Lucía Ponce: From archaeology to glass working

Barcelona-based Lucía Ponce recently embarked on a career changing experience as one of the pathfinders of the Michelangelo Foundation’s Trainee to Professional programme. She spent six months under the tutelage of master glassworkers Bianca Rebagliati and Daniel Orquín of the glass studio, 40plumas, gaining the new skills she requires to pursue a profession in the glass craft. An archaeology graduate, here she reflects on her time as a trainee.

Why did you choose the traineeship?

I have always loved the world of glass very much and been eager to learn glassworking, but in the end I chose to study archaeology for its career prospects. By chance, specialising in conservation and restoration led me to restoring a stained glass window, which reminded me how much I love glass. A teacher told me that the glass studio 40plumas was looking for a young person to train in glassworking and I signed up.

What did you discover about glass working?

It is a very special profession but at the same time it is a very demanding and complex one. The beautiful thing about glass is that it goes from a liquid and malleable state to a solid state and although it seems to be fragile, it can resist a lot of weight and weathering. I discovered this working in conservation and restoration from seeing the glass objects found during excavations that have survived many ages and are still in very good condition.

What did you learn from 40plumas?

At 40plumas, I have been fortunate to have been exposed to many different aspects of glass working since the workshop masters diverse techniques. I have learned multiple hot working techniques such as glass blowing and blow torch work and cold working techniques such as carving, sandblasting and grinding. This has helped me to discover the technique that I would like to specialise in which is the blow torch technique as it allows me to create small decorative objects and accessories.

What was the highlight of the experience?

Being able to learn from the hands behind one of the best glass workshops in Spain. From Bianca’s and Daniel’s way of working and their creative solutions, you can feel all the passion they have for glass and it is something that they transmitted to me from day one of the traineeship. Even though it is a very challenging profession and it requires many hours to bring to fruition a project, when you see the final result, you realise it is all worth the huge effort.

How do you view glass working in Spain?

Unfortunately, glass craft studios are gradually disappearing, not only here in Spain but throughout the world. During my training in the workshop, I discovered that the majority of people interested in buying glass objects are foreigners. Here in Spain all the effort and dedication required to accomplish this craft is not given the merit it deserves. However, there are people who still appreciate this material and the shapes and textures that can be made, and it is these people who help craft workshops continue to exist.

What are your future career plans?

Certainly, I will continue training in the world of glass, learning more about the different techniques, but above all focusing on the one I like the most, the blow torch. For now, I know how to make small objects, but I plan to learn how to make bigger ones.

Is craft a viable career for young people in Spain?

I believe that it is a pivotal moment for crafts. Young people are becoming more interested in handmade objects and many sign up for courses to learn how to make their own creations. So, yes, I think that crafts can be valued as it was before and be a viable career choice.

Notes for editors

michelangelofoundation.org

@homofaber

The Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship is a non-profit institution based in Geneva, Switzerland, which champions contemporary craftspeople worldwide with the aim of promoting a more human, inclusive and sustainable future. The Foundation seeks to highlight the connections between craft, the wider arts and the design world. Its mission is to both celebrate and preserve craftsmanship and its diversity of makers, materials and techniques, by increasing craft’s everyday recognition and its viability as a professional path for the next generations. From engaging educational programmes such as the Summer Schools, to its signature digital project the Homo Faber Guide and the international exhibition Homo Faber Event, the Foundation is fostering a cultural movement centred on master artisans and rising stars. michelangelofoundation.org

Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte is a private, non-profit institution founded in 1995. Based in Milan, it promotes cultural, academic and educational initiatives for the protection and diffusion of Italian artistic crafts. The Fondazione Cologni’s mission is to inspire a “new Renaissance” of the artistic crafts and rescue them from the threat of extinction. Many of its initiatives focus on young people and training future generations of artisans. fondazionecologni.it

Asociación Contemporanea de Artes y Oficios (ACAO) is an association that promotes both traditional and contemporary Spanish crafts. They seek to protect Spanish craftsmanship, and use it to foster the development of culture, history and art and boost its economic benefits on the environment and tourism industry. Their main targets are to ensure an environment in which Spanish craftspeople can thrive and to aid them in having further commercial reach in Spain and internationally. The ACAO collaborates with similar institutions to ideate best practices; they assist with the development of commercial platforms for craftspeople; they organise seminars, forums and talks. Beyond this, they use media for widespread visibility for arts and crafts; they launch programmes that promote crafts and engage in research projects. Their collective expertise enables them to provide consulting services to artisans and ateliers. forodeartesyoficios.com

The Craft Project is a French non-profit association born out of the podcast which goes by the same name, which has been promoting French craftspeople and craftsmanship since 2018. The association has several aims: firstly, to create a community of artisans who collectively think of innovative strategies to build the futures of their crafts. Secondly, to raise awareness of craftsmanship among the general public by introducing them to materials and to beauty. Lastly, to encourage vocations by shedding light on exemplary destinies and adventures in the arts and crafts. thecraftproject.fr

La Tecnocreativa is a fashion and design school based in Madrid that focuses on entrepreneurship, management and sustainable development. It seeks to preserve the traditional crafts linked to the creative industries and marry them with new technologies. The school revolutionises training with a model that combines online learning, thanks to televisual technology, with in-presence seminars for certain courses. A month-long course tailored to the Trainee to Professional programme was created with partner Assocíacion Contemporánea Artes y oficios for the participating students. latecnocreativa.com

Costa Crociere Foundation was created with the aim of disseminating and developing the values of the Costa Group through the management and financing of environmental and social projects with a common interest. A commitment that manifests in supporting and developing projects to assist communities they encounter on the Costa ships’ journeys, and which focus on environmental protection and the eradication of social inequity at a global level investing. They invest 100% of the donations they receive into projects to transform the daily work they do into a promise of happiness. costacrocierefoundation.com

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