Scott Chaseling of Canberra was awarded the 2004 Ranamok Glass Prize. Ranamok organisers Andrew Plummer and Maureen Cahill say, "Scott Chaseling was an entrant in the first RFC Prize in 1995 and has regularly supported the prize with entries over the years. Scott's piece Censor is a deserving winner and a very welcome addition to the Ranamok Winners Collection."

This year the Ranamok 2004 Glass Prize was announced at the Canberra School of Art Gallery, Australian National University, where it will begin it's touring season to eight major national and regional galleries.

Ranamok Glass Prize 2004 catalogue essay

The Ranamok Glass Prize is a pivotal annual event in the Australian and New Zealand visual arts and crafts calendar. Originating in 1995, the Prize now in its ninth year, is recoginsed as an award for excellence and innovation in the field of contemporary studio glass.

This tradition of recognising the 'best of' is fundamental to our society's understanding of progress and development. Most professions have established a process of awarding distinction. Each year the Ranamok Prize recognises an Australian or New Zealand artists for excellence in contemporary studio glass practice. The Glass Prize is equivalent in its standing to awards such as the Logies, the Mo Awards, and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, to name but a few. After a comparative short time on the Awards scene, this relative new comer has already attracted a vast following by artists, patrons, collectors, and industry thereby securing itself a permanent position on the Australasian cultural landscape.

The Award is open to glass artists resident in New Zealand and Australia. Annually approximately 150 entries are submitted for inclusion in the touring exhibition. Of the 156 entries presented this year 40 artists have been selected by a panel of expert judges to be part of the Ranamok Glass Prize 2004 touring exhibition. Of these, one will be awarded the prestigious Prize that includes monetary benefits as well as inclusion in the Ranamok Collection. The value of the Prize is $7,500 making this Award the richest glass prize in Australia and New Zealand.

Significantly the Prize attracts artists from all stages of their career from established makers who this year include international stars such as Nick Mount, Richard Whiteley, and Maureen Williams to mid career experts and emerging artists who are beginning their livelihood as professional studio glass practitioners. As such the exhibition is a vibrant slice of glass art activity presenting new work that is dynamic, innovative and cutting edge. For all the artists represented in the show, regardless of whether they win the Prize, the event is an opportunity for national and international exposure and potential sales of work.

Given the ephemeral nature of exhibitions, the Ranamok Prize is accompanied each year by an impressive colour catalogue that presents a double page spread for each artist, giving them a clear and audible voice to make a claim for their work. Uniquely the Ranamok exhibition presents great diversity in glass making, showcasing a multitude of techniques and conceptual approaches to contemporary studio glass. As such each year's catalogue is a significant documentation of current practice and thinking. Such information is not only historically interesting as the prize continues to progress, but it is also a commentary on the socio-political issues that have informed and inspired the artists over time. This insight, provided by the accompanying artists' statements, is an invaluable record and expands the communicability of the artists' works for the benefit of those who have no knowledge of the technical dexterity and virtuosity employed in its creation.

The growth and development of the catalogue over the Prize's nine year history is paralleled by the increasing number of venues that the exhibition has toured to. This year, for the first time, The Ranamok exhibition will be presented in regional galleries throughout Australia as well as Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. This expanded itinerary has been made possible through support from Visions of Australia an Australian Government grant program supporting touring exhibitions of Australian cultural material. This development is yet further recognition of the value of the Ranamok Glass Prize and is a testament of the interest by the general public in this seductive medium. In previous years the Prize has also toured internationally to Denver and Washington in the United States.

Despite the logistics of touring an exhibition of seemingly fragile glass works all over this vast country, the benefits are significant. What has emerged over the nine year history of the Prize is an increase in entries by artists from centers other than New Zealand, Sydney and Canberra which have always been well represented in past exhibitions. For the participating artists the touring component of the Ranamok Exhibition has enabled their work to be seen by new audiences and given them greater recognition for their achievements. For many such exposure equates directly to increased demand for their work by galleries, collecting institutions and the general public.

For the organisers of the Ranamok Prize the value of touring such an enterprise has increased the number of artists participating in the show and expanded the national and international collector demand in Australian and New Zealand glass art. This is an important achievement given the Australian market is not large by international standards. Ranamok's foray into the international arena reflects a growing trend by Australian and New Zealand artists to export their work to a global market. Such developments have been part of an ongoing strategy supported by organisations such as Craft Australia who, over the past ten years, have regularly presented Australian work at internationally renowned fairs such as Sculpture, Objects and Fine Art Fair (SOFA) in Chicago. As a compliment to these endeavors, in the past 4 years collector groups from the United States have come to Australia specifically to see the work of Australian crafts people. The most successful of these tours was in 2000 when members of the Renwick Alliance made the journey based on the notoriety of Australian studio crafts, glass being high on their agenda.

This year the Ranamok 2004 Glass Prize will begin its touring 'season' at the Canberra School of Art Gallery, Australian National University. This marks a conscious decision by the organisers to initiate the tour in the national capital as a way of recognising the truly national nature of the Prize and as an acknowledgement of the endorsement and support by the Australian Government for national touring. Since its beginnings in 1995, Ranamok, then known as the RFC Prize, has always attracted corporate support through the insight and leadership of Andrew Plummer and Maureen Cahill. The growth of Ranamok is as much an acknowledgement of outstanding Australian and New Zealand works in studio glass as it is about philanthropy and support for the arts. This year the Ranamok Prize is a unique tribute to a tripartite story of vision and collaboration between arts, business and government. This inspirational Glass Prize that we have come to anticipate and celebrate on an annual basis is a unique combination of the business of glass and the art of business.

Catrina Vignando, General Manager, Craft Australia.