Taming the Fire
Glass Blowing Workshop
The Columbus Area Arts Council, along with Columbus Museum of Art and Design, introduces Taming The Fire: A Glassblowing Workshop with glass artist Lisa Pelo on Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25. Lisa Pelo will conduct workshops and offer community members the opportunity to create their own glass paperweights.
The workshops, which begin on Friday afternoon, will take place on Washington Street between 3rd and 4th Street. On Saturday, Pelo will continue the glass blowing workshops in conjunction with ArtFEST, a popular annual art festival that features the work of local and regional fine artists and artisans.
There will be 10 glassblowing workshops over the course of the two days. Each workshop will be limited to 5 people each. “Although the workshops are limited to 50 people total, the number of people who can watch and be engaged is endless,” said Tami Sharp, program director of Columbus Area Arts Council. The first workshop begins at noon on Friday. (The complete schedule is listed below.) Cost of the workshop is $25 per person and must be paid in advance. Participants must sign up for a specific time slot by calling the Arts Council’s office at 812-376-2539 or stopping by their offices in The Commons at 300 Washington Street, Columbus.
“The Arts Council’s goal is to engage the public with the arts. This is a great opportunity to show the potential of glassblowing. We would like to develop this event into a permanent glassblowing studio and gallery in Columbus,” said Karen Shrode, executive director of Columbus Area Arts Council.
Columbus is one of five communities across Indiana that are part of The Indiana Glass Trail. The Glass Trail’s goal is to showcase the talent of Hoosier artisans and glass blowers that create magic with glass. The trail connects communities in which the tradition and history of glass arts can be experienced firsthand. “As part of the Glass Trail, it makes sense to have this workshop in Columbus and to encourage people to come to Columbus,” said Shrode.
On Saturday, starting at 11:00 a.m., area tattoo artists will create steampunk-themed chalk art. Artists will include Barbara Stump, Tyler Newman-Stump, Shauna Neukam, and David Newman-Stump of Skeleton Crew Tattoo. “Steampunk is the theme of this year’s unCommon Cause, our annual fundraiser. This is an interactive way to introduce the public to what steampunk means,” said Arthur Smith, director of marketing for Columbus Area Arts Council.
Lisa Pelo has been the Department Head of the Glass Studio at the Indianapolis Art Center in Indianapolis since 2005. Her studio HotBlownGlass is in Clayton, Indiana. Her work has been featured in galleries across Indiana.
The Columbus Area Arts Council is a public, not-for-profit corporation supported by private donations, the City of Columbus, the State of Indiana through the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Schedule
Friday, 8/24
7:00am Fire up furnace
12:00 - 1:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
1:00 - 2:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
2:00 - 4:00pm catch-up and break
4:00 - 5:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
5:00 - 6:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
6:00 - 7:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
7:00 - 8:00pm catch-up
8:00pm clean-up
Saturday, 8/25
4:00am Fire up furnace
8:30 - 10:00am Prep paper weights, set up tent space and fire up rest of equipment
10:00 - 11:00am Hands-on/demo (5 people)
11:00am - 12:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
11:00am 5 chalk artists on 300 block of Washington Street (steampunk theme)
12:00 - 1:00pm catch-up and break
1:00 - 2:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
2:00 - 3:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
3:00 - 4:00pm Hands-on/demo (5 people)
4:00 - 5:00pm catch-up
5:00pm clean-up
