New Canberra Glassworks CEO, Elizabeth Rogers, is greatly excited for what will be her first full year in the role since taking over the Kingston glass studio in October of last year.

With a focus on largely administrative work since coming aboard, Ms Rogers sees it as her job to structure the administration of the organisation to allow “the artists to get on with what they do, which is create art”.

She’s also made a point of getting to know the artists and familiarise themselves with their work, and Glassworks staff too.

“It’s been great fun,” she told Canberra Daily. “It’s very fun to be working in an amazing facility like this with the artists that we have.”

The wide array of elements that comprise the Glassworks scope – manufacturing, retail, exhibitions, and public programs – is made all the more impressive given they work with “a very small team of highly skilled people”.

“I think this building, people don’t understand, so much goes on behind the scenes, and the sheer physical shape of the historic powerhouse makes it look like it is a much bigger institution than in fact it is,” Ms Rogers said.

Looking ahead, Ms Rogers hopes for a “very exciting year”, hopefully without COVID interruptions, as things come back on deck after a disruptive and unpredictable Christmas period.

“It’s been such a strange period with nothing we’ve been able to predict or forecast from previous years,” she said

“The constantly changing government regulations makes it challenging for people, but it also makes it challenging for organisations trying to comply.”

Glassworks ‘not just a production line’

Despite that, of late artists have been returning to the hotshop, while their first exhibition of the year, The Tender by local artist Jacqueline Bradley, opens 5 February.

Public programs are recommencing, with classes and courses back online, and their revamped retail area is back open.

Rogers is also delighted to reopen the hotshop viewing platform, and loves seeing families come through so they can see the value of high-end glasswork.

“You can go to Ikea and buy a set of glasses for $6, but why is this different, why is this high-end glasswork?

“When people actually see it being made, they get an understanding that this is not just a production line … there’s real people, hot and sweaty, down there on the hotshop floor blowing!”

Their artist in residency program has kicked off again too, after the program was heavily disrupted last year by lockdowns and border closures.

Ms Rogers joined the Glassworks after 15 years heading up Regional Arts NSW.

“I lived in Canberra and had done the long haul driving for nearly 15 years,” she said. “I love Canberra, this is my third life in Canberra, and I never want to leave again.”

During the 2021 lockdown she took stock of her life and felt a change of scenery was in order.

“I did find the second COVID lockdown I was personally becoming very isolated, because looking at everybody on The Brady Bunch screen ain’t ideal,” she smiled. “I think so many people reassessed their lives in that second lockdown.

Ms Rogers was drawn to the role given it matched her skillset as an arts administrator to a tee.

“So many of these particular jobs come up and they want somebody who’s got a curatorial background,” she said. “I thought my skills fit what they were looking for, and fortunately they agreed, so here I am having an enormous amount of fun, and I just love every minute of it!”

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