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Monday July 21, 2014 | by Andrew Page

A conversation with Glass Art Society president Roger MacPherson

FILED UNDER: News

UPDATED 7/21/2014 2 PM EST

Since taking over in March 2014, new Glass Art Society president Roger MacPherson has already brought his experience as a successful businessman to the artist organization, emphasizing advance planning, prioritizing key projects, and fundraising. A glass collector and amateur glass artist, MacPherson is the principal at MacPherson Construction & Design, a suburban Seattle full-service home design and building company specializing in waterfront homes. He is no stranger to the nonprofit world, with his long involvement with the Pratt Fine Arts Center, where he served as president as well as many other board roles. He is also active on the Pilchuck and Artist Trust boards.

 

GLASS: You were already an active GAS board member. How has your role changed now that you have become president of the board?
Roger MacPherson: It’s a huge change, I was very active, been on the board for a couple of years, and I know from when I was president of Pratt, the only way I understand stuff really well is if I immerse myself in it. So I'm doing the same thing. I've been going to every committee meeting—digital media, finance, international—on top of helping with organizing the group.

GLASS: Is that how you approach your business as well?
Roger: That’s how I work. And at GAS, I also enjoy the interface with staff, working with all the artists. I’ve done a lot of glass, collect glass as well as took nine years of classes. I've done everything to blowing to casting, encaustic and bronze. And then there's the whole community of people, there’s something I like about it. I’ve been able to help some of the artists I've met over the years them create their own businesses, forging, making gates, sinks.

GLASS: How significant is your role as president. Do you think you'll put your stamp on GAS in some way?
Roger: The way I work myself is that I am somewhat of a facilitator. So in a sense, it’s the community, it's the GAS board, it’s not really me. I work at the wishes of what the glass community is after. That said, I do have a style, and my style is energy, optimism, and hard work. I think that is already showing through. As we look forward the 2015 San Jose conference is looking incredible, the location at the Fairmont Hotel is an easy walk to the demo venues or a $6 cab ride. Corning is already lined up for 2016, and we have three proposals for 2017 already. That's the kind of momentum I like to capture.

GLASS: It seems that GAS has been focusing on the digital side of things with its recent Website redesign. Do you think that will continue?
Roger: Think about the theme for this year’s conference. "Interface: Glass, Art, and Technology" – so yes, we’re focusing it on this year specifically. We’ve developed a new Website, we just had a meeting the digital committee meeting, we decided we’re going to add a couple of videos to our site monthly. And we’re working on a mobile app that will let you track whose talking or who is doing a demo during the 2015 conference. And of course there's the TAG Grant that we just announced that supports research into new technologies that was announced at the 2014 conference earlier this year. 

GLASS: Do you have specific goals or benchmarks you've set for yourself or the organization?
Roger: We've set goals for enhancing membership, and we are talking to places to see if we can do possible exchanges to expand our member benefits. So you can get into a museum for free, or you can use the membership to get a discount from a supplier. This is on top of CERF, where we have a special fund for GAS members who might need emergency help.

GLASS: How does your business experience come into play on a day to day basis?
Roger: After 30-years-plus running my own business, and with a lot of board experience, I can help as an organizer. When we've created a giant list of all the things we want to do, I might point out that if we work on that giant list, we’re going to fail. Instead, if we choose three things and focus on that, and have success, then that will build.

GLASS: How does being a board member of GAS differ from some of your other boards.
Roger: If I compare it to other boards, I feel that other boards don’t always expect enough from their board members. GAS expects a lot, It’s a big effort. In some ways, it’s prestigious for the glass artists to be recognized. But it’s certainly a great way to connect and talk, I sit and listen to the conversations and I feel so privileged to be here around some of the artists who are kind of my heroes.

GLASS: What are your thoughts on the idea of having the conference every other year, which has come up from time to time?
Roger: First of all, there's such a demand for the conference right now, with San Jose and Corning and then three other cities vying for the conference. So that's not really something we're talking about right now. But also, think of the challenge from the organizational standpoint. If you had a conference every other year, it would be difficult. We would have to find something else that is major to replace it. But more importantly, how would you handle staffing? Hire and let the GAS staff go every other year? There is so much knowledge built up that you would lose, and you'd be starting all over again, it would be really difficult. That doesn’t mean that some years we can’t have a smaller, somewhat more focused conference in remote locaitons – such as Japan, Italy, the Czech Republic – where you might expect 400 people instead of 1,200 people. It all depends on what is happening. But it also goes back to the principle I talked about earlier -- there are a lot of ideas and you need to pick and choose those you can do really well. The annual conference is something we do really, really well.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to note the correct name for the San Jose hotel that will be the site of the 2015 annual conference. The correct name is the Fairmount Hotel.

Glass: The UrbanGlass Quarterly, a glossy art magazine published four times a year by UrbanGlass has provided a critical context to the most important artwork being done in the medium of glass for more than 40 years.