sept. 06: foyer exhibition

the designs of michael harris

an early mdina goblet

William Michael Harris was born in 1933 in Belper, Derbyshire and went on to become one of the most innovative and successful glass designers of the twentieth century. He was also one of the best- liked.

After spells at both Leeds and Luton Colleges of Art, he moved with his parents to Stourbridge in the West Midlands, historically the centre of British glass making. Here, at the Stourbridge College of Technology and Art, he studied various disciplines among which was glass design.

At this period glass was factory-made and he had no opportunity to work directly with the hot glass, but he did learn engraving and other cold-working skills.

He then applied to the Royal College of Art in London to study industrial glass design.

After National Service in 1955-6, he studied at the RCA and honed his engraving and design skills, producing many designs echoing the new modernist and avant-garde flavour of the post-war period. It was during this time that he produced the highly successful Calypto pattern for Chance Bros. of Birmingham.

He had married Elizabeth, a fellow student at Stourbridge, during this time and they had a son, Timothy, in 1961.

After a brief period at the Southend Municipal College of Art he moved back to the RCA as Tutor in the Industrial Glass Dept.

A classic Mdina fish vase

The RCA by this time had acquired a furnace, a development overseen by Ronald Stennett-Willson, but it was still not accessible by the students. Michael eventually became Head of Department when Stennett-Willson left in 1967.

The Harris's second son, Jonathan, was born the same year.

After a stint at a glassworks in Slovenia Michael began to experiment with textural surface patterns on glass using such things bark and mesh to create the moulds.

Small furnace technology was in its infancy in the USA at this time and was brought to the UK by Sam Herman where he taught Michael and his students to work directly with molten glass, thus beginning the British studio glass movement. Michael quickly learned to work creatively with the glass and discussed with Sam Herman the possibility of setting up his own studio.

The Mediterranean island of Malta presented itself as the ideal location for such a venture and in late 1967 he and his family left England to start a new life. He founded a glass studio there and he also discovered that he possessed an unusual combination of creativity and an understanding of commerce which he used with his partner, Eric Dobson, to build up a highly successful business exporting the striking and distinctive Mdina glass around the world.

IOW studio glass azurene bowl

This lasted until 1972 when the family returned to England because of the political situation on Malta. They then moved to the Isle of Wight and founded a studio there.

Almost immediately successful, Isle of Wight Studio Glass has over the past forty years become one of the great British glass factories producing innovative and beautiful designs and both of Michael and Elizabeth's sons have become renowned glassmakers in their own right.

After Michael's early death in 1994, Elizabeth and Timothy took over the running of the studio and have ensured its continuing success.

The exhibition accompanies the launch of 'Michael Harris: Mdina Glass and Isle of Wight Studio Glass'. The author, Mark Hill, who is co-author of the Dorling Kindersley Collectable Price Guide with Judith Miller, has been researching the book for four years and has worked with the Harris family, major dealers and notable private collectors to produce the definitive work on the subject.

The Cambridge Glass Fair exhibition will be situated in the foyer and alongside Mark will be signing copies of his book. The exhibition will feature glass illustrated in the book with many pieces from the Harris family's private collection and the collection of the author.

highlight list of exhibition items

• mdina fish vases (also known colloquially as axeheads)
• mdina onion vases
• mdina goblets
• mdina sculptures
• examples of the isle of wight studio's most popular and best loved production items including azurene, tortoiseshell and aurene.
• Extremely rare items including an azurene paperweight mounted with a silver dragonfly, an early deep purple miniature mdina fish vase and experimental and ‘master sample' pieces.

notes: