Alicia Durán and John M. Parker
In May 2021, the news that glass communities around the world was waiting for was broadcast around the world via a virtual link; the United Nations had decided to approve 2022 as the International Year of Glass. The application itself had been prepared for the past 18 months and included a thirty-minute video clip, an electronic brochure, and printed documents explaining how glassy materials can play a vital role in helping the world achieve the humanitarian goals set forth in the declarations of the Nations. Unite 2030.
The presentation of this application and its subsequent administration fell largely to the International Glass Commission, and in particular to the shoulders of Prof. Alicia Duran (Spain). Indeed, the Spanish ambassador, a colleague of prof. Duran, has been of great help in guiding the UN question through its various stages. It is important to underline that the Community of Glass Associations and the International Committee for Museums and Glass Collections (ICOM-Glass) have joined us. Through our website, we have collected nearly two thousand membership letters from 84 countries; many of these have been presented with United Nations documentation.
There were many obstacles to overcome during the journey, not least the consequences of the COVID Pandemic. Although the time for the organization is now short, the consequences of the social isolation caused by COVID have left the thirst for group activity and we already have several international events taking place. The most important of these is the opening ceremony in Geneva from 9 to 11 February. This will include a number of internationally recognized speakers and are ready to explain the role Glass can take in relation to the UN 2030 goals. This event will have an audience limited in size by COVID restrictions and some of these will be prominent political figures. But to make it more generally available, it will be streamed live over the Internet for those unable to attend. During the event, a book will also be released whose chapters focus on the various objectives of the UN 2030. In addition to the opening ceremony, the triennial ICG Congress in Berlin in July will be part of the IYOG program as well as the celebrations of the centenary of the DGG. and a closing ceremony will take place in Japan in December.
Several fairs will show parallel events promoting IYOG2022 Glass and its vital role in society, in particular VITRUM in Milan, 5-8 October 2021; Glasspex / Glasspro in Mumbai, 3-5 March 2022; the China International Glass Industrial Technical Exhibition, Shanghai, April 13-16, 2022; GLASSMAN, in Monterrey, May 11-12; Mir Stekla in Moscow, June 6-9; and Glasstech in Düsseldorf, 20-23 September 2022.
The following have also already been agreed: a) a US Glass Day in Washington DC, April 2022, b) an event to celebrate the discovery of ancient Egyptian glass in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, "From Pharaohs to High Tech Glass in Egypt", again in April 2022, c) an “International Ibero-American Congress Women in Glass. Artists and scientists in Madrid, Spain in May, d) an International Art Festival, Stourbridge, UK, August, e) a venue in Venice-Murano in 2022 and f) special issues of several glass magazines.
Various committees have been created to help coordinate and publicize all these and many other events although the final effort will fall firmly on the shoulders of the local organizers.
These committees include a) a general steering committee and b) a council composed of representatives of all the various regional committees representing the groups of countries that approved the original proposal. Local regional committees united by geography and language will be responsible for organizing and advertising the program they create, but should offer a broad and varied program of events promoting glass. For example, the Indian community has already launched a photo contest for young people with the task of capturing aspects of glass in everyday society. Others are planning legacy projects to make a permanent mark, museum exhibits, U-clips, art gallery exhibits, special stamp issues, factory open days, illuminated archaeological sites, books, lectures. The list continues to grow.
The main committees intend to promote educational programs and create a worldwide network that will share best practices and imaginative teaching materials for all levels of education. For example, ICG educational schools in France and China will be centered around the United Nations 2030 goals. Another aspiration is to achieve gender balance in all activities.
We have several museum and art institutions on board and aim to coordinate a wide range of events that show and enhance the virtues of glass, the variety of its uses and its value over millennia for audiences with interests other than art to architecture to science and technologies.
There is no intention of organizing events centrally - after all, we hope there will be up to 10.000 activities throughout the year. What the central organization can offer is access to the IYOG logo and a network of contacts to facilitate the sharing of ideas and the distribution of prepared materials such as posters, billboards, articles, comics, U-clips and so on.
VITRUM it is a great opportunity to promote IYOG2022. Therefore, we hope that all participants will be stimulated to seize this opportunity to promote all aspects of glass production, the breadth of its history, its contributions to the arts, its imaginative use in architecture, its recyclability and its role of the bio-glasses in guaranteeing our well-being as well as the optical fibers that govern Internet and 5G technologies. Your contribution in organizing events and support activities both in person and, if you can, also financially, will help ensure a memorable event for the whole company.
For more information, see our website (IYOG2022.org). We include in VITRUM a donation campaign that you will find at the fair and promoted on the afternoon of 6 October. Our website also includes a list of key contacts and a database where you can upload your planned activities so that visitors can find out what's going on locally. Also take every opportunity you can to let your colleagues and friends know what's going on, talk to the local press, radio and TV service, and use social media to spread the news.
Biography
In Durán
Dr. Alicia Durán holds a degree in Physics from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina and a PhD in Physical Sciences from UAM, developing her professional career at the Ceramics and Glass Institute of the Spanish Council of Research (CSIC). You are research professor of the CSIC and head of the GlaSS group (http://glass.icv.csic.es), with over 250 publications in WOK (H index of 46), you are currently President of the International Commission on Glass (ICG). She received the Phoenix Award from the international glass industry, and was named Glass Person of the Year 2019. She is now the head of the International Year of Glass 2022, approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 May 2021 .
JM Parker
Cambridge graduate Dr John Parker is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sheffield, where his career has been devoted to research into many aspects of glass technology, teaching and student recruitment. Since his retirement he has been honorary curator of the Turner Glass Museum and writes a monthly article on the history of glass for Glass International magazine. For 25 years he has been collaborating with the International Commission on Glass supporting their many activities.
