Narratives in Glass: An Artist Perspective - CGS at the V and A

Join the Contemporary Glass Society at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, for a one-day symposium exploring the power of storytelling in glass. “Narratives in Glass: An Artist’s Perspective” brings together four leading glass artists — Jeff Zimmer, Karen Browning, James Maskrey, and Moonju Suh — for a day of insightful talks and discussion.

🗓️ Date: Friday 5th December 2025

🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

📍 Location: Hochhauser Auditorium, V&A Museum, London

🍽️ Includes: Light Lunch, tea & coffee

(*) Bonus: The symposium will conclude just in time for the V&A’s late-night opening — giving you the perfect opportunity to explore the museum’s glass and ceramics collections.

🍻 Evening Social: Optional drinks at a local pub afterwards — come and connect!

🎟️ Tickets: £45 CGS Members | £35 Student Members | £55 General Admission

Spaces are limited – book early to secure your place!

Left to Right: Karen Browning, Moonju Suh, James Maskrey and Jeff Zimmer

The talks on the day are:

Shooting the Breeze with Karen Browning

Karen Browning will be talking about her work, techniques, inspiration and practice from college to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Karen frequently works with different artists producing exciting, collaborative work and exhibitions. For many years she has worked alongside leading UK glass artist Colin Reid as his studio assistant. She has been a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors since 2015. In 2022 Karen's work was awarded best in show at the British Glass Biennale and in 2024 the V&A acquired a piece from her collaboration with Jon Lewis.

James Maskrey

James Maskrey has a career in hot glass spanning over 35 years. He has exhibited widely internationally and has been recognised for his own work with inclusion in many public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Crafts Council, the National Museum of Scotland, Perth Museum and Art Gallery and the Ernstinng Stiftung Glass Museum, Germany.

He has a devout passion for education and the sharing of skills and techniques and has led masterclasses both in the UK and Europe as well as facilitating glass projects for many other renowned artists - choosing to work in glass such as Richard Slee, Bruce McLean, Magdalene Odundo, Monster Chetwynd, Ryan Gander Pascale Marthine Tayou and Katie Paterson.

He currently works as an academic tutor, senior glass technician and artist facilitator for the University of Sunderland at the National Glass Centre.

This talk will navigate his career as an artist, facilitator and teacher, following a chronological order that will occasionally deviate from the path! It will outline pivotal moments, people and circumstances that have inspired his work and career along the way and most importantly, the joy that these experiences have brought to his working life.

Playing with Glass: My Journey Through Kidult Toy Culture and Creative Practice with Moonju Su

Moonju is a South Korean artist based in Edinburgh. In 2021, she was awarded an MFA Glass from Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh. Her background is in graphic Visual Communication Design, with a particular focus on drawing characters. During her MFA study, she took an interdisciplinary approach to develop my artistic work by combining two different disciplines of Graphic Illustration and Glass. Through this approach, she developed her art from a creative, hybrid perspective which is different from traditional studio glass artists. Her research interests are drawn from contrasting emotional states and how they can be expressed in glass, a unique artistic medium. She also explores playfulness within her creative practice by taking a kitschy approach in developing her glass artworks. She is inspired by *Kidult toy culture and adultescent behaviour which she uses to inform her work. Her artwork gives the viewer a feeling of happiness and playfulness when they engage with the work. For her MFA, she developed a unique body of glass artworks which combined glass blowing, kiln-casting, engraving, and coldworking techniques.

Jeff Zimmer

Jeff Zimmer creates works that engage with the material and symbolic properties of glass to explore the complexities of existence in the 21st century, the nature of power dynamics, and the power of beauty to address brutality. He is interested in the sensual experiences of mystery, light and shadow.