33rd
Niijima International Glass Art Festival
2022.10.16(Sun)-10.22(Sat)
Hello, everyone! I’m Aonuma, Mayor of the Niijima village. It’s my pleasure to announce the
opening of the 33 rd Niijima International Glass Art Festival on Zoom.
Niijima is the only place in the world that melts the island’s unique natural resource called
Koga stone (rhyolite) to make glass objects and conducts international glass workshops. Over the
34 years, Niijima International Glass Art Festival and the Niijima Scholarship have helped many
Japanese glass artists excel in their skills
These artists actively share their techniques at educational institutions and workshops in Japan
and abroad. Niijima has profoundly influenced Japanese glass art scenes and has connected to the
world for the past 34 years. I am happy to say that this is a pride of Niijima.
I sincerely hope many of you will enjoy this year's festival online.
-- Kunikazu AONUMA
We are happy to announce the opening of the 33rd International Glass Art Festival, which has
been rescheduled due to the covid pandemic. To prevent infection, we will not invite overseas
instructors this time. Still, we will hold a workshop at the Glass Art Center featuring Japanese
artists with close ties with Niijima. We will broadcast them on the Internet.
All Invited lecturers have experience with the Niijima International Glass Art Festival and are
now holding workshops in their studios or at universities and other educational institutions.
The artists who have inherited the spirit of the Niijima workshop will gather again in Niijima
to study and examine the role of Niijima for the next generation and to deepen exchanges.
-- Osamu Noda