Jeffrey Thomas appointed acting director of the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon

Jeffrey Thomas, the new acting director of the Museum of Contemporary Craft

On Thursday, January 6th, the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon, together with its operating partner the Pacific Northwest College of Art, appointed area art dealer Jeffrey Thomas as the center’s acting executive director. Thomas brings 26 years of experience as an art dealer and co-owner of Portland’s now-defunct Jamison Thomas Gallery, which he left in 1992, but continued his involvement in the art world by serving on boards and collecting. The museum’s head curator Namita Wiggers sees his well-rounded career as a primary contributing factor for his appointment.

Call for Entries: British stained- and painted-glass awards seek submissions

Alison Gilchrist, a winner of the 2008 Ashton Hill Award, cleans a panel at Barley Studio. courtesy: Barley Studio

The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is now accepting applications for three work placement awards: the Award for Excellence and two Ashton Hill Awards. The Award for Excellence is a 40-week work experience program open to stained glass graduates or those with significant studio training. The award typically includes placements in European studios and is designed to encourage the development of practice skills by working under the guidance of established professional designers and makers, conservators, and craftsmen. The Ashton Hill Award places two recent graduates, prominent trainees, or individuals interested in working in the stained glass field in a studio for ten weeks. All three winners can tailor the award to best fit their interests, such as traditional and contemporary design, painting, staining, enameling, conservation, protective glazing methods, acid etching, and screenprinting.