GlasStation molds creativity

GlasStation instructor Mike Tracy guides Lyndsey Hogue as she makes her first gather of molten glass. (below) Emily Wilson polishes a piece of glass.

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Story & Photos by Angela Harne

The East Carolina University GlasStation has helped put Farmville on the map as an art hub in eastern North Carolina.

The GlasStation opened its doors in October 2016 and held its first class

in January 2017, under the direction of instructor Mike Tracy. Tracy, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., who now lives in Farmville, never intended to pursue a career in glass. He was an architecture major. “That lasted a day,” Tracy said. He then started to pursue a math degree. He got half way through that degree when he realized it wasn’t the right fit. He took a semester off and worked on

his hobbies, which were craft oriented, he said. He sculpted toy figurines and had an interest in art. He decided to major in art with a concentration in drawing. Enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington, Tracy registered for a glass blowing elective class.

“I fell in love with it. It was pure luck and by chance,” Tracy said. He graduated from college and eventually returned to his hometown, where he volunteered at the Crystal Museum in Norfolk, Va. There he met guest artist, John Miller, who started the glass blowing program at Illinois State University. “I was thinking of going to grad school. I applied and got in,” Tracy said. He earned a master’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in glass, and soon learned of East Carolina University’s plans to start a glass blowing program.

Farmville Magazine 2019

He applied and was hired in December 2016. A month later, he was teaching at The GlasStation in Farmville for East Carolina

University. In summer 2017, he began teaching classes for Pitt Community College, too at The GlasStation.

The GlasStation offers glass blowing I and II and advanced independent research studies.

The 2,400-square-foot facility is housed in the former Eason Gulf gas station, which was built in 1946. It features a grinding and polishing room, hot shop and spectator area. “I am infatuated by the glass process itself … the versatility. I love it,” Tracy said. Working with glass is a continual learning experience, too. Students are taught glass blowing skills, like how to gather molten glass from the furnace, manipulate the glass, polish and grind. They also create six fundamental shapes, including a straight-sided cup, angled cone, reverse cone, rounded bowl, a vase and a spun-out platter. Classes are held twice a week for three

hours per session. “When my students gather for the first time, I always tell them, ‘Remember this moment.’ It is scary as hell. Many are nervous. They are gathering molten glass that is 2,000 degrees,” Tracy said. “By the end of the semester, they are gathering without worrying.” For their final project, Tracy gives the students a theme to create a mixed-media

piece. “If the theme is green, I don’t want anything green, but rather what is means culturally,” Tracy said. “Politics or religion, pick one. I’ll give them six emotions and they have to pick one or I’ll ask them to do a nonliteral self-portrait. I had one student take an old window and make a shadow box, where one side was dark and the other was good. It showed the influences of life,” Tracy said. Emily Wilson and Robert Hudak took glass blowing II in fall 2019 through Pitt Community College. A ceramics artist, Wilson hoped to build her portfolio showing a combination of glass and pottery. “I’m learning new things and it’s fun,” Wilson said.

Glass blowing is a completely new art form for Wilson.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity. Not Instructor Mike Tracy gathers and shapes glass into a vase.

Emily Wilson (above) shapes hot glass.

Marilue Cook (far left) gathers glass. Robert Hudak uses the belt sander machine to grind a piece of glass.

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many people can say they learned glass blowing,” Wilson said. “I’ve been somewhat successful, and hope to get better.” Hudak, a painter, is also thankful for the opportunity to learn another art form. The different shapes and colors of the glass inspire him, he said. “I want to learn techniques and skills to infuse into exhibits,” Hudak said, adding he wants to use an “emphasis on lighting” to enhance the glass.” Lyndsey Hogue is a first-year glass blowing student. “I’m doing it,” she said, as she completed her first gather of molten glass. “I’m excited and nervous.” Hogue attended a glass blowing demonstration and knew immediately she wanted to be in the hot shop learning the skill.

“I wanted to try something new and take my mind off my patients,” said Hogue, a full-time nurse. Eric Moore and Marilue Cook are second year glass

blowing students. “I thought I would try it out, and fell in love with the process. It is addicting,” Moore said. “I have a passion. I want to conquer the next step to get the glass to do what I want it to do.”

Glass blowing is a dance of sorts, Cook said. Using a hollow pipe, students gather the 2,200-degree molten glass. “It is liquid, so it is a challenge to keep it from dropping off the pipe, so you can form a shape. You have to dance with the pipe and dance with your (glass blowing) partner,” Cook said.

Once the molten glass is gathered, the student blows through the pipe to form a bubble. Then the student gathers more glass on top of the bubble. “You are blowing to push the air out to form the vessel you want to form,” Cook said. “You must keep the heat profile, so the glass doesn’t crack.” Like Hogue, Cook attended a glass demonstration and decided to enroll in the continuing education course. “I have always been fascinated with glass. It is art, chemistry and physics. It is hard, yet magical. Every shape has its own challenges, and then when you add color that’s a different influence and another challenge,” Cook said. “This is an amazing opportunity, not only to learn glass, but to learn the medium.”

Moore finds glass blowing “intriguing,” he said. “It is a complicated process, but fun. I think everyone should try it,” Moore said. And try it they are. Students travel to The GlasStation from Goldsboro, New Bern, Wilson, Greenville and beyond. “The Farmville community is so welcoming. This is a great thing for them. It is a special place. They are lucky to have it,” Cook said.

How the glass turned …

Bynum Satterwhite, the trustee of the DeVisconti Trust, approached The Farmville Group, a grassroots organization of four local businessmen who work behind-the-scenes to

encourage growth in Farmville’s downtown, several years ago, sharing his wish to use assets from the trust toward bettering Farmville, to spur growth by leading with the arts. In turn, Randy Walters, a member of The Farmville Group, approached Chris Buddo, the dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at East Carolina University, to see if the university was interested in taking part in such a project. Walters, Buddo and Michael Drought, the then-director of the School of Art and Design at East Carolina University, met to share ideas, including launching a glass blowing program. “Glass blowing is an attraction, a destination place,” Drought said. Buddo added, “It is not just something you visit. It is a spectator sport. It is really cool to watch.” David and Marion Stowe and Alec Allen became part of the process to launch a creative arts center in eastern North Carolina. The Stowe and Allen families contributed two

buildings — the former Eason Chrysler building and former Eason Gulf gas station — to the DeVisconti Trust. “Without their generous donation of the site to the trust, this never would have become a reality. They are a family that is truly loyal to this community and they were all in,” Satterwhite said.

East Carolina University held a competitive bid process to house its glass blowing program, and the Farmville site won. “This is a clear demonstration of the power of the arts and its measurable impact because of such willing partners with The Farmville Group and DeVisconti Trust, who drove the vision,” Buddo said.

Farmville Magazine 2019