6 minute read
Making the Cut
Fused glass course latest addition to the Arts curriculum
Watching the early steps used in creating a piece of fused glass art might remind you of a jigsaw puzzle or perhaps a game of Tetris. The artist uses pieces of glass cut into certain shapes, piecing them together to form a pattern or a shape.
Or perhaps they are using ground glass with a mold that helps form the shape. Sometimes the pattern or the color may not be evident until after it has emerged from the kiln, when what may have appeared to be a fragile, disjointed piece reveals itself as a beautiful work of art.
Lola Warren, an ASMSA visual arts instructor who teaches ceramics courses, has worked with glass since 2008. She started by taking a glass blowing workshop in Tennessee.
“After that, I was hooked,” she said. “I then experimented with fusing in my home studio and started to incorporate it into my ceramic work. I experimented with glass casting, fusing, slumping and glass blowing. Over time, I started working less with ceramics and working more with fused glass. I’m a little obsessed with it.”
Warren thought that a fused glass class would be a good addition to ASMSA arts curriculum. She said that there are so many ways to create art that sometimes students may not be exposed to certain techniques or media. She was an artist for years before she was introduced to ceramics and glass.
“I want students to learn about as many art forms as possible as early as possible to give them a more educated grasp of what’s out there,” she said.
Students learn to take glass cut into smaller pieces to create artwork and jewelry. That includes learning the correct way to fire the glass in a kiln so that the melted glass fuses together to make a pattern in a solid piece of art.
So, Warren proposed the addition of an Intro to Fused Glass course. After it was approved, she started floating the idea of working with fused glass to students in her class to gauge their reactions. Kaira Harper (’24) said Warren mentioned a glass jewelry-making class while she was enrolled in a ceramic sculpture class in the fall. She liked the idea, but apparently so did many other students.
“I thought it would be fun to close out senior year experimenting with an art form I’ve never tried before, so when it actually came to fruition, I took it. It seems like the word spread fast, too; by the time I made my way to my (Student Success Coordinator)’s office, there was only one spot left,” Harper said.
Charlotte Lammers ('24) was also intrigued by the class when Warren spoke to her about it in the fall. She had taken a few classes that used a 3-D medium and wanted to expand her art expertise by adding fused glass to her portfolio.
Lammers wasn’t sure what to expect in the class initially because she wasn’t didn’t know what glass fusion was, but she soon found out that it offered the opportunity to create some unique pieces.
“I knew I would have the opportunity to create jewelry, but I was not aware of all the abstract sculptures and landscape pieces one could create with shards of glass. Cutting the glass was much more tedious than I originally thought it would be. Skilled teachers always make everything look so easy! I was pleasantly surprised by the creative flexibility glass offered,” Lammers said.
Warren introduced the students to how glass has been used through the art world. Students made pendants, heart-shaped keychains, suncatchers, salad plates, tea-light holders and decorative trinket bowls.
Kiria Flowers (’24) wasn’t sure what to expect when she started the class, especially the variety of works that can be created from fused glass. She was surprised by what she learned, including different ways to fuse glass as well as the chemistry behind the process that influences the glass colors.
“My favorite part of the class was taking something I’ve been working on for weeks out of the kiln to see the final product. I loved kiln days. My favorite assignment was the complicated design project where we had to make a small plate or bowl using a 2-to-3 step process. I ended up choosing to make a blue flower plate which I absolutely fell in love with,” Flowers said.
Lammers and Harper also said the multi-fire project was their favorite assignment. Lammers created a miniature bowl using only shades of blue, although one ended up green after the final firing. Harper created a butterfly trinket tray that required five firings.
Each firing takes 15 to 24 hours, depending on the process. With 12 students enrolled in the class and kiln space that could accommodate three pieces, there were some limitations to the size and number of pieces students could produce. Warren even took a few of the pieces home with her to fire in her own kiln. Regardless of the limitations, Warren thought the students’ creativity came through in their final pieces. Some of the students were even able to sell a few of pieces to classmates.
Having unique classes such as fused glass is part of the reason the three students said they and their classmates chose to attend ASMSA. It’s classes such as these that will continue to draw students to the school.
“The main reason I and most of my friends came to ASMSA was to take classes at levels and in varieties not available at our sending schools, and that includes art classes,” Harper said. “For me, being able to have experiences like this has the same effect as being able to do elaborate labs in chemistry; it allows me to build a deeper understanding of the world around me with my own hands.”
Flowers said being able to offer an expanded list of art courses shows that ASMSA cares about the art department and art in general.
“When students gain the ability to choose between a larger selection of art classes, it allows them to focus on things they may be interested in besides painting and drawing. It allows for exploration, which I believe is what high school is all about,” Flowers said.
