Clare Belfrage (born 1966) is an Australian glass artist based in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Working at both JamFactory and her own home studio along with fellow glass artist and life partner Tim Edwards, she has exhibited her work around the world. She has also given workshops and instruction at numerous events and institutions, and is an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

at the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are ...

. She has won the prestigious

Tom Malone Prize The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

at the

Art Gallery of Western Australia The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

twice.

Early life and education

Clare Belfrage was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 1966. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramic Design at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

, graduating in 1988.

Career

Belfrage started exhibiting her work in 1987. She joined JamFactory in Adelaide as a Glass Studio associate in 1991, and in 1996 spent a year as the Glass Studio's production manager, when

Nick Mount Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a v ...

headed the studios. In 1996 she was appointed as lecturer in Glass Studies at the

(UniSA) School of Art. She has also worked in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, where she was creative director of Canberra Glassworks from 2009 to 2013. In 1997 Belfrage was a founding member of the Blue Pony (styled ''blue pony'') studio in Adelaide, along with Gabriella Bisetto, Deb Jones, Matt Larwood, and Barbara Jane Cowie. Over its 14 years from 1997 until its closure in 2011, the studio was used by many independent as well as collaborative glassmakers, including Tim Edwards, Tom Moore, Christine Cholewa, Karen Cunningham, and Mandi King. Belfrage practised at the studio until 2008. Belfrage continues to work extensively in JamFactory. Her work has often been exhibited in North America, Europe, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

Style and practice

Belfrage is known for her "detailed and complex glass drawing on

blown glass Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

forms". Her work has been described as "highly distinctive for its sophisticated surface patterns and its delicate hand-polished satin finish". She uses a very slow process, sometimes "drawing directly onto blown glass forms with spaghetti-thin canes of glass called 'stringers' or sometimes integrating painstakingly prefabricated patterned glass patches into the surface of the form". She is inspired by natural forms, and has said:

Teaching

Belfrage has lectured in the glass programs at the

(UniSA),

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. She has also taught in many workshops around Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United States. In the United States, she has taught at the Pilchuck Glass School in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, several times since 1995, when she served as a teaching assistant for Richard Marquis and Nick Mount. Pilchuck, situated around north of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, was founded by

Dale Chihuly Dale Chihuly ( ; born September 20, 1941) is an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is well known in the field of Glassblowing, blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". Early life Dale Patrick Chihuly was born on ...

in 1971, and is the most significant school for glass artists in the world, offering residential sessions over the spring and summer months. She has also taught at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, and was an instructor at

Corning Museum of Glass The Corning Museum of Glass is a museum in Corning (city), New York, Corning, New York, United States, dedicated to the art, history, and science of glass. It was founded in 1951 by Corning Incorporated, Corning Glass Works and currently has a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

From 2003 to 2008 Belfrage was adjunct researcher at the

South Australian School of Art The South Australian School of Art, originally the South Australian School of Design, is now part school the University of South Australia. it is part of UniSA Creative, which includes the disciplines of architecture and planning; art and desig ...

at UniSA. she is an

at UniSA.

Other activities

From 1993 to 1995 Belfrage was vice president of Ausglass, the Australian Association of Glass Artists. She served as a peer assessor on Arts South Australia's Established and International peer assessment panel from 2004 to 2006, and from 2015 to 2016 on its Visual Arts, Craft and Design panel. She has given demonstrations and guest lectures at a number of international institutions, and was a judge for the FUSE Glass Prize at JamFactory in 2018. In 2017 she was appointed a member of the board of the not-for-profit Guildhouse, where she remained deputy chair until 2025.

Recognition and awards

Belfrage has an international reputation as a leader in her field. Her work has been recognised in a number of ways over the years, including: * 2005: Winner,

* 2007 & 2009: Visiting artist, Tacoma Museum of Glass, in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, US * 2011: Winner, Tom Malone Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia * 2016: Inaugural FUSE Glass Prize * 2018: South Australian Living Artist (SALA) feature artist, subject of the festival's annual monograph ''Rhythms of Necessity'' (by Kay Lawrence and Sera Waters) * 2023: Artist in Residence at the Nancy Fairfax Studio

Personal life

Belfrage is married to Tim Edwards, who is also an internationally acclaimed glass artist. They have two sons. They share a home studio in the Adelaide suburb of

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Significant solo exhibitions include: * 1993: First solo exhibtion, Gallery2, JamFactory, Adelaide * 1997: ''Aroma'', Beaver Galleries, Canberra * 1998: ''Line Drawings'', Purple Space, JamFactory * 2002: ''Aura'', Quadrivium (a gallery in the

Queen Victoria Building The Queen Victoria Building (abbreviated as the QVB) is a heritage-listed late-19th-century building located at 429–481 George Street, Sydney, George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. D ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, dedicated to exhibiting emerging Australian artists' work, open 1996–2004) * 2003: ''Clare Belfrage, Recent Works in Glass'', Brisbane City Gallery,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

* 2004: ''Shifting Lines'', Masterworks Gallery,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand * 2009: ''Clare Belfrage, New Works'', Foster/White Gallery,

, US * 2009: ''The Depth of Surface'', Canberra Glassworks, Canberra * 2011: ''Swatch'', Sabbia Gallery, Sydney * 2013: ''Threads'', Foster/White Gallery, Seattle * 2017: ''Drawing Out Time'', Sabbia Gallery, Sydney * 2017: ''Falling Into'', Tansey Contemporary,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, US * August – September 2017: ''Clare Belfrage: A Natural Way'', an exhibition as part of SALA, at Fermoy House, Adelaide * 2018: JamFactory ICON exhibition, ''Clare Belfrage: A Measure of Time'', which toured nationally to 10 venues throughout Australia until 2021 * 2018: ''A Breathing Landscape'', Tansey Contemporary,

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, US * 2020: ''Deep Skin'', Sabbia Gallery, Sydney * 2023: ''In the Glow of Green'', Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, New South Wales

Group exhibitions

Belfrage's work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions across Australia and internationally. Just a few are listed below. * 1987–88: Several exhibitions in Melbourne * 1989: ANZ Glass Prize, Glass Artists Gallery, Sydney * 1993: Multiple group exhibitions around Australia * 2004: ''Clare Belfrage and Tim Edwards, Recent Works in Glass'', Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, US * December 2024 to March 2025: ''Gathering Light'', a group exhibition at JamFactory, developed in association with the '' Chihuly in the Botanic Garden'' exhibition, highlighting links between Adelaide and the Pilchuck Glass School

Collections

Belfrage's work is held in collections around Australia and internationally, including in:

Australia

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

Artbank Artbank is an Australian art rental program established in 1980 by the Australian Government. The program supports contemporary Australian Visual artists, artists by purchasing their Art, artworks and renting them to public and private sector cli ...

, NSW *

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is the main museum in the Northern Territory. The headquarters of the museum is located in the inner Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The ...

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explorin ...

(Powerhouse Museum),

* National Art Glass Collection,

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, Canberra *

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1846, by the Royal Society of Tasmania, the oldest Royal Society outside England. The TMAG receives 400,000 visitors annually. ...

Elsewhere

Castello Sforzesco The Sforza Castle ( ; ) is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 1 ...

Museum, Italy *

, US * Ebeltoft Glass Museum,

Ebeltoft Ebeltoft is an old port town on the central east coast of Denmark with a population of 7,287 (1 January 2025).Marinha Grande Marinha Grande () is a municipality in the Leiria District, Portugal. The population in 2021 was 39,032, in an area of 187.25 km². The city itself has a population of 32,330. It is located right in the middle of the 700-year-old Leiria pine ...

, Portugal * Niijima Glass Museum,

Niijima is a volcano, volcanic Islands of Japan, Japanese island administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It is one of the Izu Seven Islands, group of the seven northern islands of the Izu Islands, Izu archipelago, and is located approximate ...

, Japan * Tacoma Museum of Glass, US

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belfrage, Clare Australian glass artists 1966 births Living people Women glass artists Artists from Melbourne