[PA-NJ Glassblowers] Two 10-Year Anniversaries: Third Degree Glass Factory and West Michigan Glass Art Center

Sun Oct 7 12:27:46 EDT 2012

https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/27230/third_degree_at_10_092612

Third Degree Glass Factory gets ready to celebrate 10 years

By  <https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/list/AND[AUTHOR[kara_vaninger]]> Kara
Vaninger, special to the Beacon

7:12 am on Fri, 09.28.12

"Glass blowing had always been a secretive art," mused Doug Auer, glass
artist and co-founder of Third Degree Glass Factory as he showed me around
the sprawling space last Friday. "But not here..." he said, gesturing to the
huge area behind a transparent glass wall where two ovens radiated a harsh
light and an attentive audience experienced a demonstration, well-guided
with an easy-to-follow commentary on the process.

https://www.stlbeacon.org/lantern/public/resources/content/27230/images/DSC0
0437_12665.60.JPGhttps://www.stlbeacon.org/lantern/public/resources/content/
27230/images/DSC00430_12666.60.JPG

Photos from Kara Vaninger

This particular art form has an intriguing history - the most famous chapter
of which is the sequestering of all Venetian glass blowers on the island of
Murano during the Middle Ages. Explanations range from fire prevention to
the Venetian Republic maintaining a monopoly on the industry; but, whatever
the reason, both the ritual and the result still captivate today.

Every third Friday of the month, Third Degree opens its doors and encourages
the public to "play with fire"; revealing the secrets behind the art of
glass blowing through free demonstrations and family-friendly mini classes
where young and old can create their own piece ($25-$35). This particular
Friday had an autumnal focus, featuring a glass Pumpkin Patch and a candied
apple sampling bar. The trio Bunnygrunt provided background tunes while fire
spinners danced with flames in the courtyard.

Third Degree is truly set up to be a place of fusion for the senses: glowing
heat from the ovens and the fire spinners; music; the distinctive (and not
wholly pleasant) smell of the glass blowing craft; gorgeous colors and
textures in both the art and the tools used to make it; and as for taste,
delicious small plates and a variety of drink are both for sale.

"Living St. Louis" checks in on Third Degree Glass

After a tour of the classrooms and exhibit hall where artists who rent time
at Third Degree display their work for sale, I sat in on a demonstration and
watched the artist manipulate a glowing, liquid blob - originally a mixture
of unimpressive materials - that would eventually be formed into a thing of
beauty, made for light to shine through and on.

The three main elements of glass blowing seemed to be intense heat, the
careful use of gravity [ed: "The only free tool in the studio" according to
Ed Schmid!] and constant motion and, most importantly, a vigilance that
comes from the desire to create something both lovely and fragile. This
vigilance is also imperative to avoiding severe burns.

When I asked Auer about the "seared flesh" quotient, he assured me that
experienced glass blowers follow a well-traveled path and compared the
process to a dance with very specific steps and timing.  With this
confidence in the process and the artists who craft their pieces there,
Third Degree is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary on its next third
Friday.

https://www.stlbeacon.org/lantern/public/resources/content/27230/images/-1_1
2746.60.jpg

Provided by Third Degree "Playing with fire" is part of the entertainment,
not the curriculum.

The "blow out" will happen Oct. 19. When I asked Auer what they had planned,
he rubbed his hands together with anticipation and said that the central
force of fire would be taken to the next degree. A flaming "10" in the outer
courtyard will greet visitors, and the fire spinners will perform their
version of "Thriller." Inside a competition called the Pumpkin Death Match
will result in the gruesome demise of one unlucky glass pumpkin.

When asked if the present form of Third Degree reflected the original
vision, Doug laughed and started to shake his head. Then he stopped himself
and looked around the vibrant, colorful space filled with engaged,
captivated people and grinned.

"Actually, yeah. I wanted a place to blow glass and throw parties. And here
it is."

The basics

What: 10th anniversary Third Friday

Where: 5200 Delmar Blvd.,

When: 6 p.m. Oct. 19

Information:  <http://www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com/>
http://www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com/ or 314-367-4527

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/10/west_michigan
_glass_art_center.html

West Michigan Glass Art Center to get fired up for 10th anniversary with big
party (with photo gallery, video)

By  <http://connect.mlive.com/user/John%20Liberty/posts.html> John Liberty |
jlibert1 at mlive.com 
on October 05, 2012 at 9:31 AM, updated October 05, 2012 at 12:21 PM

KALAMAZOO, MI 

West Michigan Glass Art Center 

Photo by Mark Bugnaski | MLive.com

Michael Fortin, Studio Manager / Instructor at West Michigan Glass Art
Center in Kalamazoo, demonstrates the first steps for making a glass bowl to
a beginning glass blowing class.During the October 5th Art Hop the glass
center will offer a $50 program to create pink and white "ta ta"
paperweights in the glassblowing hot shop. The proceeds go to support the
Southwest Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control program (BCCC).West
Michigan Glass Art Center gallery (12 photos)

If you go

West Michigan Glass Art Center's 10th anniversary 
What: Live-action glassblowing, food, drinks, silent auction and live
classic rock band 
When: 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 
Where: West Michigan Glass Art Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., suite 100 
Cost: $10 ($10 per plate for food; $10 for two drinks)
Contact: 260-552-9802,  <http://www.wmglass.org/> www.wmglass.org

--  <http://wmglass.org.wowhostservices.net/Home.aspx> The West Michigan
Glass Art Center will be looking to celebrate, show off its new furnace and
have a little fun on Wednesday.

The WMGAC will hold a party from 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the studio
space on the first floor of the Park Trades Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave.,
Suite 100, to toast its 10th year anniversary.

The event will feature live glassblowing, food, drinks, a silent auction and
the classic rock band, Bambi & the Matrix.

"We wanted to celebrate ... We are a thriving non-profit. We've grown a lot
since the economy fell. We've gotten so much community support from
foundations and guests. We've been growing and moved down to this bigger
space," executive director Rebecca Boase said.

In 2010, the WMGAC went from four studios in the Park Trades Center to one
massive studio space on the first floor that houses several furnaces, studio
space and rooms for the variety of classes it offers.

The new furnace, installed in July, holds 385 pounds of molten glass. It
more than doubles the capacity of the furnace it replaced (175 pounds).

The new furnace, made possible by a pair of grants, allows the WMGAC to
offer more classes and requires far less maintenance from studio manager
Mike Fortin. Boase said the interest in glassblowing -- either taking
classes or observing demonstrations -- makes up about 50 percent of what the
WMGAC does.

Part of Wednesday's event will be a fundraiser to help to repay remaining
costs of installing the furnace, Boase said.

People who attend Wednesday's event will be able to see the new furnace in
action, as there will be a live-action glassblowing auction, where people
can bid on objects as they're being formed from a "glob o' glass" to a bowl
or vase, said Sherry Trautman, marketing coordinator for the WMGAC. She said
the artists will create works based on audience reaction, feedback. If
someone yells out they want a glass goblet, chances are the glassblowers
will cater to the request, Trautman said.

"I think that's going to be a lot of fun," she said.

Trautman said she expects seven pieces to be created for the live auction.
There will also be a silent auction of pieces made by the WMGAC instructors
during previous demonstrations. Trautman said there will be "quite a few"
items in a variety of forms.

The WMGAC will utilize the space behind the building for food and beverages.
The back door will be open, so people can easily move between the two
spaces, Trautman said.

For more information, call 269-552-9802 or go to  <http://www.wmglass.org/>
www.wmglass.org.

John Liberty can be reached at 269-370-7372 or  <mailto:jlibert1 at mlive.com>
jlibert1 at mlive.com. Follow me on  <https://twitter.com/JohnTLiberty> Twitter
@JohnTLiberty

Tony Patti

 <http://www.glassblower.info> www.glassblower.info

 <mailto:gaffer at glassblower.info> gaffer at glassblower.info

 <http://www.glassblower.info/qr-code.html> QR Code for Tony Patti -
www.glassblower.info

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 21242 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment.jpe 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 24441 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment-0001.jpe 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 26802 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment-0002.jpe 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 28281 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment-0003.jpe 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 9102 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://glassblower.info/pipermail/pa-nj/attachments/20121007/7c8e8938/attachment-0004.jpe 