Trio of animal-themed exhibitions heading to Sunderland's National Glass Centre

The three, free exhibitions, Menagerie, Glass Zoo and an exhibition by artist Inga Hamilton open at the Sunderland venue on Saturday, December 14.

Menagerie, which will run in the main gallery until Saturday, May 31 next year, features the work of 26 artists.

National Glass Centre will close its doors in July 2026 after owners, University of Sunderland, estimated its repair bill, caused by structural issues, could reach £45m, however, it will still be hosting exhibitions until that time, with its cafe and shop also open.

Speaking about the forthcoming exhibitions, Julia Stephenson, Head of Arts at NGC, explained: “Some of the earliest examples of art feature depictions of animals – for instance a painting was recently discovered on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi, which is thought to be at least 51,200 years old.

“Artists still look to animals as the subject matter for their work and this exhibition brings us up to date.

“Menagerie refers to a collection of wild animals kept in captivity. The artwork contained within this exhibition includes depictions of wild and domestic animals, including reflections on excessive domestication. Some objects have links to science, some represent creatures based on land, in the air and in the water, and some encourage us to think about the human condition.”

The majority of artists exhibiting for Menagerie are British, but there is also artwork from John Moran, an American hot-glass sculptor who is now based in Belgium.

“Most of the artwork is relatively new, the oldest is about ten years old,” explained Julia. “Several of the featured artists are Sunderland based or have a connection to us at NGC,” she added.

One of these is James Maskrey, Senior Technician in glass at NGC, who has produced a glass sculpture inspired by the curious tale of Mary Toft, who claimed to have given birth to rabbits in Georgian England.

Another piece from James in the exhibition is called Ret Trap. Julia explained: “There’s abvery difficult glass technique called reticello which produces delicate criss-cross patterns in glass.

“James’ artwork, featuring a rat in a trap, makes reference to the investment artists make into mastering this technique.”

Andrew Livingstone, Professor of Ceramics at the University of Sunderland’s Ceramics Arts Research Centre, is another contributor to Menagerie. Both of his pieces carry a strong message.

“For one piece Andrew bought a life-sized ceramic Yorkshire Terrier from a charity shop. Andrew has added a jumper to the dog and the artwork explores how we dress up our pets and humanise them.”

The Glass Zoo exhibition will be in the NGC’s Balcony Gallery until Sunday, June 1 next year and will feature 20 artists.

The exhibits will come from NGC’s permanent collection and feature animals and creatures.

Julia said: “Zoos have the responsibility of caring for animals and make it possible for visitors to see a range of wonderful creatures.

“In a similar way, museums and art galleries take responsibility for the care of public collections, creating opportunities for people to see international works of art.  Glass Zoo takes works from our collection with an animal theme and presents them within the confines of a gallery building.

“But please be aware that it may not be possible to contain all wildlife within the display cases!”

Inga Hamilton’s exhibition is called The Things That Nonhuman Animals Make and will be displayed in NGC’s Research Gallery until Sunday, March 9.

Inga is undertaking a PhD at the University of Sunderland and through her jewellery pieces shares surprising results from her research around communications with animals, their making techniques and material knowledge.

Inga has had a long career during which she has spun yarn for the late Alexander McQueen at Gucci, represented Irish craft in the American Irish Historical Society in New York and received the Association of Contemporary Jewellers 2020 Graduate Award.