The Glass Lens: Celebrating Aotearoa’s Enduring Relationship with Glass Art
Glass has long held a unique place in Auckland's artistic and cultural story, from Victorian pressed and cut glass found in the city’s villas to the vibrant studio glass movement in the late twentieth century.
As an artistic material, glass is both fragile and resilient, transparent yet reflective, delicate while enduring. Its ability to capture and transform light makes it particularly suited to interpreting the distinctive colours, textures and landscapes of Aotearoa.
![]()
Tauhou Silvereye - Luke Jacomb and Tara Ross
Contemporary glass artists often draw inspiration from native flora and birdlife, coastal environments, geological forms, waterways, and the interconnected relationships between people and place. Through techniques ranging from kiln-forming and casting to blowing, engraving and cold-working, glass becomes a vessel for storytelling, memory, and observation.
This legacy provides the backdrop for The Glass Lens, a special showcase on throughout August at Hokohoko Museum Store, featuring the work of seven contemporary glass artists.
Huruhuru Feathers - Kahu Design
Building on Auckland's Glass-Making Legacy
The works featured in The Glass Lens sit within a broader history of glass represented in Auckland Museum's Applied Arts and Design Collection. The collection traces the development of glassmaking in New Zealand, from significant historical glassware to the influential studio glass movement that emerged during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Artists represented in the Museum’s collections include influential glassmakers such as Ann Robinson, John Croucher, Garry Nash, Peter Raos and Te Rongo Kirkwood, who each contributed to the artistic discipline of glasswork in Aotearoa, pioneering new techniques and expanding the possibilities of the medium.
Glass bead necklace and bead drop earrings - Judy Newton
Alongside these modern developments, Auckland Museum's collections also preserve examples of Victorian-era and nineteenth-century pressed and cut glass from the Tāmaki region, providing a record of how glass has been valued and collected across generations.
Contemporary Voices featured in The Glass Lens
At Hokohoko Museum Store, The Glass Lens celebrates the next chapter in this ongoing story through the work of seven contemporary makers:
- Judy Newton
- Kahu Design
- Keith Grinter
- Luke Jacomb & Tara Ross (Luke Jacomb Studio)
- Lynden Over & Christine Robb (Lava Glass)
- Rebecca Heap
- Thomas Barter
Together, these artists demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of contemporary glass practice in Aotearoa, from delicate jewellery and finely crafted glassware to sculptural forms designed for wall and table display.
Their works explore themes of nature, identity, transformation and connection, while showcasing a diverse range of technical processes and creative approaches.
Frosted Daisy Bubble - Rebecca Heap
Discover Glass as a Living Art Form
More than a showcase of beautiful objects, The Glass Lens offers an opportunity to engage with contemporary glassmaking as a dynamic and continually developing art form.
The showcase culminates in The Glass Lens Panel Evening on Tuesday 25 August bringing together four of the seven featured artists who will share insight into their distinct approaches and influences on their craft.
Keith Grinter - Shard Bowl
With glass works across vases, jewellery, wall and table sculptures, bowls and glassware, the showcase offers something for seasoned collectors, design enthusiasts, and visitors seeking a meaningful connection to New Zealand art and craft.
Fiery Mountain Volcanic Bowl - Lynden Over and Christine Ross
All works featured in The Glass Lens are available for purchase through Hokohoko Museum Store, on site in the Special Exhibition Store or online at store.aucklandmuseum.com.
Explore the collection and discover how today's artists continue to transform glass into works that capture the light, stories and spirit of Aotearoa.
