Landmark Philanthropic Support Announced

JamFactory Secures Landmark Philanthropic Support to Strengthen Global Ties for Glass Artists

JamFactory’s CEO Brian Parkes announced significant new philanthropic funding aimed at supporting and connecting glass artists in Australia and the United States.

Thanks to the generous support of philanthropists Jim and Helen Carreker, JamFactory will launch through the Carreker Glass Fellowship, a groundbreaking initiative that will bring an influential mid-career glass artist from the United States to undertake a two-week residency at JamFactory each year for the next six years. The fellowship will be managed in partnership with the acclaimed Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass in the United States, who will collaborate with JamFactory to select the Fellowship recipients. The residency will allow the visiting artists to work and engage with local South Australian glass artists, fostering valuable cultural exchange.

In addition, a separate initiative will see an emerging glass artist from JamFactory travel to the United States each year to attend Summer Studio Classes at the Corning Museum of Glass. This prestigious program, which is taught by leading artists from around the world, will be fully funded, with tuition and accommodation expenses covered by the Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, and travel costs supported by the Carreker Glass Fellowship.

Jim and Helen Carreker, who were founding donors of the FUSE Glass Prize have long supported the development of glass art in Australia. Since its inception in 2016, the FUSE Glass Prize has become a significant event in the Australian glass art scene. In 2020, the Carrekers expanded their support to help launch the FUSE Glass Artist Residency alongside Dr Ian Wall AM (1931-2022) and Dr Pamela Wall OAM, providing fully funded residencies for Australian glass artists at JamFactory every alternate year to the biennial prize. Dr Pamela Wall OAM also generously supporting the acquisition of the Dale Chihuly Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier for it to remain permanently available for the public in the Adelaide Botanic Garden’s Palm House,

This new philanthropic gift, announced last night, includes an increase in the Carrekers’ annual support for both the FUSE Glass Prize and the FUSE Glass Artist Residency over the next six years, provided through Foundation SA in Adelaide.

Jim and Helen Carreker, dual citizens of the United States and Australia, have been passionate collectors of glass art for over 30 years. After moving to Australia in 2004, they established The Louise, a luxury boutique accommodation in the Barossa Valley, which featured the award-winning Appellation restaurant. Adelaide's status as a global hub for glass art played a key role in their decision to settle in South Australia. Jim also served on the JamFactory Board for nine years, significantly helping to broaden the organization's donor base. In 2021, the Carrekers sold The Louise and returned to the United States. In a statement, they said:

“The work of so many Australian glass artists has given us such joy. Over the years we have come to appreciate deeply the significant technical, creative, and financial challenges faced by artists working with this intriguing material. Creating opportunities that enable these artists to thrive is truly rewarding to us.”

JamFactory CEO Brian Parkes publicly thanked the Carrekers for their visionary support of glass art and artists, saying, “Jim and Helen’s extraordinary multi-year support will further strengthen ties between Australian and American glass artists, as well as the diverse institutions, galleries, and collectors supporting them across both countries. The long-term cultural legacy of this sustained and targeted philanthropy will be profound.”