2,000-degree Temps No Problem for CIW Glassblowing Lab Attendees
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| CIW Lab participants create colorful blown glass with a little help from Ignite Glass Studios staff. |
It takes a skilled hand and creative mind to produce the beautiful glass pieces displayed in art galleries, stores and homes – and Ignite Glass Studios gave people of all ages a chance to try their hand at it during a Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) Lab on Oct. 20.
“I’ve been blowing glass for over 16 years now, and the excitement of seeing somebody do this for the first time or the excitement on their faces never gets old,” said Pearl Dick, 36, an artistic director at Ignite who spends about four hours on each of her glass pieces.
A group of about 15 people traveled to Ignite Glass Studios at 401 N. Amour Street, where the front of the building held a gorgeous display of glass bowls, paperweights, sculptures and vials. But they headed to a giant warehouse in the back with all the furnaces and tools for creating the delicate pieces.
“I think doing it is a challenge, I really do,” said 50-year-old Pam Deverux from the North Park neighborhood “I didn’t really breathe a lot! But they are great instructors, so I think it made it easy.”
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| Attendees watched and cheered each other on from bleachers. |
Three Ignite employees helped each person through the process of holding a long metal rod and twisting and shaping the hot glowing glass at the end of the pole. When first removing the glass from the furnace – which can cause temperatures to spike to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit – the glass looked like a burning glob of orange metal. But after shaping it, the colors each participant chose started to show. Everyone watched eagerly from small bleachers in front of the furnaces, applauding each person after they finished creating their glass.
“I was first a little scared when I signed the injury or death waver,” said Chrissy Bruzek, 26, of Chicago. “That freaked me out a little bit, but I know these people wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t professionals.”
Lab attendees first decided whether to make a small bowl or paperweight. They instructors helped them get the glass and put it onto either a hollow or solid rod, adding pigment by dipping the steaming glass into small dishes filled with colored. Participants sat on a small stool and blew into the rod while the Ignite employees helped hold and shape the glass with a pair of long tongs. The last step was putting the pieces into the “cooler,” or annealer, where temperatures were about 900 degrees Fahrenheit to relieve the heat stress from the glass. The art needed to sit there for about 18 hours – otherwise it would crack.
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| Pearl Dick of Ignite Studios helps an attendee create blown glass. |
“I can’t wait to see it,” Deverux said that Sunday about her piece.
Her finished project was a white bowl, which she said was beautiful.
“I was delighted with it,” she said. “I have like eight people I want to give it to, I can’t decide yet.”
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Written by: Marlee Septak
Photography by: Marlee Septak
