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Call to students and alumni: Work Experience with Wave Murano Glass in Venice

Wednesday, 1 December, 2021 — Call for Plymouth College of Art students and alumni to apply for our Student and Alumni Work Experience Programme with an opportunity for a placement with the revered Wave Murano Glass company in Venice, Italy. Learn traditional Venetian glass techniques within a factory environment, experience life in the ancient and global city of Venice and delve into its rich cultural and maritime heritage.

Plymouth College of Art’s Student and Alumni Work Experience Programme is designed to support the development of an artist's practice and improve graduate employability. This particular opportunity is available to students or graduates working within the specialism of glassblowing. It links with the UK government’s <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/international/turing-scheme">Turing Scheme</a>, to provide funding for international opportunities in education and training. The work experience placement will be with the revered <a href="https://wavemuranoglass.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wave Murano Glass</a> company in the legendary Murano district of Venice, Italy. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to learn traditional Venetian glass techniques within a factory environment, experience life in the ancient and global city of Venice and be able to delve into its rich cultural and maritime heritage. Classic Venetian furnace glassblowing techniques are appreciated around the world for a level of virtuosity and still influence contemporary studio glass. The recipient of the work experience will work under the tutelage of Roberto Beltrami, Glass Master and Founder of Wave Murano Glass and be mentored by <a href="https://benjaminlintell.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benjamin Lintell</a>, Serventino at Wave Murano Glass and <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices">BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices</a> graduate from Plymouth College of Art (Class of 2017). Follow Benjamin on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blintell/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/blintell/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>. Application deadline: Tuesday 14 December 2021

Benjamin Lintell at Wave Murano Glass Venice

Benjamin Lintell working in the Wave Murano Glass studio, Venice. Photo © Stephan Alessi

We are looking for highly motivated, hardworking, ambitious candidates who have a desire to improve their technical abilities and enjoy working in a fast-paced, intense, team environment. We welcome students and graduates who have the drive to achieve excellence in their glassblowing and have a passion for the craft. This work experience will be available for 1-2 students or graduates for one month during Spring 2022. They will be working four days a week in the hot shop, their time will be divided between tuition and working alongside professional glassblowers in the hotshop on Wave Murano Glass production.

Outline Timetable of Weekly Activities

Monday - Thursday

10am - 11am
1 - 2 Hour Technical Instruction

11am - 4.40pm
Assisting with factory production.

Friday

Self-directed research day with personal project review in preparation for blowing slots

Sunday

11am - 3pm
Student/graduate blowing slots for personal project development

Besides learning traditional skills they will also be given time to develop an individual project during their work experience. We would therefore like applicants to describe a personal project that they can accomplish during their work experience in a 500 word written proposal with accompanying images. We would also expect the successful candidate to record their experiences and progress whilst working for Wave Murano Glass through social media platforms, to produce a report at the end of the work experience and a presentation to the students at Plymouth College of Art. The personal work produced during the work experience could also be exhibited in the gallery at Wave Murano Glass.

Wave Murano Glass, Venice

Work placement dates

Tuition is from 28 February to 26 March 2022

Application deadline

Tuesday 14 December 2021

Turing Scheme Funding

An amount of funding will be provided to supplement the general cost of living for each participant which will be £120 per week. There may also be additional travel support available depending on the individual circumstances of the candidate. Turing Scheme Funding is open to current students and those who have graduated in the past 12 months. Contact international@pca.ac.uk for further details of the Turing Scheme.

Costs

Tuition Fee (per week): €400/person
All materials included

Accommodation (examples below):
AirBnb Venice: between €55-110/night
AirBnb Marghera: between €40-80/night

Transport:
Vaporetto Transport between Venice and Murano are every 10 minutes but this can become expensive if buying tourist tickets. It is recommended, if travel by public transport is frequent, to buy a Unica card from Piazzale Roma for €100, reducing the cost per trip from €7.50 to €1.50.

Eligibility

Current students can take part in a study or traineeship placement and those who have graduated within the last 12 months can carry out a traineeship abroad. Alumni who graduated more than 12 months ago are welcome to apply but will have to be self-funded.

How to apply

Please send your 500-word written proposal with accompanying images in a PDF format to Gayle Matthias at gmatthias@pca.ac.uk

Please include your full name, course title and contact details.

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