The richness of colour, the beauty and the artistry of stained-glass windows have been with us all our lives.
They tell stories, and ask questions of us.
However, there is the possibility that we take these glorious gifts for granted.
As a child, I thought they were too beautiful to have been created by people; perhaps the angels made them, and they were a gift from heaven?
But we grow up, don’t we?
We must live practical, often very busy lives, and sometimes we look but don’t see.
If our attention is caught by coloured light streaming through a window, we just might be inspired by, and grateful for, what we do see.
Our city, and the Goulburn Valley, has many beautiful windows in public and commercial buildings, in churches and in our homes.
And Australia’s authority on these treasures will tell us about them on Wednesday, June 17.
Dr Bronwyn Hughes will visit Shepparton to deliver the sixth Bruce Wilson Memorial Heritage Lecture.
The title of her lecture is, very appropriately, Hidden in plain sight; stained glass in the Goulburn Valley.
Bronwyn has been researching and writing about stained glass for more than 40 years.
Her contribution to the field has been immense.
Prior to her ‘retirement’ she lectured in glass at Monash University, Holmesglen Institute and the University of Melbourne over several decades, and more recently at Melbourne Polytechnic.
Today, when churches of all denominations close and are re-purposed or even demolished, Bronwyn said stained-glass windows should be on the endangered species list.
She is an ardent advocate and activist for the conservation of historic glass, and also for the innovative use of modern stained-glass in contemporary architecture, by the not-for-profit organisation she established, GLAAS Inc.
In 2022, Bronwyn played a leading role in the United Nations International Year of Glass, serving as the Chair for Region 16 — South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand. (Yes, there was a UN International Year of Glass. I didn’t know either.)
In 2023, her impressive book Lights Everlasting: Australia’s Commemorative Glass from the Boer War to Vietnam was published; it is an extensive Australia-wide survey of stained glass commemorating war service.
In collaboration with Dr Alison Inglis, Bronwyn is now completing a book on the Modernist stained-glass artist John Orval, due for release later this year.
And, believe it or not, she also writes a regular column, Windows on History, for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.
She was awarded an OAM in 2019 for services to fine arts.
Bruce Wilson Memorial Heritage Lecture
Join us for this ground-breaking journey, with Bronwyn, through the Goulburn Valley’s remarkable collection of stained glass — from the earliest examples through to the 21st century. (It is unlikely she will tell us that the angels made them.)
It is free to attend on June 17 at Eastbank, 132 Welsford St, Shepparton at 1pm and 5.30pm for 6pm.
Take care, and may it be easy, my friends.
Marnie
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Phone: Text or call 0409 317187
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