Murano Glassmaking facing a financial crisis

[fossilfly]

From European Culture & Journalism 2009
http://www.schoolvoorjournalistiek.com/europeanculture09/?p=505
(http://www.schoolvoorjournalistiek.com/europeanculture09/)


Murano Glassmaking facing a financial crisis
Written by Brittany Hinds


One of Venice’s most recognized crafts has hit a serious financial rough patch. Murano Island’s famous glass making industry is struggling to stay afloat in today’s challenging market.
Sales have dropped as much as 15 percent in recent years. Many factories have been forced to cut down to part time hours or shut down their operations completely.
“The recent economic crisis has emphasized previous problems,” explains Gestore del Marchio, a representative of Promovetro (http://www.promovetro.com/portal/), an organization working to promote and protect Murano’s artistic glass.
Although he could not define a specific rival, he says the trade was already suffering because of increased competition from “low-quality” Chinese and Eastern European manufacturers. That, coupled with a fall in the number of island visitors, and buyers, is causing serious financial strain.
The island has been considered a center for glassmaking since the late 13th century. Modern-day craftsmen continue to shape the glass by hand, working with the same tools that were used over 700 years ago.
Just like other kinds of glass, Murano glass is made from fine silica. The silica, heated to over 2300 degrees Celsius, becomes molten glass. In its semi-molten state, the glass can be shaped and blown to form vases, chandeliers and sculptures.
“Sometimes the master is more jealous for his pincer than for his own wife,” jokes Michele Zampedri, general manager of Vetreria Artistica Vivarini, one of the Murano’s glass making factories. “The tradition has very very deep roots.”
Zampedri, whose father is a master glassmaker, says that although the glassmaking center’s location on the island may be historical, it is also contributing to the financial strain.
“To produce glass on the island costs 30 percent more than on the mainland,” he says. The high rates are costing the industry dearly, and not only in terms of raw materials and taxes. Younger generations, motivated by lower costs and high-tech job opportunities, are moving to the mainland.
The entire population of Venice has been steadily decreasing over the past 50 years. Between 1981 and 2001 the city’s population declined by 21.7 percent.
This trend continues to leave fewer and fewer craftsmen behind to make it to the master glassmaker status. “I have more difficulty to hold my craftsmen here,” says Zampedri. “The only way to hold people is to pay more.”
To fight off competition and draw in more buyers, Promovetro is trying to stress the importance of the authenticity of Murano glass. In 1994, the regional council developed an official trademark so consumers can be sure that what they are buying is 100 percent real Murano glass produced on the island and following the ancient techniques. Since then, 50 factories on the island have been approved by the Regione Veneto to use this trademark.
The trademark ensures that Murano’s products aren’t mass produced. They are the real thing. “It is important to remember that there are no ‘big’ companies on Murano,” says Marchio. “Most are family-run businesses. Even bigger ones have no more than 40-50 employees.”
Aside from improving the recognition of Murano’s trademark, Marchio says Promovetro is also trying to cut the costs of raw materials to the island.
Despite Promovetro’s efforts, the industry’s current outlook remains bleak. “Murano’s future is now, more than ever, uncertain,” says Marchio.

[TxSilver]

The financial crisis is having such an impact on companies around the world. Many companies have gone under. The rising cost of energy to make the glass coupled with a lower demand have made it nearly impossible to stay in business. Many companies in the Czech Republic have gone into bankrupcy and closed.

I've noticed that the crisis has also heavily impacted art glass sales in the USA. Sales have dropped to almost nothing. I've noticed a peculiar phenomenon on eBay, however. As sales have dropped, many sellers that use Buy-it-now have raised their prices, instead of lowering them. I've also noted that the number of reasonably priced vintage pieces is going down. I hope it does not become a trend that sellers ask too much or don't sell at all. I think it might ruin the art glass market, with the economy being so worrisome worldwide.

One thing I wonder is if younger people are less into pretty things than people were in the past. I know that people tend to get more into art as they get a bit older, but I wonder if the I-phone generation will have the same appreciation as the Cell-phone generation. (And I wonder if they will ever have the richness of character of the rotary telephone generation! :p)

[tam bam]

I agree with Anita. I don't think young people are that into art nowadays. I don't think they are into the arts as much as the older generation at least. I don't think the schools are teaching young people about art as much as they use to. I think that is a big problem with today's society. There needs to be more art and cultural experiences for the young and older people. It lets your mind wonder and explore different challenges.

I am a younger person and I was exposed to art at a young age and I think that is why I appreciate it so much. I remember having a teacher in the 3rd grade,(this guy still remembers me to this day), and he introduced me to art and astrology. He went out of his way to teach his students the importance of art in society. He was a really fun and fascinating teacher. I will never forget him and I thank him and my mother for encouraging me to be artistic and to cherish the arts, oh yeah, and my great art teacher in high school. I always found art fascinating but it is in my blood because my grandmother majored in art when she was in college.

Anyway, I hope the Murano Art Glass industry makes it through these tough times and I think it will. Murano has met many challenges in the past but I think they will prevail.

tam bam

[RStocker]

Fenton was going to file chapter 11 until they found someone with a good cash flow.

Brillant American glass is selling for 20 cent on the dollar compaired to 20 years ago. Cambridge, Heisy, Fostoria and all the other good makers are selling cheap on E bay and in the shops. Even the High end pieces are less than half what they were 5 years ago.

Times are tough. I buy and sell everthing. I am buying good woodworking machnes for 10 cents on the dollar. I pay $100 for machines I sold for $400 just 2 years ago. I have so many now I ran out of room. 94 machines and about 400 boxes of antiques. I only buy top end pieces now and they must be cheap.

There is no market all across the antique board.
Antique tools have dropped.
Here in california some areas have 14.9 percent unemployment. Glass is the last thing on everyones mind right now. I doubt it will come back in the next 10 years. Peoples attitudes have changed. We now save 6 percent of earnings as a nation. The highest in a long , long time.

The government has spent so much money that we are in for high inflation down the road. Unless you are getting things at a steal don't buy it. I am having a very hard time moving things. I am aiming at 20 percent profit and can't do it. You ain't seen nothing yet. Supper Depression is on its way.

[TxSilver]

I think the glass market is picking up a little now. The trend seems to be to buy glass that is a good investment but is not too expensive to cause worry. I am seeing a lot of wisdom in buyers now. I am also seeing a reluctance of some merchants to adjust to the new financial environment. I believe that merchants should throw out the price guides, which are antiquated, and ask themselves what they would want to pay for something right now.

I don't know if the US will be able to do anything about its debt problem until people start paying attention to who they elect. Unfortunately, many of our politicians lack good moral character. Watching the news can be like checking on what the Mafia is doing in Washington. Looting the public coffers has been the way things are done since the 1980s. And if asked about it, the public servants say, "That's just the way things are done in Washington," like it is a good excuse. There are a lot of good people in Washington, but they rarely rise to the top. I guess they are hammered down by the party bullying that goes on.

Well, back to glass. There is a glimmer of hope in the glass market. I hope that Murano and Czech companies are able to adjust to the new market without going the Chinese glass route.

[tam bam]

I know this is off the glass subject as well but I have to agree with Anita about who we elect in Washington but it also has to be watched in your community as well. Where I live our town is in turmoil because of our elected officials and who they appointed into high offices. We just found out that a high official has scammed a lot of businesses in town and talked them into commiting fraud with him unknowingly. The same official also stole tax payer money. I think the count is now up to $80K. To top it off most the Commissioners and the Mayor have turned there backs on the people and are trying to cover it up. There are only two elected Commissioners who are siding with the people and now the tax payers have formed our own political party to beat the current elected officials out of office this coming City elections. Wish us luck!

The point is not only is this kind of thing going on in Washington but also in Cities all around the U.S. as well so be careful who you elect.

Anyway, I am sorry this was off the glass subject but Anita made a very good point and I wanted to take it to also a local level in your town.

tam bam

[TxSilver]

I agree with you about the local politicians. People are affected more by their local officials than they are by the federal, but most people pay little attention to who is running in local races. State and federal people usually get their starts in local positions. Choice of good people in the local positions can have a lot of impact down the line.

People often ask why their politicians can't seem to quit spending money. They don't follow it up by asking why their politician seems to have more money than his/her salary should provide. The reason is well known in larger cities with known corruption, but it is just as prevalent in small towns. We had multiple scandals in Alabama and Georgia... but still the people voted for the same people. It was probably name recognition -- a really dumb way to choose an official. Sometimes I think if Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were still alive, they could become the state senators in Texas :-) I mean, everyone knows their names.

[tam bam]

You are very correct Anita. That is exactly what happened in my town. The people will go by name recognition and now we are to the wiser and it is going to change. Getting out to vote is very important but also find out more about who you elect before you vote is just as important.

tam bam

[RStocker]

I am a consertive and the Republican pary has left me behind. Socialism does not work. That has been proven every time it has been tried even in the begenning of American history. The government has been the cause of all this mess if you realy get to the bottom of things.

We may not be able to buy our veggies but we will have our glass to look at. LOL

[tam bam]

You have a good point Rstocker.

tam bam

[RStocker]

I think the glass market is picking up a little now. The trend seems to be to buy glass that is a good investment but is not too expensive to cause worry. I am seeing a lot of wisdom in buyers now. I am also seeing a reluctance of some merchants to adjust to the new financial environment. I believe that merchants should throw out the price guides, which are antiquated, and ask themselves what they would want to pay for something right now.

I don't know if the US will be able to do anything about its debt problem until people start paying attention to who they elect. Unfortunately, many of our politicians lack good moral character. Watching the news can be like checking on what the Mafia is doing in Washington. Looting the public coffers has been the way things are done since the 1980s. And if asked about it, the public servants say, "That's just the way things are done in Washington," like it is a good excuse. There are a lot of good people in Washington, but they rarely rise to the top. I guess they are hammered down by the party bullying that goes on.

Well, back to glass. There is a glimmer of hope in the glass market. I hope that Murano and Czech companies are able to adjust to the new market without going the Chinese glass route.

I know you have kept a closer eye on glass sales than I have but here on the west coast you can not give it away. My daughter in Indian sells it cheap just to keep things moving. I do not consider glass under $2500 to me a headge against inflation or a good investment. I am supprised you say you see a move in the glass market. I know good quality items always will sell. There are always people with money to spend even in bad times.
I won't start on politics. I am a political junky. LOL They all have me spitting shards of glass. LOL

I have a great art glass collection. I am not that fond of the Murano glass but I have some beautiful pieces of Vinetian glass. I have sets of gobblets with fruited stems, bowls, candle sticks and some other great items in my collection.

I have been finding more Chez and Murano pieces and have been picking them up on the cheap and enjoying learning about new things.

[TxSilver]

Now I'm confused. Venetian glass is made in Murano. So you must be fond of Murano glass if you like Venetian glass.

[RStocker]

Nope, The older Vinetian glass and the new glass are two different styles. I am not a big fan of the newer glass. The artistry and craftsmenship is just not there compaired to to victiorina era glass. They are two different styles. I have 2 homes full of fine antiques and furniture. I also have a condo that is totaly contemporary. Each art movement of the 20th century had a literary movemnet and cultural movment that went with it. More or less each was a rejection of the movemnet before. Some of the most contemporary furniture came from the 1920's. While there is beauty in simple free forms I prefer the more artistic forms. Just me. You don't need to like one to like the other. Art is subjective. Art is a funny thing. If you get into the right galery and social circles you can become rich and well known. That does not mean your art is any good in my book. Only about 10% of anything made is realy good. Some art should be at the tip instead of a museum in my book but then that is just me. LOL

The one thing that comes to mind in the antique business is pine furniture. The importers ran out of good furniture and started pushing and importing pine furnitue. It as a poor mans furniture in its day and was junk then and it is still junk now but look at the prices it comands. They say worm hole make it more valuable. Give me a break. People buy what they think everyone else is buying and they buy into what is said about it not knowing anything about it. It cracks me up. You can lead most people right off a cliff. It happens every day in banking or any business for that matter. Look at all the health kicks. All are a scam. LOL

I know about import furniture. I imported and sold about 40 cargo containers full of the junk. Some good pieces but for the most part it as junk.

There is beauty in all froms of glass. I have them all in my collection but the newer glass just does not stand out as special to my eye. I have display cases in every room and I have the old and new mixed. When you look at it the new is like the background in a painting. The old glass breaks the picture plane. If you put all old glass in one case it gets to be to much to look at like a good art gallery. The paintings can be so rich they are like sweek candy and be to much. The new Getty Museum here in LA is fantastic. The architect broke up the rooms. You go thorgh passages that let you see the outside gardens and give your eyes a rest. If I put all the new pieces in a diplay the meld together and nothing stands out either.

In my condo I have larger art displays that stand alone. The more modern art is ment to stand alone. It works well by itself.

Now I have you totaly confused. It is just my taste. What every anyone likes to collect and enjoy is just fine. You don't need to like one to like the other. There is so much to learn and so little time. Many things are not what the seem to be. Some things that look new are old some things we think may be several hunderd years old can be much older.

The antique road show cracks me up on the every day junk antiques. They put no value on some of it. Some things they day are worth $10 I have sold for $80 or more. What is it worth? What you are able to get for it at the moment you are selling it. I am not being critical of anyone. I am wrong many times about things.

I give seminars to docoral studens and eye doctors on coloour and how they can play agianst themselves. They have new eye implants and doctors were usning a blue block that as messing up the colours people see. I have one good eye and one bad because they coud not put the new implant in my eye. I have studied colour and art design for years. My professor at Yale was was fantastic. My eyes see shift in colour that the normal person will never see Just because I have done thousnds of colour studies. You can tell the maker of glass by the colours in the glass or by the syle. Things start to show up when you learn the makers work. The same thing is true with a painting. Brush storkes, the colours that are used on their pallet. The subject matter etc.

I have been finding many pieces of Murano glass and other forms of art glass cheap. It is a sleepers market. It get tossed in with junk glass most of the time. I just desided to learn more about Sweedish, Murano and other glass forms. I am not an expert on any catagory of antiques. Then again I collect what I like. Hand carved furnitue and the like. Anything that is hand crafted will have some value in the long run.

I am an epert in design, bulding, sailing and farming. As Will Rogers once said "I like everyone I meet, I just like some better than others" The same way with art and antiues for me. I like it all, some just better than others.

[RStocker]

Now I'm confused. Venetian glass is made in Murano. So you must be fond of Murano glass if you like Venetian glass.


To answer you question a little better. I know Vinetian glass is made in Murano. When I think of Vinetian glass I think of glass before WII or 18th or 19th century. When I think of Murano glass I think of glass from WII to the present time. When I think Vinetian I think old style eligent glass not the more modern. I know they are one in the same. I get confused in my my world also. LOL Hope this helps you understand my world. LOL

Don't hold me to those time frames. It is just a time when glass designs were changing.