Glass sculptor receives honour

The School of Art & Design presented the honour at a graduation ceremony at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton.

David received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts in recognition of his eminence in English glass sculpture.

He said: “I was very surprised and honoured to be considered for this award. I have had a very strong association with the West Midlands over the years - I studied at the Glass Department of Stourbridge College of Art which was eventually amalgamated with the University of Wolverhampton. My two daughters were born in the West Midlands and I have kept up close ties with the Glass scene which is an important part of Black Country history, so it is very apt and I am very pleased that this honour should be coming from the University of Wolverhampton.

David Reekie was born in Hackney, London in May 1947. He studied Glass and Ceramics at Stourbridge College of Art 1967-70 and in 1972 studied for an Art Teachers Diploma at Birmingham College of Art Education.

He was awarded a Fellowship in Glass by Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts in 1975 and was a founder member of British Artists in Glass in 1976. From 1976 he lectured at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, moving to Norwich in 1986 where he set up his own studio. In 1988 he was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study Alternative Architectural Glass in the USA.

From 1994-97 he was appointed an International Council Member to Pilchuck Glass School. He was shortlisted for the 1998 Jerwood Prize for Glass and his work was selected for exhibition at the G8 Summit in Birmingham. In 2002 he was appointed a member of the Advisory Council for North Lands Creative Glass, Scotland and two years later was invited to attend a reception given at Buckingham Palace to celebrate British Design.

David’s work was shortlisted for the 2006 Coburg Glass Prize in Germany. He was invited to speak at the Contemporary Glass Society Conference at the Eden Project, Looking into Glass and, in 2008, he was a speaker at the Creative Pathways Symposium at the University of Wolverhampton.

David has lectured throughout the world including; Pilchuck Glass School, USA; Sars Poteries, France; Ezra Glass Studios, Kanaz, Japan; and Espace Verre, Montreal, Canada. In 2009 David had a Residency at South Australia School of Art in Adelaide and also lectured at the University of South Australia.

Earlier this year he taught at the Fire Station Artists Studios, Dublin and will be teaching at the Wanganui Glass Festival, in New Zealand later in the year.

The University’s graduation ceremonies are being held at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Thursday, 1 September to Friday 9 September 2011.

ENDS

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