On the first floor of the EMU, down the hall from the student government offices, a whole culture of art exists. To visit this fine world, simply step into the EMU Craft Center and start asking questions.
The friendly and inviting atmosphere is brimming with creativity. The center is set up to accommodate several kinds of art-making, and down one hall, all the tools one needs to begin manipulating glass sit ready.
Spots are still available for two upcoming intensive glassworking courses. One, taught by Tim Jarvis, a resident glass master, is a week-long glassblowing course. Students in this class will work in teams with the easy to manipulate, yet hard to control, glass.
Another class, taught by well-known glass artist David Willis, will teach the art of flameworking. Willis is most famous for being a goblet maker, but has been working in sculptural art and lampmaking most recently.
Class sizes are small, and employees of the craft center know the costs are far less than at other places.
“Because this isn’t for profit at all and we get some money from student fees we don’t have to charge as much for the glass,” Catherine Vecchitto, a craft center employee said. “It’s a good place to try things out and see if you like it.”
Most everything is included in the price of classes, although if students want to reserve time to work outside of class, there could be a charge, and some color glass is expensive and not included in class fees.
Former University student John French is advanced in his techniques. He said he is drawn to the medium because glass has an inherent quality that both attracts and reflects light. That, and it’s exciting.
“There’s chance to it,” French said of the fact glass can break or the glassworker could be burned.
With a glass furnace maintaining a molten vat of glass at a cool 2,150 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s not hard to imagine the dangers involved.
“It’s not for everybody,” Craft Center employee Jeff Weitzel said. “There’s a lot of heat involved.”
But there is always a supervisor around to help out and maintain a safe work environment. Vecchitto told a story of a recent student in a glass class who was afraid of fire, but three days after having worked with Vecchitto had the confidence to make glass art.
“It’s neat to see what people can do,” Vecchitto said.
Everyone agreed that newcomers to the craft could begin booking time independently after one class, and some do so after only a few sessions.
The next glass working classes begin Aug. 20 and conclude Aug. 24.
There are many techniques taught at the craft center, including fusing and sloping classes, which work with cold strips of colored glass that is cut and melded to form a cohesive piece.
Students can expect to leave the craft center with several pieces after taking a class. For example, a student taking a flute making class could leave with two or three flutes by the time they finish. For more information about glass working classes or to enroll in a class contact the craft center at (541) 346-4361 or just stop by.
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