Our Staff
Brandi Clark
Executive Director
Manchester, England, UK
Brandi P. Clark (she/her) is a native of Texas and is currently based in Europe. She is a passionate traveler, arts enthusiast, and community leader who has dedicated her career to supporting the arts and artists. Since 2018, Clark has served as the executive director of the Glass Art Society (GAS). As a dedicated champion of glass artists, Clark has served on the Board of Directors for Northlands Creative, as a juror for the 2022 British Glass Biennale and the 2023 Stanislav Libenskỳ Award, and was a guest evaluator on Season 4 of Blown Away.
Julie Havel Thompson
Deputy Director
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Julie is from Waterford, Ireland, home to the esteemed Waterford Crystal Glass Factory. Her late father Miroslav is a celebrated glass artist, and glass is an art tradition she holds very close to her heart. Julie has extensive experience in arts fundraising. She has worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Julie has a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the National University of Ireland, University College Cork, and a Master of Science in Public Service Management from Chicago’s DePaul University.
Jennifer Allison
Events + Programme Manager
Wiltshire, England, UK
Jennifer is based in Wiltshire, UK and has over 20 years experience in the UK arts, heritage and museums sector, including events planning and management. In her previous role as Participation Manager at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester, Jennifer worked closely with creators to develop and run publicly accessible craft-based courses and workshops. She also has experience of working with membership organisations, leading on their annual conferences and grants programmes.
Jennifer is passionate about developing events which represent a broad audience and are accessible to all, as well as giving opportunities to under-represented voices. Jennifer has an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in History of Art from Reading University, and a further postgraduate degree in Historical Studies from Bristol University.
Amanda Sterling
Communications Manager
Corning, New York, USA
Amanda Sterling (she/they) is a communications professional and arts enthusiast based in Corning, NY. She was introduced to glass in her former role as the Social Media and Photography Specialist at the Corning Museum of Glass. She received her Bachelor’s in History from Binghamton University in 2014 and her Master’s in Museum Studies from Syracuse University in 2016. Amanda is active in her community as an LGBTQ+ advocate. As a community-based practitioner, she’s passionate about collaboration and being part of a more equitable world.
The Glass Art Society is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
The GAS Board is made up of a group of individuals representative of our membership base. Factors such as geography, medium, skill set, and current position in the glass community are used to ensure a balanced group.
GOVERNANCE RESOURCES
FY2026 BOARD MEETING DATES
Board meeting times are available upon request by emailing [email protected].
October 27
November 24
December 22
OFFICERS
Since 1996, Eric Goldschmidt has devoted his efforts to practicing and developing his work having learned while studying and assisting with many of the World’s most talented glass artists. These experiences have given him a vast array of techniques and inspirations from which to draw. He combines this wealth of knowledge with his own interests in the subtle energies of the natural world, delicate forms, and the capture of raw human emotions to
create original new works.
Eric held the position of Resident Flameworker at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass for 6 years. He then worked with Arribas Brothers Company where he designed, developed, and produced works at Walt Disney World. He returned to The Corning Museum of Glass in the spring of 2008, and as Supervisor of Properties of Glass Programs, he develops demonstrations that help to educate, inspire, and spread the word of the very fascinating glass World to hundreds of thousands of visitors per year.
Eric joined the Glass Art Society Board of Directors in October 2019.
Michael Saroka is CEO of a company focused on fulfilling the vision of architects and builders
and anticipating what’s coming next in the creative world of architectural decorative glass.
At the forefront of the glass manufacturing industry, Michael heads a team at Goldray Glass
delivering innovative solutions and creative product designs in glass manufacturing.
In 1996, when Michael joined the family business begun by his parents, Goldray Glass was a
local company in Calgary, Alberta with big ideas. Today, Michael helps lead more than 90
Goldray employees in this growing and diverse glass manufacturing business known for its
innovative products and developmental expertise.
Mika Drozdowska works as a curator in BWA Wrocław Galleries of Contemporary Art and head of the SIC! BWA Wrocław Gallery (which she transformed from the Glass and Ceramics Gallery), putting emphasis on experiments and searching for new values.
Her interests focus on glass and ceramics as a medium of contemporary art. In turn, her experience and deep interest in art in the public space means that she tries to operate at the interface of these two fields (an example of which is the project of the city game GlassGo and Art on request, a mobile gallery with the exhibition Invasive species by Ben Snuffy Wright).
Mike is the curator of many exhibitions of contemporary art including Autonomous Zones– group exhibition in the occasion of 50 anniversary of Pilchuck Glass School; Still Life by John Moran; Florentine Syndrome by Einar and Jamex de la Torre; Everything comes in handy by Kalina Bańk; Exotic dreams and poetic misunderstanding by Lin Wang , “Gold Standard” by Matt Szosz . She co-created the residency program in BWA Wrocław. Mika serves as a board member of BWA Wrocław Galleries of Contemporary Art and Studio Gent Glass in Gent (Belgium). She worked as a producer of many projects and exhibitions, and also as a coordinator of two editions of the International Biennale of Urban Art OUT OF STH (2012, 2014) in BWA Wrocław. Mike graduated from the Faculty of Glass and Ceramics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw (Poland). She also studied at the University of Anadolu in Eskisehir (Turkey).
Phillip Murray Bandura, a third-generation Calgarian, earned his BFA in glass from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2005. He co-founded Bee Kingdom Glass, which achieved success and accolades such as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award and Avenues Top 40 Under 40. His work has been shown internationally, including in the USA, South Korea, Germany, and Greece. Phillip was also a founding member of Berlin Glas e.V., Berlin’s first glass-blowing studio. In 2020, he earned an MFA in Craft with a specialization in glass from the Alberta University of the Arts.
On the rugged Oregon coast Julia Rogers began her art experience with her father, an Argentine artist, who taught her how to think beyond the norm. Her work spans sculpture, installation and performance. She found molten glass in a production studio in 2001 in Florence, Montana where the seductive material ignited a lifelong passion. Rogers has an MFA in glass and sculpture from Bowling Green State University. Her work raises the awareness of the interconnectedness of all life and the delicate balance between humankind’s interference and enhancement. As the Higher Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Chrysler Museum of Art, she has been sharing her love of glassmaking with students since 2011.
GENERAL BOARD
Lothar Böttcher is an internationally recognised artist based in Pretoria, South Africa. His works are represented in private and museum collections worldwide, including the Corning Museum of Glass (USA), Glasmuseum Frauenau (Germany), and the Pretoria Art Museum (South Africa).
Böttcher is an active curator and instigator, strengthening the glass art community and growing appreciation for the medium. Through ongoing projects like “Blow Your Sculpture”, he has introduced the magic of glass to other artists, expanding the boundaries and possibilities of the material. He is also a founding member and coordinator of the Lathe Riders, an international coldworking collective.
Janine Christley worked for Ruskin Mill Trust for over 30 years; a nonprofit providing education and care for young people with learning disabilities, for the last twelve years as Director of Fundraising. Christley is also the Founder and Director of the International Festival of Glass, the major event for contemporary glass in the UK. In October 2024 this event will be taken over by GAS and Christley is joining the board to ensure a smooth successful handover and a positive relationship with British glass artists and organisations.
James Devereux has been working in glass since the age of 15 when he discovered a natural talent for the craft, and he has been working in glass ever since. Specialising in hot glass, his skills cover solid forms as well as blown pieces, and an extensive knowledge of glass techniques means he is always primed for new challenges. In 2008, Devereux opened his first studio in the inspiring Wiltshire countryside, and a year later he was pulled back to London as the glass technician at the Royal College of Art, a role that opened up vast new contacts and opportunities which are still at the core of his career today.
Kate Dowd is the Director of Education at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, NY. Having worked at renowned studios and nurtured young talent through teaching and assisting at various institutions, including the Toledo Museum of Art, Pilchuck Glass School, GlassRoots and UrbanGlass, Kate is a strong advocate for arts education and for creative expression in all its manifestations. At GlassRoots, as a teaching artist and Assistant Program Director, she initiated ongoing, transformative glassmaking programs for youth and the Newark community at large. Employing her expertise in beadmaking, glassblowing, and kilnforming, Kate’s own work explores ideas of the artist-viewer relationship. Her artistic inspiration extends to community and public projects, reflecting her commitment to art education and community enrichment.
Percy Echols II is a Pittsburgh-based Artist, Alchemist, and Educator who pioneers the development of Neon and Plasma Light Art at the Pittsburgh Glass Center and is the creator and host of the Podcast Taming Lightning. He began working in glass in 2011 when he took his first Glassblowing Class at Illinois State University, although his interest in plasma began in 2014 at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. Here he was introduced to the medium of plasma light sculpture through furnace glassblowing in a class taught by Patrick Collentine and gained a friend and mentor. He continued working in plasma while pursuing his BFA in Studio Glass at Illinois State University. After graduating he moved to Pittsburgh in 2016 for a year-long apprenticeship at the Pittsburgh Glass Center which quickly became his new home. Here he was gifted with an opportunity to make use of donated neon equipment and a growing network of artists, where he studied, built, and developed studio equipment and programming. This allowed him to not only make his artwork, but to allow PGC to provide workshops, classes, and private lessons, as well as allow for commissions, services, and collaborations for Plasma and Neon. In 2019 he joined the Plasma Art Alliance Board and was nominated for a leadership role in 2020, to further its mission to promote illuminated plasma in glass as a sculptural art medium as it aligns with his own goals through Taming Lightning. Percy currently pursues the goal of formalizing methods and knowledge he has put into practice for plasma and sharing them with the greater community of interested artists, makers, and engineers and encouraging accessibility through public art institutions.
Annabelle Javier is the Chief Operating Officer of Paul Wissmach Glass Company. Annabelle and her spouse, Jason, are the third family to run this 120-year old colored sheet glass manufacturer based in Paden City, West Virginia. When she’s not running the business, she is actively involved in the Pittsburgh glass art community and is a board member of the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Her background is in chemical engineering and she hopes to develop some unique glass colors in the near future.
John Moran is a politically and socially engaged hot glass sculptor, mixed media artist, and all-around nice guy. He holds a BFA from Tyler School of Art, a MFA from Illinois State University, and a PhD from the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw. He is an American artist currently living and working in Ghent, Belgium, where he co-founded Gent Glas, the first free public glass studio in Belgium. He travels frequently and spends a lot of his ‘free time’ in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dr. Kayla Natividad is an Architectural Technical Service Engineer for flat glass manufacturer Pilkington North America. A Texas native, she received her PhD in civil engineering with a focus on structures and research in glass design from Texas Tech University. Since moving to “the Glass City” Toledo, OH, Kayla’s work has been directed towards the advocacy of glass technology and the development of industry standards, best practices, and technical education. She is an active contributor and holds leadership positions in a number of architectural glass trade associations and standards committees.
Danielle Ruttenberg is a skilled glassblower, innovative entrepreneur, and dedicated mother of two young children. After graduating from Abington High School in 2001 and earning her degree from Tyler School of Art in 2006, she launched DR Glass Design, a custom glass art and fabrication business, which she successfully operated from 2007 to 2015. In early 2016, following the birth of her first child, Danielle co-founded Remark Glass, a fully sustainable, zero-waste custom glass studio located in the revitalized Bok Building in South Philadelphia. Remark Glass embodies the fusion of art and sustainability by utilizing traditional glassblowing techniques to transform discarded bottle glass into small-batch home accessories. Furthering her commitment to environmental impact and community development, Danielle and her team established Bottle Underground in 2020, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing waste reduction efforts and creating local employment opportunities.
Dr. Sunny Wang is one of the leading glass artists in Asia. She uses the unique material qualities of glass in contemporary art practices to explore diverse themes including Buddhist philosophy, Chinese calligraphy and the human relationship with the natural environment. Solo and group exhibitions of Sunny Wang’s work have been presented internationally including Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Italy, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, America and her native Taiwan.Dr. Sunny Wang founded the Glass Studio at the Academy of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University in 2007 and has served as an Associate Professor at the Academy since 2020.
Martha Zackin is a Boston lawyer, concentrating in the representation of management in all aspects of labor and employment law, including litigation, collective bargaining, and counseling. With more than 30 years of experience, Martha advises and represents clients on a broad range of employment law issues and in adversarial proceedings. In her role as an advisor to employers, boards of directors, and executives, she regularly provides practical advice and counsel on a wide range of employment-related issues, including employee relations and policy matters; employee classification and wage and hour laws; violations of noncompetition, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements; employee training; employment and separation agreements; affirmative action; mergers and acquisitions; and internal investigations. Martha has represented clients before administrative and governmental agencies, courts, arbitrators, and mediators. When she’s not lawyering, Martha spends her time with her dogs on Casco Bay in Maine or in the hot shop, taking classes or renting blow slots at NOCA Glass School. NOCA, located just outside of Boston in North Cambridge, Massachusetts, is housed within Almost Perfect Glass (APG), home to a fantastic array of glass artists, sculptors, jewelers, and a few dogs.
Zach Abella is a Citizen Potawatomi glass artist residing in Carbondale, Illinois studying at Southern Illinois University. He began working in glass at the age of 12 with the Hilltop Artists program in Tacoma, Washington. He finds inspiration for his work in Potawatomi cultural tradition and Coastal Salish traditions he grew up with in the Pacific Northwest. The current goal of his work is to learn traditional teachings and stories and interpret them through a 21st-century lens, using both traditional and new mediums and techniques. With the help and guidance of other native glass artists, he has been able to increase accessibility for native individuals in glass, and further push glass art as a medium used in native expression.
Bailey Donovan is an early-career glass artist currently pursuing his Master of Philosophy at the Australian National University in Canberra. With nine years of experience in glassblowing, Bailey’s practice explores intersections between queer identity, domesticity, and craft traditions. He has taught extensively at leading Australian glass institutions including JamFactory, Canberra Glassworks, ANU, and the University of Sydney. Committed to community-building, Bailey brings passion and dedication to his role as Student Representative on the Glass Art Society board.
