Alexander Rosenberg is the Christine and Stephen Procter Fellow 2023

An artist, educator and writer, Alexander Rosenberg is the Christine and Stephen Procter Fellow 2023 at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Art and Design. The artist is renowned as a finalist in the reality series Blown Away. Philadelphia-based Rosenberg was appointed in 2020, but he could not travel due to pandemic restrictions. It's Alexander's first time in Australia.

“I am thrilled to finally be in Canberra as part of my month-long residency based in the ANU Glass Workshop. I am looking forward to being a part of the community and learning. I love working with students and look forward to my one-on-one interactions with them about their work. I hope they discover their passion and the kind of artist they want to be,” Rosenberg said.

“Teaching today is different from how it used to be. We used to watch and learn rather than talk about what we were doing. So, I look forward to having discussions and explaining the process.”

Rosenberg was cast in Season 1 of Netflix’s Blown Away, a competition that has sparked global interest in glassblowing. He looks forward to sharing his experiences of making glass art for television. 

During his time at ANU, the 2023 Procter Fellow is creating prototypes for a body of work that addresses the most basic elements of human comfort. With the guidance of the ANU Environment Studio and new experiences in and on Country, he is experimenting with materials local to the region, thinking about glass as a tool to observe and understand flora and fauna, filter and transport water, and fabricate clothing and shelter, drawing from traditional and contemporary craft techniques, while supporting sustainability from waste. 

He also plans to develop a book based on this work. “The book will be a ‘bushcrafts’ guide helpful in an imaginary situation where the world is facing extreme scarcity of natural minerals and looking at a surplus of technological and construction waste,” Rosenberg said. “My time at ANU is perfect to give this shape. Glass is the least desirable of all the materials that get recycled as it requires a lot of resources to process. But glass is infinitely reusable and that’s what I proposed for the Fellowship.” 

The Procter Fellowship was established in 2001 in memory of Stephen Procter, Head of the Glass Workshop at ANU from 1993 until 2000 and now also honours his late partner, Christine Procter Nicholson. It aims to assist Australian and international glass artists to work and study abroad. Travel and the experience of other cultures were very important to Stephen and this fellowship is a significant link between glass communities around the world.

Dr Jeffrey Sarmiento, Head of Glass and Senior Lecturer at ANU said, “The Proctor Fellowship is a significant opportunity in the glass arts sector. Rosenberg is the perfect person to reignite the program. He is an excellent glassblower and conceptual artist.”

An Artist Talk and Demonstration with Rosenberg is scheduled for 17 August from 5-7 pm at the ANU School of Art & Design Gallery in which he will talk about his practice followed by a hot glass demonstration in the ANU Glass Workshop in which he will talk about his practice followed by a hot glass demonstration in the ANU Glass Workshop. .

Register here for the event.