A retrospective exhibition celebrating 30 years of glassmaking in Sandown is now open to the public at Glory Art Glass (21st September 2026).
It is a memorial show for the late Martin Evans, who founded the studio with his wife Nicola in 1996.
Martin and Nicola started Glory Art Glass as a family business and their two sons joined them as apprentices. The studio gallery has since become a fixture of Sandown.
What is on show
The exhibition brings together a large collection of Martin’s work. Paintings, ceramics, wood and metal sit alongside the glassware and the tools that Martin made and worked with.
Visitors can also learn about Martin’s background as they move around the gallery. An artist and maker first.
How the studio began
Martin’s interest in glass began when he became friends with Mike Harris of Isle of Wight Glass.
He went on to work alongside Mike for 25 years, building his skills and falling in love with the molten medium, before taking the leap in 1996 with his wife, Nicola, to set up their own studio in Sandown.
Keeping it in the family
For the past decade, Martin and Nicola’s youngest son, Ed, and his wife Hannah, have been running the studio. Ed inherited not only his father’s glassmaking skills, but also his flair for showmanship.
Demonstrations are an important part of Glory Art Glass, giving visitors the opportunity to see molten glass transformed before their eyes.
Visiting
The exhibition can be found at Glory Art Glass, 22 Melville Street, Sandown PO36 8HX.
It is open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm.
More information is on the Glory Art Glass website.
