IV. Read and retell the text:

The history of the chair establishment started as an experiment. In 1961 there was a small section of artistic plastic and glass processing opened. At the beginning teaching of glass production was rather complicated but magnetism of the material attracted attention of many teachers.

The first Chair of Art Glass in Ukraine was founded in 1964. An important precondition was the renewal of Ukrainian “huta” (blowing glass) traditions and stained-glass window, with the aim of achieving the high level of student professional training, the development of professional art glass and presenting its achievements on the world-wide scale.

The chair has achievements in the area of author glass. They are favoured by functioning of the only one glass-founding furnace for training and experimenting in Ukraine. Immediate execution of works in material develops conception of the world and modern vision of studio glass.

Since its establishment the chair has had 540 specialists who work in various spheres of decorative and applied art.

Since 1984 the chair has been training only full-time students and beginning from 1997 the chair has turned to the degree form of training according to educational and professional training programs for Bachelor’s, Specialist’s and Master’s degrees. Professor A. Bokotey’s educational and creative workshop is the next stage of the chair development. The chair has a great experience in training European level professionals.

The only chair in Ukraine of this kind carries out exclusive training if compared with other educational establishments.

The teachers of the chair base their work on contemporary scientific knowledge in the sphere of art glass. The rector of the academy, academician, Honoured Art Worker, T. Shevchenko prize winner A. Bokotey, associate professor, People’s artist F. Cherniak, Honoured artist of Ukraine O. Lasovskyi, associate professor, Candidate of Technical Science M. Losyk, associate professor O. Zvir, associate professor S. Martyniuk and others are famous artists in Ukraine and abroad.

The construction of a glass-founding furnace (1973) where V. Ivantsiv, M. Zavadovskyi and Y. Matsiyevskyi, huta experts, worked in different years was an important event in the chair life. The only woman huta artist in Ukraine S. Tymchak is working at the glass-founding furnace as a master and an author combined.

The main tasks of the chair teachers are the continuing of the Lviv huta glass school traditions and training of high quality specialists. These tasks demanded the development of special subject scheme and gradual forming of its own creative and industrial base, i.e. the art glass workshop.

A famous Ukrainian artist R. Selskyi’s participation in the chair work was very important for the chair development.

A. Soboliev was the first head of the chair (since 1963), followed by B. Halytskyi and M. Tarnavskyi while K. Malyshko, S. Smiyan and B. Khokhriakov were the teachers.

In 1974 young graduates N. Fedchun, V. Ryzhankov, N. Petrunina, S. Martyniuk and M. Shymchuk joined the chair.

Since 1975 there has been the laboratory of glass-foundry technology and student training. Later the teachers also were B. Voitovych, O. Zvir, B. Vasyltsiv.

In 1994-1997 the chair was headed by associate professor A. Bokotey, member of the Artist Union.

Along with the chair growth and the increase of student admission the teaching staff of the chair increased every year including associate professor R. Petruk and Doctor of Art Criticism professor F. Petriakova.

At present the chair body was enriched with such talented pedagogues as I. Striltsiv, O. Yankivskyi, O. Prynada, A. Petrovskyi, O. Shevchenko.

In 1997-2004 the head of the chair was associate professor O.Zvir, the famous glass artist, the member of Ukrainian People’s Artist Union. Since 2004 the chair has been headed by B.Vasyltsiv, associate professor, member of Ukrainian People’s Artist Union.

Today the chair body attention is centered on training the professional artists of the contemporary level who can work at the furnace, can organize the creative process in the glass-foundry industry, who are experts in glass-making technology, understand the nature of material, feel creative specificity of glass-making.

While studying the students are designing series of art glassware of different technologies, implement projects of compositions in material made by themselves or collectively with other authors.

In 1989-2005 the chair organized six International symposia of huta glass headed by professor A. Bokotey. Artists from more than 20 countries participated in them. Professors and teachers of the chair took part in the international symposia and exhibitions in the USA, Hungary, Poland, Russia and the Chech Republic.