Justine Ménard

Glassblower

©Joséphine Leddet

Functionality in graceful, feminine glass forms

Justine worked as a stylist before she turned to glass
Glass sparked her move from Paris to Barcelona during the lockdown
Her work speaks in soft transparency, inviting calm and elegance

Justine Ménard’s creative path began with a career in styling, but it was through glass that she found a more personal form of expression. “With glass, I feel as if I am speaking in my own voice,” she says. Justine’s work began with simple glass-beaded jewellery in Paris and soon grew into a deeper curiosity. This led her to Barcelona where she discovered a vibrant community of borosilicate glass artists and the space to grow. Justine approaches each piece intuitively, and lets breath and movement lead before thoughts interfere. “I try to create before the mind steps in,” she says. As Justine’s sculptural objects shifted into tableware, her practice reached new visibility. Today, her work speaks in soft transparency and invites a calmness that reflects a form of grace, femininity and elegance she now calls her own.

Interview

©Joséphine Leddet

©Joséphine Leddet

Did glass bring you to Barcelona?: Yes. After a weekend workshop with glass artist Agustina Ros, I felt something shift. My Paris studio had shut down and she shared her plans for developing a glass coworking space in Barcelona. I followed that impulse, even though my Spanish was barely there at the time.
What did the change bring to your craft?: I got more than I had hoped for. What struck me most was how naturally the glass community welcomed me. Working together at the furnace builds a unique trust that quickly brings people closer. My sense of belonging in Barcelona has inspired growth I had not foreseen, in my art and in myself.
What role has social media played in shaping your artistic journey?: I have shared my process and aesthetic on Instagram since the very beginning. This transparency has led to creative collaborations and interested clients. Social media helped me reach an international audience, especially in North America, where a gallery in New York presents my work today.
How did you start incorporating tableware into your art?: My work is guided by a sculptural and open approach. A colleague once remarked that one of my sculptures looked like a drinking glass, which inspired me to consider function more deeply in my pieces.

Justine Ménard is a rising star: she began her career in 2020 and she started teaching in 2021