Swiss Research Centre for Stained Glass
and Glass Art
Beyond the Masterpiece: Embracing Failure in Ceramic and Glass Art
The fields of ceramic and glass art have long been shaped by ideals of mastery, control, and perfection. Museums, collections, and scholarship often privilege the ‘masterpiece’ – objects that embody technical excellence and aesthetic resolution. Yet behind every successful work lies a spectrum of experiments, misfires, and unexpected outcomes. These ‘failed’ objects, frequently overlooked or discarded, hold critical insights into artistic processes, material behavior, and the evolving definitions of value in art and craft. This conference invites researchers, artists, conservators, and curators to reconsider failure not as an endpoint, but rather as a productive and revealing dimension of ceramic and glass practice. By shifting focus from perfected objects to those deemed ‘not quite right’, we seek to open new dialogues about knowledge production, material agency, conservation ethics, and contemporary artistic approaches.
―― Call for Papers
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Stained Glass in Islamic Lands
Trans-Mediterranean Networks, Local Identities and Glass Technology (2025–2029)
This SNSF project, conducted between 2025–2029, is dedicated to the multifaceted history of stained glass and dalle de verre in North Africa during the 19th and 20th century. The project’s main objective is to analyse the connections and interplay between production, commercialisation, perception and development of these art forms in the colonial and post-colonial era.
―― Ricerca
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Rapporto annuale 2025
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Vitroarchives
Il catalogo dell’archivio Vitroncentre Romont è ora disponibile online.
Il Vitrocentre Romont possiede una ricca collezione, unica nel suo genere in Svizzera, di materiale archivistico dedicato all’arte vetraria. Gli archivi di artiste e artisti, di laboratori vetrari, di storiche e storici dell’arte, ma anche di associazioni attive nell’ambito del patrimonio vetrario, che coprono il periodo dall’Ottocento al XXI secolo, offrono un’opportunità unica per la ricerca scientifica del settore.
I fondi conservati al Vitrocentre Romont sono disponibili alla consultazione e accessibili attraverso l’inventario online.
À VOS AGENDAS
Des événements à ne pas manquer
28 GUIGNO 2026
Visita guidata
Jennifer Burkard, curatrice dell’esposizione « Esprit moderne : Carlo Scarpa et le vitrail suisse du XXe siècle », vi invita a una visita guidata in francese, dalle 15 alle 16.
13-14 MAGGIO 2027
International conference
This conference sets out to explore the multifaceted realm of technical failures in glass and ceramic arts.
À VOS AGENDAS
Des événements à ne pas manquer
28 GUIGNO 2026
Visita guidata
Jennifer Burkard, curatrice dell’esposizione « Esprit moderne : Carlo Scarpa et le vitrail suisse du XXe siècle », vi invita a una visita guidata in francese, dalle 15 alle 16.
13-14 MAGGIO 2027
International conference
This conference sets out to explore the multifaceted realm of technical failures in glass and ceramic arts.