The 2009 American Glass Guild Conference
July 16-20, 2009
Buffalo, New York
2009 Conference
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Robert Jekyll
30 Years in the Stained Glass Trenches
The 1970s was a good time to start a career in craft in Canada. The counter-culture spirit which sprang up in the United States in the 1960s was embraced in Canada a decade later. My talk will be in two parts. The first starts with my personal experience of the magic of Burleighfield, Patrick Reyntiens’ stained glass school in England, and goes on through the establishment and survival of my stained glass practise for 30 years in Toronto. The second part will be a snapshot of the work of some 20 architectural and stained glass artists who work in Canada.
About Robert Jekyll
Robert Jekyll studied stained glass in England in the early 70s under Patrick Reyntiens at Burleighfield House. He has been closely associated with the development of stained glass in Canada since the mid 70s and was founding President of Artists in Stained Glass. He has maintained a stained glass practice in Toronto for over 30 years. His stained glass work has been included in exhibitions throughout Canada and is represented in major collections. His commissioned works are in public buildings and private residences. He established a professional stained glass course at Sheridan College in 1976 and his lectures and workshops have been documented on film and videotape. Jekyll has been twice nominated for the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in Craft and for the Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts. He has been connected with craft and design movements in Canada for many years serving on the boards of the Ontario Crafts Council, Visual Arts Ontario, the Design Exchange (founding member), the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts, and the Canadian Crafts Federation / Fédération canadienne des métiers d’art (founding President). He was the granting officer for craft and design programs at the Ontario Arts Council from 1989 to 1995.
