The annual exhibition of the Estonian Glass Artists’ Association took place in a small cultural town Rakvere in North-Eastern Estonia. „Milky Way“, named by the curator, glass artist Riho Hütt attracted 23 glassmakers to express the mystery and meaning of the galaxy, each creating his/her own individual story. The dark exhibition room enabled to create the sensation of the starry night skies, inaccessible and endless. 

In 2013 the Russian Art Academy denominated Estonian glass artist Ivo Lill (https://www.facebook.com/ivo.lill.5) and Lithuanian glass artist Remigijus Kriukas (http://glasremis.lt/index.php/english/main-page) their honorary members, both for their very successful exhibition at the Moscow Applied Art and Design Museum and for their lifelong activity in the glass field. The exhibition took place from April 10 to May 19, 2013 other participants including Anda Munkevica from Latvia and Indre Stulgaite-Kriukiene from Lithuania. Lill’ s works were also seen in his individual exhibition in Tallinn last autumn. „Klaaskuul/Cool glass“ summoned his sensational ground and cut labor-intensive optical objects, with colourful inclusions and perfect polished surfaces. 

Individual exhibitions in 2013 were also numerous – Malle Karik-Hallimäe’s blown and cast sculptures „Thought“ and Eili Soon’s blown light objects „To be“ look at the inner world of a human being and try to tidy up the findings; Kai Kiudsoo-Värv’s „Via Dolorosa I – XIV“ was shown at the St Birgitta Monastery in Tallinn making parallels to Christ’s crucifixion and life of an ordinary human; Mare Saare’s „Afterimage“ in Tartu dealt with image memory and its conversion in time, her „Seasons“ (http://www.blurb.com/books/4385663-seasons-mare-saare) shown both in Tallinn and Riga turned to a very traditional subject in art history but contemplating on the erratic changes in the normal
sequence of seasons; Kai Koppel has chosen winter to be captivated in her glass; Kersti Vaks has created glass beads, questing their graphical and painterly properties.
Maie-Ann Raun 1982.
Maie-Ann Raun, professor emeritus of the Estonian Academy of Arts opened her retrospective „Charming glass“ at the Järvakandi Glass Museum. 

An outdoor glass sculpture „Monument to simple values“ , an MA project by young glass artist Sandra Allemann was erected in the small town of Türi, painted glass panels also include quotations
from the answers of many citizens of Türi, who were asked to answer Sandra’s question „What is the most valuable in your life?“, sandblasted on the panels. http://ekaklaasikunst.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/lihtsate-vaartuste-monument-sandra-allemann/

The winter of 2013 in Estonia has been without snow and thus every day is just a short instant of grey inside darkness. Tallinn International Light Biennial has become a feast to the eyes of the citizens as the light and colourful installations occupy the whole city. Another amendment against darkness is definitely the exhibition „Light“ that took place in December and showed the creations of glass including light sources. In its second year this popular among the visitors exhibition promises to become a tradition.

There are two new glass galleries in Tallinn. A year ago Kateriin Rikken, a young glass artist graduated both from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Danish Design School glass department on Bornholm opened her galeriiPINK (pink = bench in Estonian) ( https://www.facebook.com/GaleriiPINK) to show mainly glass but also other material arts and create opportunities for young artists and students to show their pieces. Situated a little further from the hub of central Tallinn this small basement gallery with limestone walls is full of feeling. 

 
Several student exhibitions have also taken place in galeriiPINK: in 2013 „Ehe ehe“ („Real jewel“) (http://www.blurb.com/books/4953681-ehe-ehe) presented wearable glass full of meaning and questions by glass students. The collection was tested on the runway of ERKI fashion show (http://www.elu24.ee/1242594/erki-moeshow-2013-ehe-ehe-eka-klaasikunst/1770596)

„Interventions“ by the 2013 graduates of glass specialty showed the multiplicity of glass as a material and brought forth its capacity of influencing and intervening with its surroundings.

Gallery „Okapi“ (https://www.facebook.com/OkapiGalerii) is situated in the very centre of the Old Town thus being approachable also to the numerous visitors of Tallinn. Birgit Pählapuu and Raili Velt started their own business of lampworking, the gallery presenting both their own works consisting mainly of colourful beads, and also applied art objects of other artists. The third founder of the gallery, Temuri Hvingija, has brought in photography of contemporary Estonian photographers.

Last but not least, Estonian glassmakers adore traveling, naturally together with their glass. Cheongju International Applied art Biennial in South-Korea showed among others creations of 17 Estonian artists including glass makers Eeva Käsper, Tiina Sarapu and Piret Ellamaa. Karin Mölder with her objects „Water Thoughts“ and 2 x 2“ won the first prize of „Glasplastik & Garten“ in Münster, Germany. Several young glass artists participated in the prestigious Stanislaw Libensky Award in Prague, the Czech Republic and also in Zwieseler Kölbl, Germany. „Mare Balticum“, an exhibition curated by Norbert Kalthoff (Germany) and Mare Saare took place in Galerie Ritterswürden in Zwiesel including Piret Ellamaa, Alexandra Geyermann and Hermann Ritterswürden (Germany), Eeva Käsper, Peeter Rudas, Mare Saare, Maret Sarapu, Tiina Sarapu. The works showed most of the techniques popular in Estonia today: fusing, slumping, engraving, blowing and pâte de verre. http://ekaklaasikunst.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/mare-balticum

Mare Saare and Maret Sarapu were invited to participate in the exhibition „Inspired by nautre“ organized by the Hempel Glasmuseum in Denmark (http://maresaare.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/inspired-by-nature/). Mare’s works can also be seen in Marinha Grande, Portugal in the exhibition „Glass seen through female eyes“ until April 2014 (http://maresaare.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/exhibition-of-glass-seen-through-feminine-eyes/). Kristiina Uslar participated in the exhibition „Zugehörig“ in Schleswig-Holstein where Baltikum was the main isuse (http://st-annen-museum.de/de/34/asid:105/ausstellung.html). The forementioned list of exhibitions proves a special love towards Germany – perhaps one of the reasons lies in the historic roots that in several periods have been connected with and influenced by German culture and language. 

 
Every summer for the last ten years Days of Glass take place in Haapsalu, at the Evald Okas Museum. Kai Koppel, a daughter of the famous Estonian painter Evald Okas, has with a small group of enthusiasts kept the tradition alive and developed the event into a popular international symposium. This year’s theme „Impression“ enhanced the spontaneous, creative and playful character always present in these Days. Torsten Rötzch (Germany), Ed van Dijk (Netherlands), Olga Kiritshek and Gala Krivolapova (Russia), Remigijus Kriukas, Indre Stulgaite-Kriukiene and Julia Pociute (Lithuania), Kai Koppel, Kati Kerstna, Kairi Orgusaar, Herbert Orgusaar, Toomas Riisalu and many others participated this year. http://www.evaldokasemuuseum.ee/klaasipaevad/2013.html

At the beginning of the article there seemed to be a few dark notes but in the end, looking both back and forward, the situation tends to look a lot better. For the seventh time this year the national competition for primary and secondary school students „Minu klaas/My glass“, organized by Kaja Vaikre and curated by prof Maie-Ann Raun took place with more participants than ever. Works, made under the guidance of dedicated teachers were mainly of high quality, often using kiln-techniques but also stained glass, engraving, and including even a few blown objects. This allows to hope that the internest to study glass will not totally disappear. And even if not many of the participants start their career as glassmakers, they will be an interested and understanding audience.
„When arrived, just keep going on“, as Eili Soon states in the concept of her exhibition „To be“.

1 January 2014
Mare Saare (b. 1955, Tallinn, Estonia) is head of the department of glass of the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn since 1993. During her career as an artist and educator, she has participated in, as well as curated several exhibitions and projects and lectured both in Estonia and abroad.