teaching strategies/ideas Archives - Page 2 of 2

Fluxus Resource List

September 18, 2022March 14, 2024 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

A list of links to resources about Fluxus including exhibitions, books, press releases, websites, and other documents.

Tang JW, Nicolle ADG, Pantelic J, Jiang M, Sekhr C, Cheong DKW, et al. (2011) Qualitative Real-Time Schlieren and Shadowgraph Imaging of Human Exhaled Airflows: An Aid to Aerosol Infection Control.

Glass Flux Resource List

A Book of Surrealist Games (.PDF)
Book – Assembled in 1995

Fluxus : selections from the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Collection (.PDF)
1988 Catalog of Exhibition @ MOMA

Hans Ulrich Obrist Do it: the Compendium (BOOK)
2013 Compendium of Instructions by contemporary artists

Time and Motion Studies (.PDF)
1953 Report from Glass Technology Conference

Sol Lewitt Drawing Series (.PDF)
Pamphlet – 2006 Exhibition at DIA Beacon, includes wall drawing tites/instructions

Event Scores of Alison Knowles (LINK)

Silence: Lectures and Writing of John Cage (.PDF)
1939 Book

Work Ethic (BOOK)
Catalog – 1993 exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

Great Bear Pamphlets (LINK)
1965-67 Fluxus inspired pamphlets

Erwin Wurm One minute sculptures (LINK)
2017 Artist Website

The Glass Object (LINK)
2018 Participatory project by Celest Wilson documented on Instagram

Merce Cunningham (.PDF)
Article by Jonathan Burrows, includes scores

How To Make A Happening (.PDF)
1966 Lecture by by Allan Kaprow, there are 11 rules of the game

Notes on Choreography by Merce Cunningham (LINK)
Short Essay about translation of notations

Fluxus Scores and Instructions (LINK)
2008 EFlux Announcement; Exhibition in Denmark

Notations by John Cage and Alison Knowles (.PDF)
1965 Book, visible, but behind paywall

The Artist and Writers Cookbook (NEED SOURCE)
1961 Book with scores and instructions by (then) contemporary artists

40 Years of Rule Based Art (.PDF)
2005 Catalog/Press Release for exhibition

Performers Guide to Interludes for a Prepared Piano (LINK)
Instructions to recreate 1949 piece by John Cage

Additional Resources (Links broken or unavailable)

Performance Artist’s Workbook
2017 Book about teaching Performance Art

Draw it with your eyes closed Website
2012 Book and Website

Grapefruit: A book of Drawings and Instructions by Yoko Ono
1965 Book

The Fluxus Performance Workbook
1960-70 Edited Compilation – published in 2002, scores from 60s and 70s

LINK TO RESOURCE (GOOGLE DOC)

Resource submitted by Kim Harty

Pricing Structure Worksheet

August 24, 2022March 27, 2024 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

An easy-to-use spreadsheet for artists and designers producing sellable objects, created by artist and maker Heather Kraft. This worksheet provides a breakdown of cost of labor, fees, materials, markup, retail, wholesale, and asking price.

“This worksheet is a truth-teller, so it can be difficult to face. Work is expensive to make. Many artists and designers undervalue their work, according to what the market will pay for. Based on your results, you might decide the work isn’t worth the limited revenue stream. Be honest with yourself — and be kind to yourself.”

To use, visit the resource link below and make a copy or download the Google Sheets document.

LINK TO RESOURCE (GOOGLE SHEETS)

Resource submitted by Emily Leach

Flame Affinity Group Meeting Notes: The Impact of Virtual Communities on the Field of Flameworking

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

GEEX Flame Affinity Group
The Impact of Virtual Communities on the Field of Flameworking
June 20, 2022 7pm EDT
Facilitated by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith

Notes compiled by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith.
Entries in quotes are copied directly from the chat.
Each bullet point represents a comment by a participant.

Tracking independent flame education from the 90s to now:
- 1990s: books, magazines, ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers), mail order supplies
- 2000s: early online forums — GlassBeads.org, GlassPipes.org, WetCanvas, LampworkEtc.com, eBay, Etsy
- 2010s: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
  2020s: Zoom, TikTok, live streams
Flame Affinity Group:
- Connecting with a larger group of people. Allows us all to gather in a way that might not be very practical in the physical world. It is a different group online then in physical space.
On WetCanvas and LampworkEtc.com:
- Faceless nameless people on a forum, people used online names.
- Scoured glass-bead.org and glasspipes.org for inspiration. Any bit of info was so precious.
On self-selecting information:
- When learning, can be selective in what you choose to learn. That can be empowering to choose your path (as opposed to being tied to whatever info is available)
- Information overload – too much readily available & rich info out there now
- The responsibility of having to “vet” information online.
- “The fascinating thing about the abundance of information is that we’ve become dependent on things like algorithms to “curate” the flood of content, which is a double edged sword due to the biases the algorithms have, as well as the lack of transparency in the algorithms.”
On YouTube:
- Can find high quality videos of almost any technique – great for autodidacts
On Facebook:
- Facebook Groups for a very technical question from veterans
- For me, the Facebook groups are a lot like what the forums used to be. A good place to go for troubleshooting, to post a question and get a range of answers.
On virtual demonstrations and workshops:
- Virtual demos – much easier to do from your computer than to travel with your whole setup (and having to worry about event/conference hosts having your equipment set up.)
- When geographically spread out, we can still connect in a meaningful way. A lot of us travel, our equipment is portable, so it suits the community that we are all able to connect in virtual space.
- I don’t know a lot of lampworkers locally, thankful that [the opportunity to give a presentation online at a conference] happened during covid, or I probably wouldn’t have tried it otherwise
- Gave a demo for the ISGB, and was able to do that online, and most of the audience didn’t know my work yet. It was when we were super isolated.
- Online workshops that are interactive, and not just a presentation still feel relatively new
- Keep up with what’s going on with the community without risking getting Covid.
- Took a history of flameworking class online through the Corning Museum of Glass
- Discord – used it to take a class by Scotty Mickle
  - class platforms used: a mix between Twitch and Discord, interesting that there’s not one platform to support everything yet – it’s still a mix of multiple platforms.
  - day-long class, taught from his studio, students are in their own spaces, can be comfortable talking with the instructor. Other studios just don’t work in the same way, but the format worked well for flameworking.
On Instagram:
- Use Instagram a lot, as a research tool, to connect with artists and see what they’re doing right now, more behind the scenes stuff
  - Love the instantaneousness on Instagram: less lag time between content creation and consumption as tech develops
- In the context of neon/plasma I started using Instagram in 2016, it was the cherry on top of getting info.
  - I learned fundamentals in person, and then added better techniques and tips. Pick up random tricks on social networks. Now I do peer to peer: ask a question, get advice from people I know.
- With improved quality of tech in IG, can video chat to troubleshoot in real time, peer to peer, great for community. Live tech support.
- IG to see what techniques are being developed, how something can be made
- IG Live – in order to boost engagement to get a better place in the algorithm
  - (ex: @bostondistillery – live Q&A for free on Thursday evenings – useful resource, takes requests)
- Importance of having an IG presence in order to be visible to the (pipe) community.
On LinkedIn:
- Business to business
- Good for finding jobs, networking with other professionals

TikTok to veg out and for visibility, Instagram for inspiration, Facebook groups for specific info because they are easily searchable, but I’ll be a lurker on Facebook.
On FB, lots of people who are very knowledgeable, also people who don’t have experience socializing with people.
I have a different relationship with every platform.
I have the platforms linked together for posting
I use different platforms to interact with different audiences. IG for peers, FB to interact with knowledgeable makers and get advice from many different people
TikTok vs Instagram – videos on TikTok have a wider reach, but I don’t know anyone on TT. Viewers on IG are people I know, so I care more about their reactions.

There are grants to support BIPOC now (after [the uprisings for racial reckoning starting in 2020]). I got a shared announcement on IG. Would not have seen the open call otherwise.
Equality situation – you might get feedback, but what’s a comment when you’re trying to pay bills, not a lot of value on IG.
LinkedIn – in a professional world – had a show and connected with other people of color, who can buy expensive art.
- Wrote a story about a piece in the exhibition, great feedback, and hit the target audience.
- Used the LinkedIn network, resulted in a sale, successfully targeting black professionals who are making money, making change.
LinkedIn – I think the algorithm is a little more equal, value does not depend on likes
GEEX is a special and unique space – algorithms are not affecting our content in this space
I am dependent on social media as a part of my practice.
- These platforms are “free” and that’s amazing, but what is exchanged – our clicks, our data, our attention, our information.
- It would be difficult for me to start over and not use these platforms because I‘ve invested a lot of time in the content
“Affordability, internships, mentorship, training as a trade”
Virtual mentoring

My business does not rely on social media, although I enjoy it, and find it an effective way to keep in touch with friends
Because of the age of the people I’m doing business with, I could probably do without social media and still be OK. How big is the role of social media?
Teaching a class, and a lot of people know me from social media, brought a new audience to my teaching. This just happened since the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit, I made a shift from selling to shops to selling off my own website, and social media has been a big part of that.
Rather than my work being seen in a shop or gallery, my work is seen online. I try to represent myself the best that I can online and in my videos.
I’m entering the creator space, and making videos. Now I become the product, when videos attracts enough views they want to pay you to keep making videos of glass.
Went from 20K range to 30-40K followers, started getting messages from IG.
- Set an account up as a business or as a creator and can get monetized status. It starts first with IG Live. I prefer to perform and make a nice video of a product I’d like to sell. @surfratglass
- What has really helped with boosting that is a combination of TikTok and IG because when something goes viral on TikTok it pushes people to your IG.
- You become the product after a little while.
I don’t have a huge IG followers, but I’ve noticed any post or story with my body in it goes to a whole different audience who then want to engage with me.
Having your face in your videos increases your reach.
Longer interview style videos don’t get as much of a reach, but when I added food or confusion (ex: ambiguity regarding scale), it attracts a larger audience. Coffee or ice cream, confusion as far as size, what things are for. @surfratglass
I feel like “discovery” and “staying in touch” are two very different things.
“I use social media mostly for the follow up and the discovery part is something I recently started to experience.”
“Word of mouth is super important still”
“Great reminder that your target audience might not even be on social media.”
“Personal interaction can definitely make more waves than virtual space.”

Social media is foremost a tool for visibility
“I’m kind of uneasy at how centralized all the platforms are. There’s a lot of influence on the entities that run the platforms that affect the communities, and it’s often done without any awareness for smaller communities like the flameworking community.”
“I find that I use platforms out of necessity because so many people are relying on them as a primary source, but I’m anxious to be so dependent on a platform/company that views me more as a product than a customer.”
I use social media to raise awareness of flameworking, usually for people who have no idea what glass is or flameworking is
My audience is often a non-glass audience, or a beginner studio audience
I like the internet because it allows me to see glass through fresh eyes
It allows me to stay excited and engaged in the community (through the lens of my viewers)
Is it possible to be successful without relying on social media? Has it become an obligation? How do we define success? How can we define success without visibility on social media? Is it worth doing? What are other ways we might define success?
Social media has helped accelerate the pipe community. The audience is 18 or 21 years old (let’s hope), but they’re younger and are in a place in life where they don’t have as many bills and are able to buy things, and they are on their phones a lot.
It feels like pipemaking has pushed the boundaries of what social media can do. Capitalized as using the internet for a gathering place and a market place in a way that has given a lot of visibility and also connection which I think makes us stronger.
Success of the flameworking community (visibility) and the timeline of how technology has accelerated seem connected.
More ways that people can share their work in the glass community (visibility)
Glassblowers from Blown Away (winners or contestants) have done very well on social media @garmezyglass
Flameworking pipemaker situation – at the very beginning I started flameworking with Bob Snodgrass in Eugene, Oregon, in 1994. That’s where flameworking was, for the most part. It was community-centric, in Eugene and also at festivals. Grew to Bellingham WA, and Corvallis, OR. Now there’s a strong presence in Colorado. I think it started in person and then grew.
Even before the internet, pipemakers knew of each other, the community was developing in real life
Following festivals, there was a whole economy following these touring bands. A lot of glass being sold, and a huge presence of colored glass and then people started showing the glass outside the community. It gave a big bump to the underground community even before the internet. Social media then emerged from that.
Boosted visibility through google search engine as a glassblower in Los Angeles (pushing for that boost to feed the algorithm.) Now I’m in a place with a cool physical community with open studios, hangs, etc.
If you put your work online, it encourages friendly competition. They’re not going to be as afraid to respond to it. I have to represent my work to vastly different types of demographics.
Downsides of sharing on social media:
- Infringement on Intellectual Property:
  - Opens you up to copying — then I have to do my own thing even better
  - A factory overseas stole the design for one of my pipes — got access to the design through social media
- Bullying:
  - When a video goes viral, I experience bullying. A lot of mean comments.
  - Impostors, spammers and fake accounts
- Social media can be a distraction or limit you
- Clients not all on social media, I have to go to them to find that desired audience
- Social media does not cover my personality even close – I’m great in person, and I gotta be in the streets.

“The field can only be democratized to the extent that the platforms are democratized. I think we need to think about democratizing the platforms/technology in order to further democratize the field.”
“Making our own platform?”
Getting together with this particular group – what looks to me like a cross section of the flameworking world. This programming is very satisfying. Could we build out more programming to support making work in virtual space?
We don’t have control over the big social media platform, but something like GEEX seems like a safe space with wonderful people. It seems democratized for now.
Co-learners have a chance to access a lot of resources
As a flameworker, I spent 12 years alone in my studio not talking to anyone — so this is revolutionary. I might see these people once a year, if that, so a virtual community is appealing.
Democratize the platforms in order to democratize the field. GEEX is a startup that we made to function this way. Not all platforms are limited by the algorithms.
Could we add more functionality to the programming? How can we build it out?
- Discord – a little more unilateral platform. Good place to Push a notification if you’ve posted something online.
- “LinkedIn is also great because many folx are more likely to moderate themselves in a professional space.”
- ”Also interesting to throw into this mix the use of glassmaking/glassmakers in promoting sales for other major corps (ex: Cedric Mitchell’s super high profile Nike and Fitbit ads)”
- “Maybe social media is more useful for maintaining relationships after an in-person or 1-on-1 engagement”
“Hard to think of social media as democratizing as its such an influential platform for de-democratization…”

Facilitation collaborations to cross pollinate and gain more followers.
How do you integrate technology at the torch? Does this change the nature of torch time?
Can you walk through the nuance of using TikTok in the education space? Featuring your students’ products you platform who you’re teaching. How do you reach out to your students to feature their products?
- As a teacher, I disclose (about my social media practice) at the beginning of the semester in the education space. Ask about filming in the studio, comfort level – maybe don’t show face, show hands only, video a piece being made in several stages. Ask for consent before sharing. Credit their work, link to school, stages of checking gin at various points.
- Student work went viral with 23 million views across the internet. (boosted the student and school’s visibility on IG)
- This is the landscape we are living in right now.
At school we have an ongoing dialog about Instagram and the value of likes.
Technology in the classroom:
- Sometimes at school (older generations) require putting the cell phone away. As new people teach, this is a tool that everyone uses, so can we consider how to use social media responsibly (so it is not a distraction)
Use social media in a constructive manner
Using social media is a professional practice – creating a presence, creating an audience, growing an audience, creating content as a way to bring people into your practice.
For beginner students, social media can be a distraction (selfie at the torch) and also dangerous (safety) how to balance?
On marketing/entrepreneurship:
- Big gap in my education, and was never really taught how to market my work. A lot of people buy consumer direct, and now it’s direct to the artist, it can be a great way to turn someone into a successful artist and keep making money off it.
- Business practices class did not cover marketing
- Professional practice lessons are changing by the year and look different to how they looked maybe 10 years ago
- Taught Entrepreneurship to artists over the past 20 years, and have only started integrating social media in the past 5 or 6 years
- Entrepreneurship students use social media to find a specific audience, connect with an audience. Often niche markets (client) who is not easily accessible in physical venues.
I was surprised that my students were able to connect more easily online with their target audience that in person is NYC. The audience can be literally anywhere if you are selling things online.
I think there’s been a shift since the pandemic. Before 2020, in NYC, less so social media, more word of mouth. NYC art community is so small, mostly word of mouth to fill classes. I use social media if the class isn’t filling on its own. I was in the studio every day, and that’s how people found me.
How much do institutions rely on social media?
- Wider reach geographically and more advanced makers as a result of social media (and I’m at a different school) also depends on what the institution’s goals are with social media.

LINK TO RESOURCE (GOOGLE DOC)

Last updated: 8/1/22

Glassy Artist Statement Generator

May 26, 2022March 27, 2024 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

To promote the launch of the GEEX Writing Center with Ana Matisse Ana Matisse Donefer-Hickie in March 2022, the GEEX team developed a glass-specific, vague artist statement generator. By using the variables of first/middle/last initials and birth month to develop a random statement, this exercise opens a conversation about increasing and reinforcing writing skills for all learners and makers in glass.

This .PDF is available for use within classrooms and other learning spaces.

GEEX Glassy Artist Statement Generator. This document generates a randomized artist statement based on your first, middle, last initial, and birth month.

LINK TO RESOURCE (.PDF)

Resource submitted by Ben Orozco

Agreement for Inclusive Teaching and Learning

March 30, 2022March 27, 2024 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

A chart that outlines an agreement between faculty and students for inclusive teaching and learning.

LINK TO RESOURCE (.PDF)

Resource submitted by Kim Harty

Flame Affinity Group Meeting Notes: Flameworking in Institutions

February 8, 2022April 6, 2026 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

A group of flameworkers working together on a shared table for a flameworker performance by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith

GEEX Flame Affinity Group
Flameworking in Institutions
Oct 28, 2021 7pm EDT
Facilitated by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith

Notes compiled by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith.
Entries in quotes are copied directly from the chat.

Self-taught
Books and magazines
Open access workshops locally
Hot head torch kit
Fabricating for other artists and designers
Classes through a high school
Apprentice/ work for local glassblower
Making beads
Learning from being around other flameworkers
Learning from teaching & working collaboratively
Student in a university glass program
Resources from the Rakow Library
Bartering – production work for studio access/classes
Work at studio for access/classes
Watching You tube videos
The Bead Project
Doing production beadworking/flameworking
Learned from a pipemaker
Flame bench in the garage
Saw flameworking demo at RIT in high school
Salem Community College – associates degree flameworking
Learning on the job – scientific glassblowing
Flameworking in the summer during breaks from school
Always had instruction
Apprentice with scientific glassworker, developed lifelong mentorship relationships
Started teaching right away
Started in the hotshop
Contemporary Lampworking book by Bandu Dunham
Glass book by John Burton
Made pipes on the side (of furnace work)
Bead classes at a non-profit art center
Supplementary workshops
Production work – “get paid to practice”
“Apprenticeship with Bob Snodgrass”
“At a local craft center”

Within a university glass department
Supplementary workshops at open access facilities
Apprenticeships and internships with flameworkers
Outreach programs
Within a jewelry design program
In the context of entrepreneurship
Within the context of painting/ mixed media
Setting up a torch at home to practice
Scientific glassblowing
Related to engineering – rapid prototyping and fabrication
Professional mentorship
Scientific shop at a university
STEM programming
Scientific – lean on the fact that scientific glass working is a viable path (STEM)
engineering (R & D, silicon valley, scientific glassblowing)
In a Sculpture and Design program

No formal flameworking classes
Limited or no access to equipment
Facilities – “a torch in the corner” scenario in colleges
Flameworking discouraged in institutions (within context of furnace glass)
“Impossible” to get into glass classes at university
Hard to vet info found on the internet (you tube) for quality
Have to come up with funding for classes (grants, scholarships)
Available resources have toxic or “bro-ey” overtones
Experiencing queerphobia in community space
Distinction between furnace glassworking/ torchworking can lead to hierarchy/division
Only had access to soda-lime glass, no borosilicate
Hierarchy where one mode of working is pitted against the other
Having to spend a lot of time convincing people in institutions of the value and potential of flameworking
Perceived stigma of pipemaking
Flameworking is not regarded as a medium that is relevant in contemporary art or contemporary glass (stigma in the glass community and in the art community)
“Within larger art contexts, most people don’t know enough about glass to care which processes are used”
There isn’t much exposure to high school students (so folx can get a jumpstart on learning handskills)
Lack of opportunities available for flameworking – scholarships, grants, open calls for exhibit)
Lack of professional development in the arts (re: making money off our artwork/skills)
Being an artist is considered taboo, not economically viable
“Making money off your skills in art is still considered dirty and it is stunting the growth of our development as artists and the growth of our community.”
Opportunities available to Students coming out of glass programs and also their Peers in adjacent programs (ceramics, jewelry) are often low-wage, hard labor jobs often in glorified factory settings, even with an MFA
Attitudes that making marketable work is selling out.
Little to no skills are taught for how to make a functional or sellable object. Students focused on making conceptual work, so do not develop marketable skills and are often not even viable as an assistants in some situations.
Institutions are not set up to support long term access (‘overstaying one’s welcome”)
Toxic environments in some of the factories/businesses/institutions exploit and underpay workers.
Lack of women in the field
Lack of diversity in the field
A lot of these glass programs are in places dense with cultural diversity (cities, and rural locations as well), but this is not reflected in the programs.
Institutions tend to be old school, old boys club and still want things run a certain way (Legacy). But new generation is not feeling those attitudes.
Institutions don’t acknowledge these changes in the (art) world which is gravitating away from physical tangible things. Cryptocurrencies, NFT;s and digital art and changing the conversion, and the glass collector market.
GAS is largely white (though they are working on changing this)
ASGS used to have the “men’s tour” – glassblowing and the “women’s tour”- shopping
Not a lot of institutional resources to do outreach.
In university programs – mostly women in classes. In flameworking community college program – only a few women in the classes.
Instructors at universities may not feel comfortable teaching flameworking
Students have to weed through info on online platforms like instagram and you tube to find usable material. (ex: #lampworking on instagram)
Some of the opportunities available to students (jobs, etc. ) are known toxic environments.
Didymium glass is very expensive (for safety glasses) so not everyone can have safety glasses for large demos.
What can we do to help people have access who don’t know about institutions or think that existing institutions aren’t for them?
Should we focus on fixing the institutions as they are or start making something new?
Letters of recommendation, professional images of work, and submission and application processes are direct barriers to accessing institutions who do not have the resources.
Gatekeeping in the education system – our job as educators is to teach people skills they can use, not to decide who gets to learn.

“A big challenge that I see in accessing flameworking in institutions is having issues in accessing the institutions.”
“Not necessarily a challenge, but a lot of students want to learn pipemaking. I see why it’s taboo, but learning pipemaking only expands knowledge on vessel making in general”
“Lack of access to resources is a massive issue in UK. There is little opportunity to learn even as a vocational course in this country. The postgraduate programme i’m on has no full time tutors who use torches”
“the prejudice that hot glass workers have against flameworking carries over in institutions, in my experience I was the only person in my glass program with any significant flame working experience. I once had a professor tell me to stoop flameworking and focus on hot glass.”
“Money is a very important topic! What to do after school is a conversation that I did not hear enough about while I was in school. “
Business practices for flameworkers!
“Entrepreneurship on how to create a glass business needs to be a class and how to professionally market yourself for high paying jobs in glass as well”
“general business classes are not always very helpful to students looking to start their own glass/art business”
“The problem is can school find real successful entrepreneurs, you need to know marketing, product design and etc. The class would almost have to bring in a different teacher every other week or something”
“Some university programs strongly discourage students making production while in school “
“Try not to limit yourself” is a great saying, but there are people out there who have real limits. Like being able to sustain a practice is a real limit that people have to consider, which is where I think a lot of these production/business questions are getting at.”
“And it is a shame that the sort of diversity outreach work we need falls on the shoulders of BIPOC most times”
“I think a lot of it comes down to a lack of exposure into these communities. So many people just simply don’t know about flameworking”
““Letters of recommendation” are probably one of the biggest barriers to entry”
“The most difficult part of flameworking to improvise (that I’ve run into) is the safety part. I haven’t found a good alternative to the didi glasses to protect from sodium flare.”

Making new online spaces from the ground up which are inclusive and supportive (ex: facebook groups)
“I end up teaching my fellow undergrads how to work with the torch”
Insist on bringing torches and flameworking bench into the hotshop
Lead by example by flameworking in the hotshop and cross-pollinating
Consider all modes of glass working (flameworking, furnacework, etc. ) to be equal and valid.
Getting more recognition and visibility within institutions
Being an advocate for the value and potential of flameworking in institutions
Exposure to younger people could be beneficial to the community as a whole – high school and younger, also so the time they enter college program, they have some skills to build on
Educate the community on how to make a living with flameworking (jobs in the sciences – scientific glassblowing, R & D, tech, etc, and also entrepreneurship (pipemaking, etc. )
Create more opportunities for scholarships, open calls for exhibitions, and classes offered for glass and flameworking
Bring back apprenticeships
Bring in post docs, MFA all together in one class to encourage cross-pollination between the arts and sciences.
Create classes with more diversity to encourage cross-pollination (sciences, arts, engineering, etc. )
More university and institutional programming for flameworking (open access)
Try to collaborate with Scientific glassblowers in institutions.
Coming together to discuss inequities and challenges instead of dealing with it individually
Pooling our resources
Find a community college near you or be willing to travel to a community college for access/instruction
Educate students about viable and lucrative career paths in engineering, R&D, scientific glassblowing
Reach out to companies (silicon valley, engineering, etc. ) to create opportunities to gain experience/training for students while still in school through collaborative programming (internships, jobs, apprenticeship, professional mentorship)
Schools – improve marketing for professional opportunities in glass (engineering, etc.)
Schools could collaborate with tech companies, production companies to create opportunities for students
Prep students for professional interviews so they can get professional glass jobs in tech/engineering
Lead by example – Hire somebody and pay them well (so they can go out and do the same thing)
Open up more discussion about professional development in schools
Normalize being an artist who supports themselves with their art.
Normalize production work and fabrication as a viable way to sustain an income in the arts
Teach students more marketable skills – project management, handskills, teamwork, professional communication, budgeting)
Teach students to become self employed to support themselves (and normalize supplementing self-employment with other work)
Teach people to set up an independent torch setup (low cost/overhead)
Use the internet to connect with a market – the internet is vast! Harness the power of social media to connect with an audience.
Create diversity outreach programs to connect POC in local communities. – you can make a career in glass.
Bring more FREE opportunities for women and BIPOC folx
Get a group of artists engineers, makers, together and start showing some other models for what glassworking looks like – maybe online platforms like tic tok
Create new models and collaborations that contextualize glass in the context of cryptocurrencies, digital art, NFT’s –
address the changes that are really effecting the next generation and acknowledge a movement away from tangible/physical objects.
Create new spaces for the new generation – both digital and physical institutions.
Develop a “Kahn Academy of Glassworking”, instructional videos, maybe use a Patreon page to fund it.
Create programming with business programming geared towards creatives. (ex: program in Boston where students 12-14 yr. had business class in morning, alternated between flame and furnace work in pm and had a gallery to sell work in as part of the program.)
Continue building the community when we start to pull people in (through outreach programs, etc. )
Make resources available to teachers to make it easier for people to teach flameworking.
Showing examples of artists work to show many different ways to flamework – maybe in an open source online gallery scenario that could be searchable.
What is the most basic (inexpensive and simple) systems that can be set up for flameworking and what can be done with that? (Ex. stringers and an alcohol candle, hothead torch, etc. – creativity comes from limitations)
Provide longevity within institutions to support glassmakers. (who do not have access to resources)
Vet opportunities for students that are safe and not toxic work environments.
Get a diddyclip or didymium filter for your camera and a television and present the demos for the public on a screen so that everyone can safely watch.
Compiling high quality educational videos that are vetted for teaching.
Put videos out of instructional demos (even in the context of a business, or product making) – process videos will help your business.
Do away with letters of recommendation – direct barrier for scholarships, access to institutions for POC
Rethink application and submission processes for accessing institutions to remove the barriers for POC – maybe set up a table in the community and register people at in person events. POC might not have extra time/leisure time so meet people where they feel comfortable – make it easy and remove the barriers for entry.
Build a new system that’s not based off the western (white, privileged) way of doing things from the ground up.
“Could GEEX be a viable platform to experiment with making new systems?”
“Have your Art Dept. come to your glassblowing area to try things out. “
“I think schools that teach glass processes have a responsibility to introduce flameworking as it is the most accesible way to continue glassworking after students graduate and keep their hands on glass”
“The glass world needs to lean more into science and engineering”
“A new age glass center might be a good idea to create, these older school center are stuck in their ways.”
“I think a place like Salem and other organizations could create a youtube channel together”
“I like the idea of creating something new. I also feel like the existing institutions have a lot of baggage to overcome and wonder if it would actually be easier to start something new rather than fix what’s there.”
“Maybe every few weeks someone create some piece of art and science and Salem post to there youtube”
“more women in the field”
“I was hoping to create a direct alternative to Torch Talk on Facebook with the Rainbow Flameworkers Coalition. I am afraid of retaliation from them if I name it as a direct foil to that group”
“More resources for BIPOC flameworkers, or environments for diverse flameworkers
more cross-pollination across disciplines”
“How can we create, offer, and expand on free classes for interested students?”
“online and in person classes, workshop, pop up store event and exhibition “
“There’s a part of me that thinks one of the basic steps of getting the field more diverse is to get more people started in that field. And I think a part of that is to figure out how to get more people started with the bare minimum about of startup costs.”
“People of color need to see that it’s possible to make money off of glass”
“What about creating a mobile studio and going to underserved areas and doing demos?
The other question is, how can we provide free lessons in glass, while still paying the teacher for their work and experience”
“visiting predominantly BIPOC highschools in the area?”
“You could take a few students and host a workshop at several different BIPOC highschools
This is something that would benefit Tyler School to do too! we’re around so many schools k-12 yet seldom visit the shop”
“The bare minimum to get started that I found is getting a MAPP gas torch, some stainless steel welding rods, some clay for bead release, and a crock pot full of vermiculite for an annealer. (And some glass, of course)”
“And when privileged white folks are the ones reaching out it doesn’t always give the right impression”
“mutual aid”

YouTube videos (playlists, vetted)
Workshops at local open access glass facilities
Books and magazines
Facebook groups
Resource Exchange (GEEX) – open source resource lists
Open access programming (Pilchuck, Penland, Pittsburgh Glass Center, etc. )
Community College (for cheap access) (Salem Community College)
TikTok
GEEX Affinity Group
Outreach programs like The Bead Project, Glass Roots
Community college is FREE in NJ for anyone with Gross Adjusted Income of less than 65K/yr
Supply lists for setting up a basic teaching studio and a solo flameworking setup.
A collection of videos showing what flameworking looks like in different parts of the world.
Playlist of Lectures (historical, contextual)
https://libguides.cmog.org/flameworking
Playlist of youtube videos circulation in pipemaking community (420 videos)
https://youtube.com/c/revereglass
https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=9239
“I took business of art classes at NYFA and at my local arts council. Check out resources in your area. They covered everything from marketing, websites, taxes, law issues, etc. (look beyond glass)”
“torch talk FB group although the culture is moderately toxic”
“GAS was my first venture out into the world of glass beyond Southern California”
“Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Residency – Corning …https://www.cmog.org
“michigan glass project seems to be doing something right”
“PGC offers many opportunities to the glass & non glass community. “
“I put my demos on blackboard for the University of Ma. YouTube for the University of Vermont”
“I always recommend a hothead torch and beadmaking kit when people are really interested. Could even hand these out”
“Love the online gallery idea – great for new students, but also to help the public understand the potential of flameworking”
https://www.didyclips.com/product/didyclip “Or You can make one with a lens from some broken glasses”, “also Aura lenses makes a similar product, also one that screws over a DSLR camera”

Make more inclusive and supportive community spaces
High quality vetted videos for teaching (especially beginner)
Develop a “Kahn Academy of Glassworking”, instructional videos, maybe use a Patreon page to fund it.
Showing examples of artists work to show many different ways to flamework – maybe in an open source online gallery scenario that could be searchable.
“Access to maintained torches and equipment better designed for torchworking (Kilns, tools, ect) with my current school specifically.”
“residencies & idea furnace opportunities for non glass artists. “
A collection of resources, videos about flameworking. Flameworking demos.
More videos for absolute beginners – ex. Turning the torch on for the first time
A list of technical exercises for beginners to practice on the torch
“More resources for BIPOC flameworkers, or environments for diverse flameworkers”
“How can we create, offer, and expand on free classes for interested students?”

LINK TO RESOURCE (GOOGLE DOC)

Last updated: 8/25/22

Intro to Glass Art Demonstration Zines!

January 18, 2022January 26, 2022 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

“These are a collection of zines based on the demonstrations and visiting artists presentations during Art 3003 AU2021 at The Ohio State University, taught by Brianna Gluszak. Each student was assigned a demo or presentation to take notes during, then re-form their notes into a zine to be shared with the class. This assignment not only produced an interesting collection of written (drawn) glass resources, it also neutralized the need within the classroom for a note taker.”

GIF rotating between editions of Intro to Glass Art Demonstration Zines, made by the students of OSU.

First Day in Hot Shop – Celeste Carpenter
Bit Structure Demo – Victoria Taylor
Press Molds with Richard Harned – Helene Roussi
Stained Glass with Richard Harned- Sydney Mitchell
Collaborative demo between Andrew Newbold and Brianna Gluszak – Emma Morgan
Intro to Cold Shop – Henry Mayeux
Collaborative demo between Jon Capps and Molly Burke – Rebecca Irmen
Intro to Imagery on Glass – Mia Kordowski
Imagery on Glass (powder printing) – Madison Gladman
Visiting Artist Kim Harty – Gianni Giarrano
Visiting Artist Ben Wright – Kaitlyn Smith

LINK TO RESOURCE

Resource submitted by Brianna Gluszak

KSU Glass Resource Site

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

Kent State University Glass’ Resource Site, featuring helpful intro guides for glassblowing, mold-making, kiln-casting, and more.

“The most useful individual pages are: https://ksuglass.wordpress.com/technical-materials/ and https://ksuglass.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/glass-rescources/. The first is a (non-comprehensive) list of useful technical documents for basic glassmaking. The second is a list of links to material/info suppliers that students might find useful.”

Screenshot of Kent State University Glass Program's Glass Resource Site, featuring an image of a large blown vessel being worked on

LINK TO RESOURCE

Resource submitted by Davin Ebanks

Portable Polariscope

November 9, 2021March 16, 2022 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

“This is a design for a portable polariscope. A polariscope is a useful tool for viewing stress in transparent materials such as glass or plastic. Using either linear or circular polarization, stress in glass is visible through the polariscope viewfinder. It is a useful teaching tool for understanding the properties of glass or plastics, and a necessity in the glassblowing studio to aid in the fabrication, quality control and troubleshooting of glass work.”

Image of an illuminated portable polariscope. The 3D printed object features a portable flashlight that reflects onto two screens in parallel with each other.

LINK TO RESOURCE

Resource submitted by Amy Lemaire

What IS Glass?

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

“This is a lecture I gave in Feb 2019 at the invitation of the chemistry department of the University of Toledo. I describe in an accessible way for non-scientists what glass is. And offer examples of how that understanding can seed discussions on other topics about glass behavior.”

A Conversation with Dr. Jane Cook by Marilyn Horne on Knowledge Stream.

LINK TO RESOURCE

Resource submitted by Dr. Jane Cook

YouTube Playlists and Channels Related to Flameworking

May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 by geexadminin Glass Resource Exchange Archive

These lists are meant to be a starting point for teaching flameworking. Please use them to seed your own lists, cherry-pick videos for teaching modules, or enjoy as-is.

LINK TO RESOURCE

Resource submitted by Amy Lemaire and Madeline Rile Smith