NZG Announces 2026 Glass Interns

Two emerging artists selected for 6-month internship

Whanganui, NZ | Two early-career glass artists, Molly Elliott and Sarah Bartley, have been selected for the 2026 New Zealand Glassworks (NZG) Internship Programme, now in its second year with support from Creative New Zealand and The R Trust.

Running from April to October 2026 at Te Whare Tūhua o Te Ao - New Zealand Glassworks in Whanganui, the six-month internship provides in-depth, hands-on training and professional development for two emerging artists pursuing a career in glass. NZG Manager Madeline Prowd says the programme “gives artists a platform to grow, experiment and connect with the broader glass community. It's vital for nurturing the next generation of professional glass artists in New Zealand.”

Whanganui-born Sarah Bartley has a long connection with the city’s arts community. A graduate of the Quay School of the Arts (BFA Sculpture, 2005), she began working with glass during her studies at Whanganui Regional Polytechnic under David Traub. She later completed advanced glass electives at UCOL with Dr Kathryn Wightman in 2018–19 and 2023, refining her skills in cast glass, mould-making, and kiln-formed work. Bartley says the internship is “the perfect timing to immerse myself in glass practice and expand my technical expertise while exploring light, projection and sculptural form.” Sarah describes her current practice as exploring “interconnected themes of nature, spirituality, and the cycle of life and death”.

Molly Elliott, originally from Palmerston North, was first introduced to hot glass in 2021 by her art teacher at Awatapu College, glass artist George Agius. She later assisted Agius during her 2024 Artist-in-Residence at NZG. A graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts, Elliott combined her Fine Arts degree with studies in Biology and has also worked with silver alongside a jewellery technician. In 2023 she undertook an internship at Monmouth Glass Studio in Auckland, and received the Prime Minister’s Scholarship, completing a nine-week legal internship in Bangkok and a scientific lamp-working workshop in Chiang Mai. “The tension between time and heat, and the suspense of waiting days for the kiln to reveal whether a piece has succeeded, continues to captivate me” says Elliott.

The interns will be mentored by Stephen Bradbourne (AUK) and Lewis Batchelar (WAG), both experts in the field of glass who have gained significant recognition for their artistic and technical expertise with the material. Bradbourne is the co-founder of Auckland based lighting and homewares company Monmouth Glass Studio. He has over 30 years-experience working with glass and has exhibited extensively through Aotearoa and abroad. Batchelar was recently announced as the recipient of the 2026 AiR at New Zealand Glassworks. He has been recognised internationally for his innovation and artistic vision with the material, being a selected finalist in multiple international awards including FUSE Glass Prize (AUS) and Young Glas (DEK) and an invited instructor at the renowned Pilchuck Glass School in the USA. 

Selections for the 2026 Internship and Professional Mentor programmes were made by a panel of respected curators, artists and educators including Andrew Clifford, Danielle Rickaby, Katie Brown, Dr Emma Bugden and Dr Kathryn Wightman.

Past participants describe the internship as transformative. 2024 interns Bindi Nimmo and Nathan Moore, say it helped build confidence, skills and professional networks, while former mentor George Agius calls it “a vital pathway for practical training and creative development in glass.”

The NZG Internship sits alongside the organisation’s Artist in Residence and Professional Mentor programmes, all funded by Creative New Zealand, which continue to strengthen Whanganui’s position as the home of contemporary glass in Aotearoa.