thriving glass practices. The women involved with this research were aware that gender still influences people and they all emphasized that they were more likely to want recognition based on the quality of their work rather than seeking representation based on gender. Glass blowers who started their careers in the late 1990s and into the new millennium were aware of gender biases but, like their predecessors, did not allow this to interfere with their career goals. This last statement is relevant in terms of the overall significance and contribution of this research. Despite the numerous articles and texts that I read, which address the issues of gender barriers in the arts and crafts communities (Dobrzynski 2010; Chicago 2007; Collett 2004; Ewington 1995), none of them prepared me for what I actually learned from the women in my research. While many of the women witnessed and even experienced gender bias in the glass world first-hand, they dismissed these instances as being unimportant to their own career and did not view these instances as barriers. All of the women are aware of societal issues with regard to gender inequalities, and some commented that media played a strong role in perpetuating a biased view. Duffin (1995) argued that successful women artists \u201care those who adopt \u201cmale\u201d strategies for success: aggressive self-promotion, the use of \u201cold boy networks,\u201d putting careers before issues and people and taking a highly autonomous approach to making and showing\u201d (68). I use Duffin\u2019s statement here as a foil to highlight how very different it is in the creative glass world in western Canada. My earlier reference to the liminal space that some of these women practice within, comes from an understanding of how they self-define as glass blowers, artists, crafts people, artisans and makers; all working with a material that  163 crosses over into both the art and craft worlds. While Duffin\u2019s strategies are employed by the women in different variations, I doubt very much that they would consider them as \u201cmale strategies\u201d (68). Self-promotion is a difficult undertaking for most artists, and my research reveals that when the economy supported it, some of the women employed commissioned wholesale representatives to promote their work. Some of the women were comfortable with self- promotion and most considered promotion a necessary element of a successful glass practice. Websites were most often referred to as key places for promotion, as were craft shows, art exhibitions, studio fairs and the like. Despite the differences in how they promoted themselves, and regardless of how many hours they invested in this task, many of the women thought that they should be doing more, as sales were much slower in recent times. As to the \u201chighly autonomous approach to making and showing\u201d (Duffin 1995:68), glass blowing is done both individually or with an assistant or team. Many of the women work alone, although some have employed an assistant to help with larger pieces; this is a matter of economics rather than artistic or creative ego. Also, as most of the women rent time in hot shops, they work alongside many other glass blowers, often an opportunity for sharing knowledge and skills. Membership in regional, local or provincial art and craft councils provided information on craft fairs, studio events and exhibitions, which most of the women take advantage of to exhibit alone or in groups. The women have named their own glass work as art, craft or both, and in doing this they have also decided which venues are best to showcase their work. As each of the women creates very different glass work, so too, they promote, exhibit and market in their own unique fashion. Not all glass blowers strive for gallery exhibitions; there are some who  164 market their work only through gift shops and community arts and crafts event. Glass exhibitions are rare and are most often group exhibitions, which allow the gallery to show a large variety of work, thereby appealing to a broader audience. I do not feel that any of these women would consider their membership with these local, provincial or regional art and craft councils as comparable to \u201cold boy networks;\u201d rather, they see themselves as part of a like- minded community of glass practitioners in western Canada. All of the women in this research are strong minded and assertive individuals, which many stated they felt they needed to be to maintain their careers. Whether this can be argued as a \u201cmale strategy\u201d is debatable. Martha Henry spoke of how she was part of a generation of women glass blowers (1970s) who experienced the changes in society in regard to gender and women in the work place and in the art world. Henry indicated the need to be \u201ctough skinned\u201d and assert her position to maintain her career. Economic survival was stressful and required that she put her career first. Henry believes that the stress of maintaining a career as a glass blower, worrying about paying the mortgage, and keeping the furnace going, was the reason she eventually was stricken with cancer. That she has maintained an active and lucrative glass practice for over two decades is testament to her strength, as is her complete recovery from cancer, and the new direction she is now taking her glass career. While Duffin has argued that the strategies employed by these women are to be considered masculine, I conclude that, in western Canada, these are not gendered, but necessary elements to insuring a successful and active glass practice. Gender bias comes from many different sources and some of the women have heard negative gendered comments from other women, either at trade shows, craft or studio fairs. Further discussions with the women revealed that they were not surprised, as theirs was a  165 competitive world (Piper 2001), and accusations of dilettantism were not uncommon (Collett 2004). Two women reported hearing exclamations of disbelief from women who were observing them while they were glass blowing in a hot shop. These comments ranged from surprise that a woman could be a glass blower, to unfounded critiques on the caliber of their work. Of the women who recalled instances of gender bias in international hot shops (Australia, Europe, United States), most of these recollections were centered on the Pilchuck Glass School in the United States where many of the women had done volunteer work as pole turners or attended workshops. While two of the women mentioned minor negative experiences while in training at Sheridan College (Ontario), they felt that this was balanced out by other, more positive experiences. While none of the women self-identified as feminists, they were all advocates for gender equity. Some would argue (Hall and Rodriguez 2003) that this is often seen as typical of a post-feminist generation of women who no longer considers feminist issues to be important \u2013 that they have all been resolved. While acknowledging and applauding past activism for gender equality, and citing the many examples of successful women glass blowers in Canada, the women glass blowers choose to live today as though gender equality is their inherent right; which of course it is. Aronson\u2019s (2003) research revealed similar findings in that, while younger women do not openly advocate for feminism, they do support \u201cmany of the principles of feminist ideology\u201d and there is a \u201cgeneral optimism about women\u2019s expanded opportunities, coupled with a realization that older women have struggled to create these new opportunities\u201d (909). Their power lies in the belief that gender equality is a given; they will not tolerate gendered bias in the hot shop, or in a gallery, and view such instances as novel or amusing. It is not something that they will give any credence, and this  166 steadfast belief empowers them in their individual practices. This attitude was carried across all generations of women in my research, from those who started their careers in the early 1970s, up through those who started in the millennium. In addition, as the glass community in western Canada is predominantly women, and the women have cited very few instances of gender bias in Canada, these instances are rare, so I must conclude that for these eighteen women, gender has not been, and will never be considered a barrier to their success. Instances of gender bias in the glass community are a glass barrier, one that the women are able to see through, and easily break through to attain their own goals. However, as in the instances where women in the general viewing public make gendered or negative comments about women glass blowers, the gender barrier can be like opaque glass; with an impact similar to walking into a glass door. Glass as a Material is an Illusory Barrier The fact that glass is a material that comes from an industrial or factory lineage establishes an illusory barrier. While it can be used in industrial or scientific applications, glass also resides in both the art and craft worlds. As a material, glass presents a number of barriers that can often seem insurmountable. It has several inherent risks and costs attached, which limit the number of people who work with glass and the amount of work that can be produced. Glass blowing is physically and mentally demanding, requiring specific techniques to insure not only safety but, hopefully, a desirable end product. One of the more illusory barriers of glass as a material is found in the gallery world, where glass will be accepted by some but not by others, afforded the title of art by some, but craft by others. As there are philosophical differences between private or commercial galleries and public or civic galleries, their mandates for the inclusion of glass vary  167 accordingly. There are also variances in these mandates depending on the individual gallery or curator. While one private or commercial gallery considers glass to be art, and therefore is happy to include glass in their exhibition space, another will reject a glass object simply because it is made from a craft material. Mandates also vary between public or civic galleries in much the same way; one may have provision for glass to be collected within a decorative arts category, while another does not. As to exhibitions in public or civic galleries, the same rules apply. If a gallery has a decorative arts collection, they are more likely to host an exhibition of glass, either historical or contemporary. Galleries without glass in their collections may consider a glass object within an exhibition, as long as it is not a functional vessel and it contributes to the context of the art exhibition. Within the world of the private or commercial galleries, there is a division between those who know and understand that glass has a foot in both the art and craft worlds, and those who will always consider glass objects to be functional and craft related, or purely decorative items. The women are aware of hierarchies within the art and craft world, and of the different mandates in place within the gallery world; therefore, they choose gallery alliances where their particular style of work will be best received. Fragility and Physical Barriers Another significant factor in deciding whether galleries can or will exhibit objects created from glass is fragility. Fragility equates to specialized storage and shipping requirements which increase the cost of an exhibition, often making the exhibition of glass prohibitive. Fragility also plays into how glass is displayed, taking into consideration the safety of gallery visitors and the perseverance of viewers wanting to touch the glass on display. Many galleries have overcome these issues, but many more hesitate to even  168 investigate the possibility of exhibiting this seemingly fragile material. It was interesting to note that many of these same galleries exhibit equally fragile ceramic sculptures. While factory made blown glass can be very thin and quite fragile, the women have demonstrated that with hand blown glass there is more control over the thickness or density of a blown piece and therefore it can be quite resilient. The pure physicality of glass blowing is something that is often foregrounded in promotional videos, showing large muscled male glass blowers sweating over their labours. The women spoke of how glass on the end of a blowpipe can be extremely heavy and the larger the piece, the heavier and more awkward it is to manipulate. Imagine a ten pound bag of flour stuck on the end of a six foot long pipe, and having to carry that around, turning it, lifting it, and swinging it, for extended periods of time. They also talked about the intense heat, not only from the furnace and glory hole, but also from the hot glass on the end of the pipe, and the heat of the pipe itself. While they recognized how physically demanding their chosen creative activity was they spoke of different techniques learned through years of practice to alleviate some of the physical aspects; such as extra shielding, specific types of clothing, cooling the pipe more often so that you can hold it closer to the middle, and using lifting devices, or cradle supports to take the weight. Many of the women discussed working with an assistant as an option when making larger pieces, if the budget allowed. Despite all of these modifications, the physical aspects are still part of the glass blowing process; however, none of these elements are barriers that deter the women from continuing to blow glass. The women have simply found their own way to achieve the desired end goal and many of the women stated that finesse in handling the glass was more important than physical strength.  169 While galleries refocus their mandates, with a movement towards public engagement, they must also consider the price to pay in allowing the public to touch or interact with exhibits. At a glass conference in Seattle, several participants discussed glass and how to work this into the new mandates. I noted with interest the comments made by several men with regard to the size of pedestals needed to support larger pieces, or how big a piece needed to be to safely stand by itself in the center of a gallery. The women glass blowers had a slightly different perspective and spoke of how smaller pieces could be made more engaging. During a similar conversation I had with Naoko Takenuchi, she proposed that an interactive exhibition could involve a number of small drawers that people could open to see small glass objects inside (Takenuchi Interview February 15, 2012); hidden treasures if you will. I foresee that, while men\/glass masters continue to vie for pedestals, women glass blowers will move into the viewers\u2019 space, engaging the public and thereby securing their own place in the changing landscape of galleries and museums. I propose that with this increased public exposure, the work of women glass blowers will gain solid representation in future exhibitions and collections. In a Glass Economy While gallery mandates have moved towards inclusion and public engagement, and gallery attendance overall has increased in western Canada (Hill 2012:2), this has not equated to increased representation or income stability for women glass blowers. Several factors have combined to create diminished financial stability for glass blowers in western Canada. The world economy has played a large factor in the decrease of hand blown glass sales internationally, and in western Canada this has translated to fewer international buyers or collectors seeking glass work by Canadian glass blowers. Historically, Canadian glass  170 blowers have relied on international sales of their work because the market for blown glass in Canada has never been strong enough to support their careers. Locally, glass blowers who have created a strong line of production work have been able to sustain a moderate level of income supplying commercial galleries and gift shops or selling their work at community arts and crafts events. Few of the women own their own hot shops, and due to the high intrinsic costs in operating a hot shop, it is a difficult balance to sell enough glass to pay for the operational expenses. Those who rent space in other hot shops find it difficult to earn enough income from production sales after factoring rental costs into the equation. Marketing blown glass through craft fairs is a difficult sell, as the public are generally shopping for affordable gift items; while they appreciate that the items are handmade, there is still a price point they won\u2019t go beyond. For those women who do not make production pieces and therefore do not participate in these art and craft events, they must rely on sales of their one-of-a-kind pieces through gallery exhibitions and gallery gift shops. Websites continue to be a relatively inexpensive source for glass sales and many of the women use this world-wide venue to their advantage. When glass was considered a hot commodity (1980s-1990s), commercial galleries purchased glass through trade shows or directly from the artist. Today, galleries rarely buy pieces outright from the women, preferring to deal on a consignment basis. In the 1980s and 1990s, exhibitions of glass were not uncommon, as galleries were the only place a collector could view and buy glass. Today, exhibitions are rare, as galleries are not able to cover the expense to receive numerous pieces into their care and then ship them back to the women after the exhibition closes. The internet has become a competitor to commercial galleries as buyers can peruse the website of any glass blower and contact them directly to make a  171 purchase. This has quite effectively eliminated commercial galleries as middlemen in transactions. Online purchasing and an economy that has left consumers with less disposable income for luxury goods have created an environment where few commercial galleries can survive. While some may argue that the internet has replaced the loss of commercial gallery exhibition space, I feel strongly that the first-hand gallery experience will never be replaced by a digital image. Trade shows have not been a good source for sales in recent years as display booths at trade shows have become cost prohibitive and factory based glass suppliers and importers in attendance at trade shows are tough competitors for today\u2019s glass blowers. The discount home d\u00e9cor market purchases factory seconds from European glass factories such as Murano, who are no longer destroying seconds. I was recently gifted with a large piece labelled \u201cVerdici Design,\u201d which was purchased at a local home d\u00e9cor discount retailer. An online search and subsequent email inquiry revealed that this is a Canadian importer who specializes in giftware products mostly made in China. Apparently, Canadian importers of giftware are also flooding the discount retail market with less expensive imported glass objects. When consumers buy glass pieces in discount home d\u00e9cor stores, they are not seeking out the work of particular glass blowers; they are simply looking for a particular item to complement their home and are content to purchase less expensive factory-made items. This is the biggest competition the women glass blowers face in terms of marketing and selling their glass. A large, factory blown glass vessel can sell for $30 in these retail stores, and it is not possible for the women glass blowers to price their glass to compete in that market, or to produce enough glass to sell at factory pricing. I am reminded of earlier readings on industrialization, and home d\u00e9cor items being mass produced in factories rather  172 than handmade or individually crafted. It is as though these factory made objects today are tainting the market, flooding it with inexpensive blown glass. Whether this plays into the depreciation of glass as a collectable commodity in the world market is material for another research project.  173 Chapter Five - Concluding Thoughts The strength of my research lies in this unique collection of experiences shared by these women, which elucidate the changes that have occurred in the glass community over the past four decades. While individual voices, opinions and experiences cannot represent the whole glass community in western Canada, their individual experiences often support each other\u2019s stories, which adds strength to the narratives they voice. While my research does indicate strong economic reasons why glass blowers are not able to earn a \u201cgood\u201d income in today\u2019s market, I did not engage in the question of whether the high concentration of women in Canadian glass has some impact on income levels; that is material for further research in the future. The question of whether glass pieces created by women are being devalued simply because they have been created by women harkens back to arguments put forward by Negrin (2006) about the reception of women\u2019s creative works well into the modern era (1900s). Are women artists still being challenged by this modernist functionalist (masculine) way of thinking that considers decorative arts as non-essential or superficial? Further, as these objects are created by women are they being feminized and therefore devalued (Negrin 2006). The average income level of women glass blowers in western Canada is far lower than men involved in this same activity (Hill & Capriotti 2008: 13); the irony is that this smaller group of men are earning more than the larger population of women glass blowers. The argument has been made that factory work imported from overseas is also contributing to the devaluation of glass in Canada. As factory-made glass continues to adorn our homes, I recall the video work undertaken by Norman Faulkner at glass factories in India, and his obvious respect for the skills and craftsmanship that he saw. While the video  174 shows glass blowers working in conditions that would be considered far less than ideal in Canada, I hasten to remember that these, too, are glass blowers earning their living and creating things of beauty (Glass India:2004). The two Venn diagrams referred to in this dissertation addressed the causal relationships between art, craft and design, and between gender, economy and glass as a material. Bringing these two Venn diagrams together illuminates the words of the women glass blowers in western Canada. When examining the relationship between gender and economy, there is evidence to support the claim that there are lower earnings overall for women artists and crafts people (Hill & Capriotti 2008) both historically and in contemporary practice. In this research, glass as a material plays a significant role which overlaps in all areas. The relationship between the economy and glass as a material is ongoing. On the wave of postmodernism in the arts and the acceptance of a plurality of materials, glass was considered a hot commodity in the 1980s \u20131990s. Hot shop owners like Martha Henry, Ione Thorkelsson and Bonny Houston relied on production work to support their glass practices; while others who blew glass in rented hot shops struggled to earn a living with their glass work. Recent economics do not favour the art or craft worlds. With reduced spending on luxury gift items and reduced arts funding from federal, provincial and local governments, glass blowers are struggling. As they look back on the more lucrative times of the 1980s- 1990s, many are at a loss to define how or why glass has fallen out of favour and are trying whatever they can to recapture those \u2018glory days.\u2019 With the influx of imported glass, it is difficult to justify the expenses of blowing glass for a living in today\u2019s market. Hand blown  175 glass is more expensive to make than factory glass; therefore, it is more expensively priced and more difficult to sell. Finally, when we consider gender and material, the two Venn diagrams come together (Figure 41). Glass is considered a craft material and, historically, if used by women, the work could be considered hobby craft and therefore undervalued. This is an argument well documented by feminist art historians who have examined the gendered nature of the art and craft divide 5 . The assumption is that what women make is craft and what men make is art, and this is reflected in the lower numbers of women\u2019s glass seen in the gallery space.       5  For a thorough discussion on gender in terms of the division of art and craft see Collett 2004, Pollock 2003, Ewington 1995, and Callen 1979. Figure 41. Combined Venn diagrams of causal relationships.  176  As ethnographic research results in numerous hours of field work and interviews, which provide a surplus of information, not all of it can be used in one dissertation. There are many more stories within the hours of field notes and interview transcripts. This research enhances the story of glass in Canadian art and craft history and expands the historical picture of women\u2019s contributions as glass blowers. With additional research and the participation of hundreds of women glass blowers across Canada, my future goal is to put together a book which features these remarkable women and their fabulous glass creations, telling the story of how they have contributed to the history of Canadian art and craft.  177 References Adamson, Glenn  2007  Thinking Through Craft. Oxford: Berg Publishers Alfoldy, Sandra 2007  NeoCraft; Modernity and the Crafts. Sandra Alfoldy, ed. Halifax: The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Alfoldy, Sandra 2005  Crafting Identity; the Development of Professional Fine Craft in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Anderssen, Erin 2012  With \u2018the end of men,\u2019 a New Beginning. The Globe and Mail, December 26: L2. Ang, Ien 2005  The Predicament of Diversity: Multiculturalism in Practice at the Art Museum. Ethnicities 5(3):305-320. Aronson, Pamela  2003  Feminists or \u201cPostfeminists\u201d: Young Women\u2019s Attitudes Toward Feminism and Gender Relations. Gender and Society 17(6): 903-922. Atkinson, Paul, Amanda Coffey, and Sara Delamont 1999  Ethnography: Post, Past, and Present. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 28(5):460-471. Atkinson, Karen 1996  Gathering Voices: Some Curatorial Perspectives. In Naming a Practice: Curatorial Strategies for the Future. Peter White ed., 122-133. Banff, Alberta: Banff Centre Press.  Au, Eliza  2012  Personal Interview, February 14, 2012. Richmond, British Columbia.  Baizerman, Suzanne 2000  Arequipa Pottery and Its Social Context, In Fired By Ideals: Arequipa Pottery and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Suzanne Baizerman, Lynn Downey, John Toki, Oakland Museum of California, eds. Pp.5-9. Pomegranate: San Francisco.  Bardhan, Gail 2010  Breaking the Glass Ceiling. The Flow Magazine: a Glass Journal for the Flameworking Community. Winter 2010:32-34.   178 Benson, Koni, and Richa Nagar 2006  Collaboration as Resistance? Reconsidering the Processes, Products, and Possibilities of Feminist Oral History and Ethnography. Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography. 13(5):581-592. BC Ferries Corporation www.bcferries.com. Accessed November 13, 2012. Blokhuis, Larissa  2011  Personal Interview, February 13, 2012. Vancouver, BC  Bochner, Arthur P  2001  Narrative\u2019s Virtues. Qualitative Inquiry 7 (2):131-157.  Boetzkes, Amanda  2009  Phenomenology and Interpretation Beyond the Flesh. Art History. 32(4):690-711.  Boyle, Amy  2012  Personal Interview, March 27, 2012. Gallery Assistant, West End Gallery, Victoria, BC.  Bruce, Jane  2012  Personal Interview, October 31, 2012. Calgary, Alberta. Callen, Anthea 1979  Women Artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement 1870 - 1914. New York: Pantheon Books. Canadian Gift and Tableware Association 2012  Alberta Gift Show. http:\/\/cgta.org\/Giftshow\/AB\/Home.aspx. Accessed November 13, 2012. Chicago, Judy 2007  The Dinner Party; from Creation to Preservation. New York: Merrell. Clifford, James, and George E. Marcus, eds. 1986  Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press. Code, Lorraine 1995  Introduction. In Rhetorical Spaces: Essays on Gendered Locations. Pp. ix-xvii. New York: Routledge. Coleman, Simon 2006  The Multi-Sited Ethnographer. In Critical Journeys: The Making of Anthropologists. Geert De Neve and Maya Unnithan-Kumar, eds. Pp. 31-46. United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.  179 Collett, Penelope, J 2004  Women Contesting the Mainstream Discourses of the Art World. Women Studies Series; 43. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press. Dasgupta, N., and S. Asgari 2004  Seeing is Believing: Exposure to Counterstereotypic Women Leaders and its Effect on the Malleability of Automatic Gender Stereotyping. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 40:642\u2013658.  Deepwell, Katy  2006  Feminist Curatorial Strategies and Practices since 1970's. In New Museum Theory and Practice: An Introduction, ed. Janet Marstine. Pp. 64-80. MA: Blackwell Publishing.   1998  Introduction. In Women Artists and Modernism. Pp. 1-17. Manchester: Manchester University Press.  Delacretaz, Helen  2012  Chief Curator & Curator, Decorative Arts, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Interview, May 22, 2012.  Denzin, Norman 2001  The Reflexive Interview and a Performative Social Science. Qualitative Research 1 (23):23-46. Dobrzynski, Judith 2010  Female Artists to the Fore at Museum of Modern Art. Electronic document, www.judithdobrzynski.com\/7619\/female-artists-to-the-fore-at-museum-of-modern-art. Drexler Lynn, Martha 2004  American Studio Glass; 1960-1990. New York: Hudson Hills Press. Duffin, Debbie 1995  Exhibiting Strategies In New Feminist Art Criticism; Critical Strategies. Katy Deepwell ed. Pp. 62-69. UK: Manchester University Press. Eidelberg, Martin 2007  Tiffany Favrile Glass and the Quest of Beauty. New York: Lillian Nassau LLC. Eidelberg, Martin, Nina Gray, and Margaret K. Hofer 2007  A New Light on Tiffany; Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls. London: New York Historical Society & D Giles Limited. Ewington, Julie  1995  Number Magic: The Trouble with Women, Art, and Representation. In Transitions: New Australian Feminisms. Caine and Pringle eds. Pp 102 \u2013 119. New York: St. Martin\u2019s Press.  180 Falzon, Mark-Anthony 2009  Multi-Sited Ethnography: Theory, Praxis and Locality in Contemporary Research. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. Fariello, Anna 2004  Regarding the History of Objects. In Objects & Meaning; Perspectives on Art and Craft. M. Anna Fariello and Paula Owen, eds. Pp. 2-23. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Faulkner, Norman 2004  Glass India. 30 min. Marie DeRoy, Production Assistant. http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dPjDUXz0Fe8. Calgary, AB. Finlay, Linda 2009  Debating Phenomenological Research Methods. Phenomenology & Practice 3(1):6-25. Fischer, Alysia 2008  Hot Pursuit: Integrating Anthropology in Search of Ancient Glass-Blowers. Lanham: Lexington Books. Flood, Sandra 2001  Canadian Craft and Museum Practice 1900 - 1950. Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization. Fonow, Mary Margaret, and Judith A. Cook 2005  Feminist Methodology: New Applications in the Academy and Public Policy. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society 30(4):2211-2236. Frantz, Susanne K. 2006  It Wasn't a One Way Street. In Contemporary Glass Art. Pp. 30-43. Lausanne: Mus\u00e9e de design et d\u2019arts appliqu\u00e9s contemporains. Geertz, C. 1973  The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic. Glass Art Association of Canada http:\/\/www.glassartcanada.ca\/public\/home Gottselig, Susan  2012  Personal Interview, May 18, 2012. Canmore, Alberta.  Gray, Jamie 2011  Personal Interview, November 2, 2011. Calgary, Alberta Grasswick, Heidi 2008  Feminist Social Epistemology. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  181 Edward Zalta, ed. Stanford, CA: The Metaphysics Research Lab Center for the Study of Language and Information. Greater Victoria Art Gallery http:\/\/aggv.ca\/collection\/search, accessed January 21, 2012.  Hall, Elaine J and Marnie Salupo Rodriguez 2003  The Myth of Postfeminism. Gender and Society 17(6): 878 - 902 Hall, Stuart 1997  Introduction. In Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Stuart Hall, ed. Pp. 1-12. London: Sage. Harding, Sandra, and Kathryn Norberg 2005  New Feminist Approaches to Social Science Methodologies: An Introduction. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 30(4):2009-2015. Henderson, Julian 2013  Ancient Glass: an Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  Henry, Martha  2011  Personal Interview, January 25, 2012. Calgary, Alberta.  Higgins Glass Studio  N.d  http:\/\/www.higginsglass.com\/, Accessed January 18, 2011.  Hill, Kelly 2012  Canadians\u2019 Arts, Culture and Heritage Activities in 2010. Hill Strategies Research Inc. 10(2):1-52.  Hill, Kelly & K. Capriotti 2008  A Statistical Profile of Artists in Canada: Based on the 2006 Census. Hill Strategies Research Inc. 7(4):1-44.  Houston, Bonny  2012  Personal Interview, May 18, 2012. Calgary, Alberta.  Hughes, Everett, Blanche Geer, Anselm Strauss, and Howard Becker 1961  Boys in White: Student Culture in Medical School. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.  Johnson, Toni  2011  Personal Interview, November 25, 2011. Campbell River, British Columbia.    182 Kidd, Patricia,  2012  Adjunct Curator, Art Gallery Greater Victoria, Personal Communication, November 17, 2012  Kingsley-Hughes, Adrian 2011  Apple FY11 Q2 Financials - April 20, 2011. http:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/blog\/hardware\/apple-fy11-q2-financials-we-sold-every-ipad-2-we-made- during-the-quarter\/12428, accessed March 13, 2012.  Kisvardai, Joe 2007  Getting to Know Edris Eckhardt, Journal of American Art Pottery Association. 23(4). Kirkham, Pat 1998  Humanizing Modernism: The Crafts, 'Functioning Decoration' and the Eameses. Journal of Design History 11(1):15-29. Klein, Dan, and Margaret Bishop 1986  Decorative Art 1880-1980. Oxford: Phaidon Christie's Ltd. Lahor, Jean 2007  Art Nouveau. Vietnam: Baseline Co Ltd. Langellier, Kristin M. 1994  Appreciating Phenomenology and Feminism: Researching Quiltmaking and Communication. Human Studies 17(1):65-80. Larkin, Michael, Simon Watts, and Elizabeth Clifton 2006  Giving Voice and Making Sense in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2):102-120. Lather, Patti 1988  Feminist Perspectives on Empowering Research Methodologies. Women's Studies International Forum 11(6):569-581. Lave, Jean and Etienne Wenger  1991 Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. New York: Cambridge University Press Lippard, Lucy 1976  Prefaces to Catalogues of Women's Exhibitions. In From the Center: Feminist Essays on Women's Art. Pp. 38-55. New York: Dutton.     183 Lutz, Catherine  1995  The Gender of Theory. In Women Writing Culture. Ruth Behar and Deborah Gordon, eds. Pp. 249-266. Berkley: University of California Press. Macfarlane, Alan, and Gerry Martin 2002  Glass; A World History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Malarcher, Patricia 2004  Critical Approaches: Fragments from an Evolution. In Objects & Meaning; Perspectives on Art and Craft. M. Anna Fariello and Paula Owen, eds. Pp. 36-55. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Marcus, George E. 2008  Contemporary Fieldwork Aesthetics in Art and Anthropology: Experiments in Collaboration and Intervention. In Ethnographica Moralia: Experiments in Interpretive Anthropology. Neni Panourgia and George E. Marcus, eds. Pp. 29-44. New York: Fordham University Press.  1995  Ethnography in\/of the World System: The Emergence of Multi-Sited Ethnography. Annual Review of Anthropology 24(1):95-117. Miller Dehan, Amy, ed. 2009  Outside the Ordinary; Contemporary Art in Glass, Wood, and Ceramics from the Wolf Collection. Athens: Cincinnati Art Museum & Ohio University Press. M'Closky, Kathy 1997  Art Or Craft: The Paradox of the Pangnirtung Weave Shop. In Women of the First Nations; Power, Wisdom and Strength. Christine Miller and Patricia Chuchryk, eds. Winnipeg: The University of Manitoba Press. Mulligan, Sarah  2011  Personal Interview, November 24, 2011. Victoria, British Columbia.  Murchison Julian  2010  Ethnography Essentials; Designing, Conducting and Presenting Your Research. CA: Jossey-Bass.  Murdoch, Laura  2012  Personal Interview, February 15, 2012. Vancouver, British Columbia  Narayan, Kirin  2007  Tools to Shape Texts: What Creative Nonfiction Can Offer Ethnography. Anthropology and Humanism 32(2):130-144. Negrin, Llewellyn 2006  Ornament and the Feminine. Feminist Theory 7(2):219-235.  184 New Bedford Museum of Glass 2006  Edris Eckhart in Perspective. In Edris Eckhart: Visionary & Innovator in American Studio Ceramics & Glass. OH: Cleveland Artists Foundation. New-Small, Alannah 2012  Personal Communication, February 18, 2012. Gallery Manager, New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery, Vancouver, BC.  New-Small, David 2012  Personal Interview, February 14, 2012. Owner, New-Small & Sterling Glass Studio & Gallery, Vancouver, BC. Oldknow, Tina 2009  Voices of Contemporary Glass; the Heineman Collection. New York: Corning Museum of Glass & Hudson Hills Press. Opie, Jennifer Hawkins 2004  Introduction: The Collection. In Contemporary International Glass; 60 Artists in the V & A. Pp. 1-15. London: V & A Publications. O\u2019Connor, Erin 2005  Embodied Knowledge; the Experience of Meaning and the Struggle Towards Proficiency in Glassblowing. Ethnography 6(6):183-204. O'Reilly, Karen 2005  Ethnographic Methods. New York: Routledge. PadGadget, LLC 2011  Apple\u2019s IPad Holiday Sales Looking Strong. January 1, 2011. http:\/\/www.padgadget.com\/2011\/01\/01\/apples-ipad-holiday-sales-looking-strong\/ Panourgia, Neni, and Pavlos Kavouras 2008  Interview with Clifford Geertz. In Ethnographica Moralia. Neni Panourgia and George E. Marcus, eds. Pp. 15-28. New York: Fordham University Press. Paterson, Mark 2009  Haptic Geographies: Ethnography, Haptic Knowledges and Sensuous Dispositions. Progress in Human Geography. 33(6):766-788.  Pawson, Tara  2012  Personal Interview, February 13, 2012. Vancouver, BC Piper, Adrian 2001  Challenging Patriarchal Structures: The Triple Negation of Coloured Women Artists. In Feminism-Art-Theory: An Anthology, 1968-2000. Hilary Robinson, ed. Pp. 56-84. Oxford: Blackwell.  185 Pollio, Howard, Tracy Henley, and Craig Thompson 1997  Dialogue as Method: The Phenomenological Interview. In The Phenomenology of Everyday Life. Howard Pollio, Tracy Henley and Craig Thompson, eds. Pp. 28-56. New York: Cambridge University Press. Pollock, Griselda 2003  Introduction. In Vision and Difference: Feminism, Femininity and the Histories of Art. Pp. xvii. London: Routledge. Prowse-Fainmel, Carolyn 2008  Emergence. In Crafting New Traditions. Melanie Egan, Alan C. Elder and Jean Johnson, eds. Pp. 47-56. Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization. Reinharz, Shulamit, and Susan E. Chase 2001  Interviewing Women. In Handbook of Interview Research: Context & Method. Jaber F. Gubrium and James A. Holstein, eds. Pp. 221-234. CA: Sage. Risatti, Howard 2006  Making Meaning: A Dialog between Nature and Culture. Ceramics Monthly 54(2):39-42. Rodrigues, Natali  2010  Personal Interview, October 31, 2011. Calgary, Alberta.  Rumberger, Barbara  2012  Personal Interview, January 26, 2012. Calgary, Alberta.  Russell, Katherine  2012  Personal Communication, Elkford, British Columbia.  Samphire, Lisa  2011  Personal Interview, November 23, 2012. Victoria, British Columbia Schensul, Stephen, Jean Schensul, and Margaret D. LeCompte 1999  Essential Ethnographic Methods. Vol. 2. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. Sharman, Russell Leigh 2007  Style Matters: Ethnography as Method and Genre. Anthropology and Humanism 32(2):117-129. Stawarska, Beata 2009  Between You and I; Dialogical Phenomenology. Athens: Ohio University Press.    186 Stevens, Gerald 1982  Glass in Canada. Ralph Hedlin, Heidi Redekop, eds. Toronto: Metheun.  1961  Early Canadian Glass. Toronto: Ryerson Press.  Streubert, Helen 1999  Ethnography as Method. In Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative. Helen Streubert and Dona Carpenter, eds. Pp. 145-170. Philadelphia: Lippincott.  Takenuchi, Naoko  2011  Personal Interview, February 15, 2012. Vancouver, BC.  Taylor, Brenda  2012  Personal Interview, February 14, 2012. Calgary, Alberta.  Thom, Ian 2012  Personal Communication, May 31, 2012. Senior Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC.  Thorkelsson, Ione  2012  Personal Interview, January 23, 2012. Calgary, Alberta.  Tudor, Morna  2011  Personal Interview, November 24, 2011. Victoria, British Columbia.  Turner, Victor 1977 Liminality and Communitas. The Ritual Process; Structure and Anti-structure, Pp. 94-130. New York: Cornell University Press  Van Dijk, Teun. 1989  Structures of Discourse and Structures of Power. In Communication Yearbook J.A. Anderson Ed. Pp.18-59. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Van Maanen, M. 1988  Tales of the Field. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Winnipeg Art Gallery, http:\/\/wag.ca\/art\/collections\/studio, accessed December 1, 2012 Zayed, Richard 2008  The Changing Nature of the Phenomenological Method: Lessons Learned from Dialogical Psychotherapy Research. Janus Head Winter\/Spring (10.2):551-577.  187 Appendix A \u2013 List of Glass Blower Websites  Name Website Au, Eliza http:\/\/elizaau.wordpress.com\/ Bruce, Jane http:\/\/www.janebruce.com\/index.htm Blokhuis, Larissa http:\/\/blokhuisglass.weebly.com Gottselig, Susan http:\/\/www.albertacraft.ab.ca\/gottselig Gray, Jamie http:\/\/www.glassartcanada.ca\/artist.php?id=75 Henry, Martha http:\/\/www.marthahenryglassstudio.com Houston, Bonny http:\/\/www.houstonhotshop.com Johnson, Toni http:\/\/tideline.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=140 Mulligan, Sarah http:\/\/www.sarahmulligan.com Murdoch, Laura http:\/\/www.murdochglass.com Pawson, Tara http:\/\/www.tarapawson.com Rodrigues, Natali http:\/\/www.glassartcanada.ca\/artist.php?id=74 Rumberger, Barbara http:\/\/www.albertacraft.ab.ca\/rumberger Russell, Katherine http:\/\/katherinerussellglass.blogspot.ca Samphire, Lisa http:\/\/www.samphireglass.ca Takenuchi, Naoko http:\/\/www.glassartcanada.ca\/artist.php?id=215 Taylor, Brenda no active website at this time Thorkelsson, Ione http:\/\/www.thorkelsson.com Tudor, Morna no active website at this time ","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2009\/08\/skos-reference\/skos.html#note","classmap":"oc:AnnotationContainer"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2009\/08\/skos-reference\/skos.html#note","explain":"Simple Knowledge Organisation System; Notes are used to provide information relating to SKOS concepts. There is no restriction on the nature of this information, e.g., it could be plain text, hypertext, or an image; it could be a definition, information about the scope of a concept, editorial information, or any other type of information."}],"Genre":[{"label":"Genre","value":"Thesis\/Dissertation","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/hasType","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"edm:hasType"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/hasType","explain":"A Europeana Data Model Property; This property relates a resource with the concepts it belongs to in a suitable type system such as MIME or any thesaurus that captures categories of objects in a given field. It does NOT capture aboutness"}],"GraduationDate":[{"label":"Graduation Date","value":"2013-11","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#dateIssued","classmap":"vivo:DateTimeValue","property":"vivo:dateIssued"},"iri":"http:\/\/vivoweb.org\/ontology\/core#dateIssued","explain":"VIVO-ISF Ontology V1.6 Property; Date Optional Time Value, DateTime+Timezone Preferred "}],"IsShownAt":[{"label":"DOI","value":"10.14288\/1.0073887","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt","classmap":"edm:WebResource","property":"edm:isShownAt"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt","explain":"A Europeana Data Model Property; An unambiguous URL reference to the digital object on the provider\u2019s website in its full information context."}],"Language":[{"label":"Language","value":"eng","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/language","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:language"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/language","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; A language of the resource.; Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as RFC 4646 [RFC4646]."}],"Program":[{"label":"Program (Theses)","value":"Interdisciplinary Studies","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeDiscipline","classmap":"oc:ThesisDescription","property":"oc:degreeDiscipline"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#degreeDiscipline","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Indicates the program for which the degree was granted."}],"Provider":[{"label":"Provider","value":"Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/provider","classmap":"ore:Aggregation","property":"edm:provider"},"iri":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/provider","explain":"A Europeana Data Model Property; The name or identifier of the organization who delivers data directly to an aggregation service (e.g. Europeana)"}],"Publisher":[{"label":"Publisher","value":"University of British Columbia","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/publisher","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:publisher"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/publisher","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; An entity responsible for making the resource available.; Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organization, or a service."}],"Rights":[{"label":"Rights","value":"Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/rights","classmap":"edm:WebResource","property":"dcterms:rights"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/rights","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; Information about rights held in and over the resource.; Typically, rights information includes a statement about various property rights associated with the resource, including intellectual property rights."}],"RightsURI":[{"label":"Rights URI","value":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/3.0\/","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#rightsURI","classmap":"oc:PublicationDescription","property":"oc:rightsURI"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#rightsURI","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Indicates the Creative Commons license url."}],"ScholarlyLevel":[{"label":"Scholarly Level","value":"Graduate","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#scholarLevel","classmap":"oc:PublicationDescription","property":"oc:scholarLevel"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#scholarLevel","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Identifies the scholarly level of the author(s)\/creator(s)."}],"Title":[{"label":"Title ","value":"Not so fragile : an ethnography of women glass blowers in western Canada","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/title","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:title"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/title","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; The name given to the resource."}],"Type":[{"label":"Type","value":"Text","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/type","classmap":"dpla:SourceResource","property":"dcterms:type"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/type","explain":"A Dublin Core Terms Property; The nature or genre of the resource.; Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the DCMI Type Vocabulary [DCMITYPE]. To describe the file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource, use the Format element."}],"URI":[{"label":"URI","value":"http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/2429\/44565","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierURI","classmap":"oc:PublicationDescription","property":"oc:identifierURI"},"iri":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierURI","explain":"UBC Open Collections Metadata Components; Local Field; Indicates the handle for item record."}],"SortDate":[{"label":"Sort Date","value":"2013-12-31 AD","attrs":{"lang":"en","ns":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/date","classmap":"oc:InternalResource","property":"dcterms:date"},"iri":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/date","explain":"A Dublin Core Elements Property; A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource.; Date may be used to express temporal information at any level of granularity. Recommended best practice is to use an encoding scheme, such as the W3CDTF profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF].; A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource.; Date may be used to express temporal information at any level of granularity. Recommended best practice is to use an encoding scheme, such as the W3CDTF profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF]."}]}