Mr. Wonka
12-12-2005, 07:23 PM
Hi everybody. The Art Glass Invitational / AGI, which is sponsored by Glass Alchemy, LTD. will take place from August 21st through August 26th, 2006, and we want to update you on what is in store for you so far.
Demonstrations, lectures, and slide presentations will be conducted in The Lewis C. Wilson Building, and will include the following people:
-Emilio Santini- Several demonstrations over the course of 2 days. (Subject matter to be announced at a later date)
-Shane Fero- Flame working demonstrations, and several scholarly presentations over the course of 2 days.
-Henry Grimmett and (?)- A NEW presentation on working with color, including hands-on demonstrations and a question and answer period.
-Lewis C. Wilson; Flame working demonstrations- Lewis will demonstrate some of his trademark pieces, in addition to entertaining us with stories as only he can tell them!
-Bill Rasmussen; Flame working demonstrations- During Bill’s demonstration, we will hear stories of how he started and “how things used to be”. It will be a very special occasion to watch and listen to a true pioneer in the industry who has been working with glass for over 60 years.
-Barry Lafler; Scientific and novelty / specialty glass working demonstrations. Barry (a.k.a. “Bear”) will surprise us with some of his unique creations and tricks he has learned over the past 35 years.
-Steve Selchow; Flame working demonstrations- Steve is a true master of sculpture, and will be taking requests from the crowd as to what they would like to see.
-Deborah Carlson; Deborah will conduct a lecture about how to find the artist within yourself, and will be followed by a group activity in which volunteers will participate in several collaboration pieces.
-Tink; Our good friend Tink (a.k.a. Tinkenator, Tinkster, Tinkmeister, Tinkenstein) will be demonstrating some of her unique creations with us. (Subject matter to be announced at a later date)
-Dr. Ed; Our resident physician and fellow glass worker will discuss the hazards involved in our line of work and first aid during his slide presentation, followed by a question and answer period.
-Luke Gardner; Shot glasses. Luke will demonstrate his method of pulling lengths of finely detailed cane and using them for implosions. He will then demonstrate how to use the implosions to create functional shot glasses.
-Tom Doner (Mr. Wonka); Finding new markets- Tom will cover some of the material from his 2005 presentation, in addition to new products and marketing ideas he has discovered that nobody else is currently pursuing.
-In addition to the presentations, a major focus of AGI is learning from each other and networking with your peers. “We are all teachers, and we are all students” has always been our philosophy.
*NOTE- More presentations and more detailed descriptions will be added as we get closer to the event*
A special event will take place this year, in which Lewis Wilson will dedicate the completed “Lampworker’s Lounge” to his hero, and it will be called “The Bill Rasmussen Lounge”. Lewis and his wife Kathy will be here along with Bill and his wife Laura for the dedication. Bill holds a special place in the world of lampworking… He was the first glass worker at Disneyland, and also the first glass worker to create solid borosilicate sculptures. Before that, all boro sculptures were made of spun glass.
Bill has been called a “National Treasure” by his peers, and it will be an honor to dedicate a permanent place to him and his family who also work with glass. He has influenced the careers of people such as Lewis Wilson, Robert Mickelsen, and Milon Townsend, in addition to countless others.
The Bill Rasmussen Lounge will also feature “The Wall”, which is a project Lewis Wilson and Tom Doner are working on. This wall will feature photographs, biographies, and articles from glass workers that have been working with glass for 30 or more years.
To apply for AGI, please send an e-mail to info@glass123.com, with some information about yourself and why you would like to attend. Feel free to send a LINK to some photographs of your work if you want.
*NOTE- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A GLASS MASTER TO ATTEND AGI.
This event is for glass workers of all skill levels and areas of expertise, and every year we have a percentage of people who have little to no experience working with glass.
The cost for this event is $500.00 for the entire week, and it includes propane, oxygen, and 40+ work stations for guests to use to practice what they have learned and to work with others. The guest list is limited to 100 people, and the work shops will be open from 10:00 AM – 2:00 AM every day.
There is free camping available, and a motel which is approximately 10 minutes away from our facility. We provide a cooking area (grills, oven / stove, microwave ovens, etc.) to prepare your own food. There are also several places that will deliver, and a limited menu will include food prepared by our staff.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to call or e-mail us at:
The Glass Blowing Center
114 Leonard Road
Hilliards, Pennsylvania 16040
info@glass123.com
(724) 791-2100
We are located approximately 1-1/2 hours north of Pittsburgh International Airport, and a map can be found on our web page: http://www.glass123.com .
Thanks for listening, and we hope to see you at AGI 2006 :)
Sincerely,
Tom and Elaine Doner (a.k.a. “Mr & Mrs. Wonka”), and Luke Gardner
Here is an article that appeared in THE FLOW MAGAZINE:
http://www.csonline.net/glass/looie.pdf
Here is an article that appeared in GLASSLINE MAGAZINE:
http://www.csonline.net/glass/agi_glassline.doc
*SPECIAL NOTE- In the past, we have accepted deposits to reserve your space. Due to numerous problems we have encountered year after year, full payment is required to obtain a ticket, and we will be accepting payments as of January 1st, 2006. Between prior reservations and new applicants, we estimate that AGI is currently 50% full, and tickets are available on a first come / first served basis.
Demonstrations, lectures, and slide presentations will be conducted in The Lewis C. Wilson Building, and will include the following people:
-Emilio Santini- Several demonstrations over the course of 2 days. (Subject matter to be announced at a later date)
-Shane Fero- Flame working demonstrations, and several scholarly presentations over the course of 2 days.
-Henry Grimmett and (?)- A NEW presentation on working with color, including hands-on demonstrations and a question and answer period.
-Lewis C. Wilson; Flame working demonstrations- Lewis will demonstrate some of his trademark pieces, in addition to entertaining us with stories as only he can tell them!
-Bill Rasmussen; Flame working demonstrations- During Bill’s demonstration, we will hear stories of how he started and “how things used to be”. It will be a very special occasion to watch and listen to a true pioneer in the industry who has been working with glass for over 60 years.
-Barry Lafler; Scientific and novelty / specialty glass working demonstrations. Barry (a.k.a. “Bear”) will surprise us with some of his unique creations and tricks he has learned over the past 35 years.
-Steve Selchow; Flame working demonstrations- Steve is a true master of sculpture, and will be taking requests from the crowd as to what they would like to see.
-Deborah Carlson; Deborah will conduct a lecture about how to find the artist within yourself, and will be followed by a group activity in which volunteers will participate in several collaboration pieces.
-Tink; Our good friend Tink (a.k.a. Tinkenator, Tinkster, Tinkmeister, Tinkenstein) will be demonstrating some of her unique creations with us. (Subject matter to be announced at a later date)
-Dr. Ed; Our resident physician and fellow glass worker will discuss the hazards involved in our line of work and first aid during his slide presentation, followed by a question and answer period.
-Luke Gardner; Shot glasses. Luke will demonstrate his method of pulling lengths of finely detailed cane and using them for implosions. He will then demonstrate how to use the implosions to create functional shot glasses.
-Tom Doner (Mr. Wonka); Finding new markets- Tom will cover some of the material from his 2005 presentation, in addition to new products and marketing ideas he has discovered that nobody else is currently pursuing.
-In addition to the presentations, a major focus of AGI is learning from each other and networking with your peers. “We are all teachers, and we are all students” has always been our philosophy.
*NOTE- More presentations and more detailed descriptions will be added as we get closer to the event*
A special event will take place this year, in which Lewis Wilson will dedicate the completed “Lampworker’s Lounge” to his hero, and it will be called “The Bill Rasmussen Lounge”. Lewis and his wife Kathy will be here along with Bill and his wife Laura for the dedication. Bill holds a special place in the world of lampworking… He was the first glass worker at Disneyland, and also the first glass worker to create solid borosilicate sculptures. Before that, all boro sculptures were made of spun glass.
Bill has been called a “National Treasure” by his peers, and it will be an honor to dedicate a permanent place to him and his family who also work with glass. He has influenced the careers of people such as Lewis Wilson, Robert Mickelsen, and Milon Townsend, in addition to countless others.
The Bill Rasmussen Lounge will also feature “The Wall”, which is a project Lewis Wilson and Tom Doner are working on. This wall will feature photographs, biographies, and articles from glass workers that have been working with glass for 30 or more years.
To apply for AGI, please send an e-mail to info@glass123.com, with some information about yourself and why you would like to attend. Feel free to send a LINK to some photographs of your work if you want.
*NOTE- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A GLASS MASTER TO ATTEND AGI.
This event is for glass workers of all skill levels and areas of expertise, and every year we have a percentage of people who have little to no experience working with glass.
The cost for this event is $500.00 for the entire week, and it includes propane, oxygen, and 40+ work stations for guests to use to practice what they have learned and to work with others. The guest list is limited to 100 people, and the work shops will be open from 10:00 AM – 2:00 AM every day.
There is free camping available, and a motel which is approximately 10 minutes away from our facility. We provide a cooking area (grills, oven / stove, microwave ovens, etc.) to prepare your own food. There are also several places that will deliver, and a limited menu will include food prepared by our staff.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to call or e-mail us at:
The Glass Blowing Center
114 Leonard Road
Hilliards, Pennsylvania 16040
info@glass123.com
(724) 791-2100
We are located approximately 1-1/2 hours north of Pittsburgh International Airport, and a map can be found on our web page: http://www.glass123.com .
Thanks for listening, and we hope to see you at AGI 2006 :)
Sincerely,
Tom and Elaine Doner (a.k.a. “Mr & Mrs. Wonka”), and Luke Gardner
Here is an article that appeared in THE FLOW MAGAZINE:
http://www.csonline.net/glass/looie.pdf
Here is an article that appeared in GLASSLINE MAGAZINE:
http://www.csonline.net/glass/agi_glassline.doc
*SPECIAL NOTE- In the past, we have accepted deposits to reserve your space. Due to numerous problems we have encountered year after year, full payment is required to obtain a ticket, and we will be accepting payments as of January 1st, 2006. Between prior reservations and new applicants, we estimate that AGI is currently 50% full, and tickets are available on a first come / first served basis.