2nd International Student Glassmaking Symposium Novohrad /Malohont 2025

We warmly invite you to the International Student Glassmaking Symposium Novohrad / Malohont 2025, which will take place from August 25 to 30, 2025, at the Old School in Kokava nad Rimavicou.

Venue:

Stará škola Kokava, Kokava nad Rimavicou

Dates*

Student Symposium: 25–30 Aug 2025
Public program during the symposium:
- Open studios: 25–30 Aug 2025, 10:00–16:00 — project realizations, live making
- Lecture block: 27 Aug 2025 from 17:00
- Glassblowing on a mobile glass furnace: 30 Aug 2025, 10:00–13:00

Opening (vernissage) and exhibition launch: Saturday 30 Aug 2025, 10:00–13:00
- Exhibition duration: 30 Aug 2025 – 31 Oct 2025

^{*We will continuously share detailed program information and any changes on the website and social media (www.facebook.com/staraskolakokava; IG:@stara_skola_kokava) of Stará škola Kokava.}

In media

V Starej škole v Kokave nad Rimavicou vystavujú úžasné nové sklo / Pravda / kultúra

Photogallery

Annotation

Stará škola in Kokava nad Rimavicou will become a meeting place for young glass talents from six European countries. The 2nd International Student Glass Symposium builds on the successful first edition and continues the aim of recalling and further developing the rich glassmaking tradition of the Novohrad and Malohont regions. The central theme of the 2nd edition is working with sheet glass— a medium historically closely tied to Kokava nad Rimavicou.

The International Student Glass Symposium will include live creation, the realization of works from sheet and blown glass and their combinations, lectures, glassblowing on a mobile glass furnace, and a concluding opening.

About the event

The symposium will create a creative platform for students and teachers from art universities in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine. From 25–30 Aug, 10:00–16:00, the public will be able to watch artists at work, enter the creative process, and discover diverse approaches to sheet and blown glass—from technological procedures to contemporary authorial interpretations. The program will also include a lecture block with participating teachers and students, invited artists, and art theorists. The symposium will conclude on 30 Aug with an opening and an exhibition of the works created. The opening will also feature a public presentation of glassblowing on a mobile glass furnace. A catalogue will be published for the event.

Participating universities:

Vysoká škola výtvarných umení v Bratislave, SK
Akademia sztuk pięknych im. Eugeniusza Gepperta we Wrocławiu, PL
Technická univerzita v Liberci, CZ
Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem, Budapest, HU
Universitatea Națională de Arte din București, Rom
Lvivska natsionalna akademiia mystetstv (Львівська національна академія мистецтв), Lviv, Ukraine

Historical context:

Before World War I, the Forgáč family glassworks operated in Kokava nad Rimavicou, focused on the production of sheet glass. It was founded in 1892 and closed for good in 1925. The 2nd edition of the symposium builds on this long glassmaking history and brings a contemporary artistic interpretation. It also continues the international cooperation initiated by the first edition with students and teachers from six art universities (Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Czechia, Poland, and Ukraine).

Poster for the exhibition of results from the international student glass symposium Novohrad / Malohont 2025. On a white background, two glass art objects are placed side by side – one orange and one transparent – creating an elegant and modern impression. Above and below the image is text with event details: the symposium title, date (August 30, 2025), time (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM), and venue (Stará škola Kokava, Kokava nad Rimavicou). The poster lists participating art universities from Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine. The bottom section features logos of organizers and sponsors, including the municipality of Kokava nad Rimavicou, the Slovak Arts Council, and other partners. The overall design is clean, professional, and focused on showcasing glass art.

Exhibition curators & symposium leads:

Petr Nový, Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou, CZ
Patrik Illo, Vysoká škola výtvarných umení v Bratislave, SK

Catalogue:

A catalogue will be published with curatorial texts, documentation of the creative process, and reproductions of participants’ works.

Stará škola Kokava:

All events will take place in the spaces of Stará škola Kokava — a local landmark from 1913, revived in recent years by the cultural initiative of the Hronc family. Until 1990 the building served education (a municipal school, agricultural school, Forestry Vocational School, and a purpose-built facility for employees of the forestry and water management sectors of the Slovak Republic). The building was purchased by the family of Ivan Hronc in 2020 with the goal of saving it and establishing a cultural, gallery, and educational hub focused on the region’s rich glassmaking tradition.

Organizers:

Vysoká škola výtvarných umení v Bratislave – Glass Studio;
Stará škola Kokava o.z.;
media company Film Europe;
Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou

Project financially supported by:

Fund for the Support of Art; International Visegrad Fund

Partners:

sLeitnerleitner; Spoločnosť Kováč; Spojená škola Poltár; Severosklo; Sonne Crystal; Vera – Gifts from Glass; Slovenská sklárska spoločnosť; Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial Co. Ltd.; Banskobystrický self-governing region; OOCR Turistický Novohrad a Podpoľanie

Practical information:

Venue: Stará škola Kokava, Kokava nad Rimavicou
Dates: 25–30 Aug 2025
Admission: free
Web: staraskolakokava.sk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/staraskolakokava
Instagram: www.instagram.com/stara_skola_kokava/

25/8 – 30/8/2025