Adrienne Diamond

The Glass Farm

Glass sculptor

The quest for one's instinctive material

Adrienne has been making sculptural glass works since the early 1980s
In response to the urgency she feels to pass on craft skills to the next generation, she founded The Glass Farm
Her work is driven by an ethos of sustainability and collaboration

Adrienne Diamond has spent a lifetime learning and practising glass sculpture and art. After obtaining degrees from The National College of Art in Dublin and from Edinburgh College of Art, she lived several years in Seattle, one of the world's epicentres of glass art since the 1970s. Returning to the UK, Adrienne spent the following two decades running her own glass studio in Scotland. Since 2010, she has developed the small organic farm she now lives on in rural North-West Ireland. The farm is involved in social farming, and supports projects for vulnerable adults to participate in farm work and craft. This is also where Adrienne has established The Glass Farm, offering workshops, masterclasses and studio space for hire for glass artists and makers. In 2025, Adrienne joined the Homo Faber Fellowship programme to support a fellow develop their practice as a glass artist.

Interview

How did you become interested in glassblowing?: When I first tried hot glass at college, I felt fear when dipping the pipe into the furnace, and that fear became a challenge. I realised very quickly that glass was an amazing material and even somebody starting off could have happy accidents and make beautiful creations.
What life lessons have you learned thanks to your craft?: At a workshop with the renowned sculptor David Nash, he talked about finding the material that suits your nature. It made me understand who I am and my nature. I am so lucky I found my material in hot glass, this flowing molten material that quickly becomes solid.
How does glass work stand in Ireland today?: I feel a real sense of urgency in the transmission of skills to the younger generation. There are so many incredibly skilful glass artists among my peers, but there is a growing skills gap now as so many teaching facilities and glass workshops have closed down.
What is your vision for The Glass Farm?: I aim to create a space for the transmission of skills and doing so in a sustainable and accessible way. The equipment is eco-friendly and small to start off with, so the studio space is affordable to rent. I love collaborating with people, and here I can share my own expertise and bring other experts in to share theirs.

Adrienne Diamond is a master artisan: she began her career in 1981 and she started teaching in 2000