Glass Is Red-Hot: Here Are 6 New Collections to Know

Cedric Mitchell for Heath Ceramics

Heath Ceramics continues to embrace an experimental and highly collaborative spirit in media beyond clay. The Bay Area brand tapped Oklahoma-raised and Los Angeles–based glassblower Cedric Mitchell for a new collection that comprises a series of elegant bottles and vases with restrained Memphis vibes, plus jewel-toned cocktail stirring glasses and tumblers that are the perfect excuse to host a warm-weather gathering. Mitchell is also an accomplished glassblowing instructor and a team member of nonprofit organization Crafting the Future, which provides funds for young talent to enroll in hands-on experiences at leading craft schools and institutions in an effort to diversify the field.

Asking for a Friend collection by Sophie Lou Jacobsen at Assembly Line

This past week sustainably-minded glassware designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen introduced new vases at design firm General Assembly’s Assembly Line storefront in Brooklyn. The Asking for a Friend collection, which will remain on view through July 1, features Jacobsen’s groovy silhouetted works produced at Keep Brooklyn’s studio.

“Vetro Alga” by Dana Arbib and Tiwa Select

During New York Design Week, Alex Tieghi-Walker’s L.A.–based gallery and creative platform Tiwa Select curated “Vetro Alga,” an exhibition by multidisciplinary designer Dana Arbib at Galerie Michael Bargo. Arbib uses the precious material as a vehicle to explore her Libyan heritage, while working with glass artisans to tap into Venice’s rich history of glassblowing and distinct multicultural intersections. (“Vetro Alga” means “seaweed glass” in Italian.) Salvatore Arbib, a distant relative who operated a thriving glassblowing practice during the early 20th century in Venice, provided another inspiration for the textured vessels and bowls produced in Murano.

Annika Jarring for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize

Swedish artist Annika Jarring’s Line vase demonstrates how vastly different objects, methods, and materials can translate to glass artistry. Using her own innovative technique, Jarring shapes 392 small glass elements of silicone and glass into a vessel that feels almost architectural in spirit. Inspired by the assembly of ornamental jade pieces that compose the burial suits made for royals during the Han dynasty, the sculptural piece is currently shortlisted for this year’s Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Following the announcement of the Prize winner in late June, Line will be on exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art alongside the works of the other 29 Prize finalists.