■Last year, the Japan Glass Artcrafts Association celeblated the 20th annicersary of its founding in 1972. Glass was once widely regarded as a seasonal material of spring and summer. Today, it has stepped out of the framework of craft. In the new age, glass is a new material of art. New schools and institutes have been established to teach glass art professionally. Public interest in glass has grown with the emergence of young glass artists, the establishment of new glass museums, and the publication of many books on glass. Today, glass exhibitions are held regularly at all times of the year. It gives me great pleasure to find many of our members involved in these activities and cooperating behind the scenes.
On the other hand, to my regret, there seems to be some movement to make use of glass in pursuit of profit, especially as a tourist trap. Glass may be produced and sold for souvenirs, but this will only be a temporary phenomenon. It is a step for glass to become more widely known.
It is very significant that we have organized GLASS ﾕ93 IN JAPAN in commemoration of our 20th anniversary. This exhibition is an opportunity to show the high level of Japanﾕs glass culture both domestically and internationally. The exhibits received through and broadminded screening from the judging group of Mr. Atsushi Takeda from Yokohama Museum of Art, Mr. Olivie from Musee des Arts Decoratifs. Paris, and the directors of our Assosiation. The artists whose works were displayed consist of ninety regular and associate members of the Association, nineteen artists carefully selected from the many domestic applicants, and ten invited from abroad. The roughly 160 exhibits represent the highest level of Japanese glass art. With one new site added, the exhibition will tour the three cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. A part of the exhibit will then go to Heller Gallery in New York next spring.
I believe that this exhibition will contribute much to the development of Japanﾕs glass culture and be highly evaluated by glass circles worldwide. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Agency for Cultural Affairs, The Asahi Shimbun, The Glass Manufacturers Association of Japan, Suntory Museum of Art, Bridgestone Museum of Art and all others who have contributed their generous understanding and cooperation in organizing GLASS ﾕ93 IN JAPAN. We are also most grateful to Odakyu Department Store in Tokyo, Iwataya Department Store in Fukuoka and Daimaru Department Store in Osaka for providing sites for the exhibition.

○Tokyo exhibition
subtitle: "Listening to the Heartbeat of Glass"
date: September 1 - 12, 1993
place: Odakyu Grand Gallery, Tokyo
organized by: Japan Glass Artcrafts Association
supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Asahi Shimbun Publishing Co.
cooperated by: Japan Glass Manufactures Association of Japan
exhibitors: 80 members, 10 overseas invited artists, and 20 selected domestic works in the applicants.

○tour exhibition
date: October 13 - 18, 1993
place: Daimaru Museum Umeda, Osaka
date: October 20 - 25, 1993
place: Iwataya Department Store Exhibition Hall, Fukuoka
date: February 5 - 27, 1994
place: Heller Gallery, New York, USA

○1993 exhibition committee
chairman: Kyohei Fujita
committees: Shintaro Shibazaki, Shunichi Kamiyama, Yukio Ueno, Hiroyuki Kashiwabara, Yoko Kuramoto, Yasuhisa Kuurita, Mitsugi Kobayashi, Jun Fujita, Naoto Yokoyama
photograph: Kazuyuki Yazawa, Ryosuke Hirai

○selection committee
JGAA: exhibition committee
Yokohama Museum of Art: Atsushi Takeda
Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris: jean Luc Olivie