Denise Larcombe’s Five Decades of Glass and Giving
Since 1982, celebrated Australian glass designer Denise Larcombe has contributed to Powerhouse life in a variety of important roles – for nearly half that time as a weaver and Powerhouse Volunteer.
‘I’ve been busy my whole life. I think I had seven weeks off when my daughter was born. I learnt to weave so I’d have something to do when I stopped. That was my life: my craft. Coming here, I needed something creative.’
For almost 45 years, Denise Larcombe has contributed to Powerhouse with activities spanning curatorial research, acquisitions and education, and for nearly 20 years as an official Powerhouse Volunteer. Until 2007, she juggled these roles while also being a leading Australian industrial designer, working primarily in glass. ‘There was always a motivation to stay involved with Powerhouse,’ Larcombe recalls. ‘When I stopped work [as a designer in 2007], I wanted to contribute more.’
After graduating from the National Art School in 1961, Larcombe worked for a time in David Jones’ art department before joining Crown Crystal Glass in 1967, becoming one of only a handful of female industrial designers working in Australia. The Sydney company in Waterloo was the largest and most successful manufacturer of Australian domestic glassware in the last half of the 20th century, and its extensive collection, including Larcombe’s archive, is now part of the Powerhouse Collection.
