Art Glass Show - Portland Oregon

[Carol B]

I got an email about this show this morning. I have never heard of it before - can anyone give me an opinion?

BTW I will be there regardless of the reviews. I have done trade shows with this promoter in the past and know that they put on a first rate show...at least for beads, besides I could not resist signing up for a couple of classes

[vblue]

This used to be the AGSA (I think that is the letters), now AGA (Art Glass Association). I've been going the past 4 years. It used to be strickly for retailers but has steadily been going down hill due to poor organization of shows, last minute notice of classes (compared to Glass Expo.) Now it is open certain days to the public. The number of exhibitors has also declined.

They had been rotating the conference in Chicago, then Orlando, the Nashville. They decided to try Portland after a decline in attendance and complaints from many of us. The smaller retailers use conferences as vacations and there isn't that much to see in Nashville.

I'll be going to Portland because of the glass companies there, Museum of Glass not far from there, etc.
Their classes are not as expensive as Glass Expo.

Vernelle

[Dennis Brady]

Portland is pretty close to me and I had seriously considered both exhibiting and teaching there - but their last 3 shows were so poor I'm likely to not even visit the show. Many of the large companies that usually exhibit at Vegas and the AGA shows won't be there. I won't be surprised if this is the last show they do.

[Carol B]

This used to be the AGSA (I think that is the letters), now AGA (Art Glass Association). I've been going the past 4 years. It used to be strickly for retailers but has steadily been going down hill due to poor organization of shows, last minute notice of classes (compared to Glass Expo.) Now it is open certain days to the public. The number of exhibitors has also declined.

They had been rotating the conference in Chicago, then Orlando, the Nashville. They decided to try Portland after a decline in attendance and complaints from many of us. The smaller retailers use conferences as vacations and there isn't that much to see in Nashville.

I'll be going to Portland because of the glass companies there, Museum of Glass not far from there, etc.
Their classes are not as expensive as Glass Expo.

Vernelle

Thanks for your insights Vernelle. I am familiar with the organizer(Offinger Management) from Embellishments and the Bead and Button Show which is a similar type of show for the bead industry. It will be interesting to see how they do in Portland. There are a lot of glass savvy people and local attendance should be pretty good if the advertising is done properly. That might not be of benefit to someone as yourself but it might be good for the show in general.

I see it as a great reason to spend some time in Portland - it is my hometown and I try to get down there as often as my schedule allows.

[Carol B]

Portland is pretty close to me and I had seriously considered both exhibiting and teaching there - but their last 3 shows were so poor I'm likely to not even visit the show. Many of the large companies that usually exhibit at Vegas and the AGA shows won't be there. I won't be surprised if this is the last show they do.

Bummer that you do not think the show is worth the trip.

Bummer that many of the large vendors will not be there.

Bummer if the show folds - well not really, if it sucks it should fold.

Good thing that the weather in Portland is usually lovely in July, good thing they have no sales tax, good thing that the classes are affordable, good thing it is close enough I can go.

The town I live in is devoid of fusers, a lot of people like what I do but I cannot carry on an intelligent discussion with them about the medium. I am a relative newbie and I seem to know more about the subject than my local supplier. I asked a question about float glass and they did not know what float was. Ah well what can you expect they are a combo stained glass shop, fusing shop, auto glass place and install windows. I think they are spread a bit thin.

I am looking forward to being in an environment where people know more than I do.

[elin]

I haven't heard about this show, and I'm in Portland... When is it?
-elin

[Carol B]

I haven't heard about this show, and I'm in Portland... When is it?
-elin

I will forward the email that was sent to me.

[Jeanette B]

I had found the show on the web also, and requested a list of educational opportunities and a flyer and haven't received anything. I am in Eugene so am of course interested in going up since it is close. I am REALLY new to fusing so the more exposure I get the better! We have a wonderful glass school here and I am taking advantage of that but they will take a summer hiatus so I am getting in all of the events I can.

[elin]

Thanks Carol!
-e

[vblue]

Here is the link to the AGA Portland Show information, July 9-11. If you click on "education" you can download the information on classes that will be offered. (Some classes are on the 8th.)

There is also a "field trip" on Wed. to Tacoma WA to the Museum of Glass.

Vernelle

http://www.artglassshow.com/

[Dennis Brady]

The Tacoma museum is interesting but I think a better field trip would be to tour Bullseye and Uroboros in Portland. Then drive up to Woodenville (just 15 min north of Seattle - about 120 miles from Portland) and visit Spectrum.

For those many unfortunates that haven't experienced it, from Portland it's a 2 hour drive to the Oregon coast - the absolute best beaches in North America. Cold water, but great surfing. For the hard cores, there'll still be skiing on Mt Hood and they're always windsurfing at the Columbia gorge. Even if the show is a dog (and I believe it will be) Portland is a beautiful city (perhaps the most so in America) with lots to do nearby.

[Morganica]

Well, unless the Tacoma Glass Museum has improved greatly since last year, I'm not sure it's worth the trip. I gave 'em a fair bit of money before they opened, flew all the way out from the east coast for the opening...and was extremely disappointed.

Chihuly's bridge is fascinating and there's a nice Ben Tre sculpture (both free, since they're outside the museum) but the man explaining the glassblowing demo got about half the descriptions wrong and the cameras always managed to swivel away just when something interesting was going on. And there was more non-glass than glass. (There were line drawings by the musician Phillip Glass--not great drawings--but I supposed that counted as a "Glass" exhibit.)

The only thing worthwhile was a Libensky and Brychtova exhibit that was VERY poorly lit and filled with noisy performance artists pretending to be molten glass. I asked one of the curators why in the world they'd used shouting actors in a contemplative exhibit and she shrugged, "Well, to be honest, it's rather boring just looking at hunks of glass. People want some excitement."

Went back about six months later and didn't see that much had changed (except they asked for even more money).

Now, if you really want a great glass museum in the US, try the Corning Museum of Glass (superb--even the gift shop is a better "museum" than Tacoma--www.cmog.org). And the Corning research library (Rakow) and teaching studios are even better.

If you go to Tacoma anyway, don't miss the old (free) train station in Tacoma, just across the highway from the museum--nice Chihuly exhibit and the last time I was there it was full of flameworkers.

And if you're coming to Portland, don't miss the William Morris wall in the Portland Museum of Art. Spans three floors and is worth the price of admission. There's other glass art upstairs in the contemporary art section, but I go back for Morris. You'll have to ask for directions; otherwise it's hard to find.