Barb and Lewis Wilson Soft Glass Invitational

[LewisW]

Here is the official bussiness plan

Soft Glass Invitational

What ----Soft Glass Invitational is a three day soft glass retreat that will offer up to 30 hours of torch time . We plan on having between 50 and 80 artists and enthusiasts attend. We will have the use of all five of the existing building at the Glass Blowing Center. This is the facility where Art Glass Invitational has been held for the past ten years. An “A” ticket will cost $250 and that will give that participant a dedicated work station that they may use by themselves, or share with others. A “B” ticket will cost $200 and that will give that participant access to all buildings and demos, and they may share with any friends that have a torch station .
We plan on having at least eight live (not taped) demos by very well know lampworkers over the three days. There will be an eight foot high video screen monitor. Most demos will be an hour long. A couple may be longer. After doing a demo, the teacher will return to their own torch station and work just like all the others working in the building. Participants are encouraged to work, wander, ask questions, share information, and have fun. If some one wants to sit and work for the full thirty hours, then they can.
This will be an annual event , always in mid-May.
The main purpose of this retreat is to share the glass experience and teach and learn. We will adopt the motto that AGI has used for the past ten years.” Every teacher is a student, and every student is a teacher”. These are words from Tom and Elaine Doner, the owners of the Glass Blowing Center.
The true reason for this event is to make use of this great facility by having this retreat. This facility can be rented by groups of students, or teachers , so that they may plan something on their own. Single building can be rented or the entire facility.
We are also looking into having a short , simple class on fusing. This could be an extra small cost for those involved.

Where----Soft Glass Invitational will be held in Hilliards, Pa. This is located roughly sixty miles North of Pittsburg, Pa. This site is pretty rural, surrounded by streams and heavily wooded. No hotel right close. So, we are looking to secure a block of rooms in Butler, Pa . About twenty miles away.We are in talks with the tourism board , having them recommend a hotel that might have rooms in the $60 or less a night. We are looking at getting a bus to drive everyone in to start at 9 AM each day. Returning at 9PM the first two days(Thursday, May17 and Friday, May18). Saturday, May 19, will start at 9AM. There will be a BBQ/party starting at 7 PM. Returning bus will be between 9PM and 10 PM.
Lunches will be provided.
This area has VERY POOR cell phone coverage, and most that have been here, love that fact. There should be an area for WI FI at the facility, so that e-mails and posting pics can be done.
We will have information on rooms on our web site.

When----May 17-18-19 , 2012. To become an annual event in mid-May .

Who----The participants will be soft glass workers from beginners to advanced, to very advanced. All levels of talent will be there. It will also be open to people that have never worked in soft glass, or even people that have never worked with any glass. A person wanting to get into glass beadmaking could sign up with a “B” ticket and hang out the three days . Someone will have that person make a bead.

Saturday Bead Bazaar-on Saturday from noon till 5PM we will be having a bead bazaar. If you wish to participate , just sign up. We should have three to four feet of table space for each person wanting to sell. This will be offered for free. As in, it comes with your “A” or “B” ticket. This will be very simple and easy.
Free Trade Zone- In the middle of the Lewis building there will be a “Free Trade Zone’ on Thursday and Friday. This area will have tables when you can put out extra, old, or used equipment , torches, kilns, glass, hand tools, DVDs or loose beads, jewelry, or what have you. Buy, sell, or trade. No commission . Just be sure and collect sales tax.

On Site help—Barry Laffler will be the onsite technical person.He has been the tech guy for many well attended events similar to this. He is a scientific glass blower and he will be doing some fun demos like beer bottle ducks and penny bottles.

Town of Butler--- Tom and Elaine have had a very good relationship with the town. They have provided a BBQ pig roast for AGI in the past. We will be working with the entire town. Teaching mayor(a woman) and a person from the arts council how to make beads. Get a live interview of this as it happens the first day of the retreat. Then run a newspaper story on Friday and invite the town to come by on Saturday for the bead bazaar.

Corporate sponsors—There will be many corporate sponsors helping out to get this event started. There will be donations of torches and kilns and glass directly to the facility so that some one wanting to rent it in the future will have torches and kilns and many hand tools already there.
Lewis and Barb will not keep any donations. There will become the property of the Glass Blowing Center.
This is not a Crystal Myths production. It will be a Barbaloo Production. Thank you Sara Sally LaGrande for the cute name you gave to me and Barb.
Lewis C Wilson and Barbara Svetlick

[LewisW]

We will have the web site working in 3-4 days. The e-mail that we will be using is Looie@softglassinvitational.com

[LewisW]

Web site is up now. Pretty simple, but we will be expanding on it.
Looie

http://softglassinvitational.com/home.html

[Samson]

Looking great Looie. Hoping this event does really well for the soft glass community. If you get a turn out anything like AGI, it'll be great I'm sure!

[LewisW]

Soft Glass Invitational Update
September 2, 2011
http://softglassinvitational.com/home.html
Barb and I are pleased to announce the names of the first six instructors. We are waiting to hear back from a couple more.In alphabetical order …
Patti Cahill
Trey Cornette
Wesley Fleming
Cindy Lemmo
Sara Sally LeGrande
Lewis C Wilson
There will be further updates on the website. Please check there for more information. Click on “business plan” for the full details.
By October 1 we should be ready to send out applications for this soft glass retreat.
Lewis C Wilson and Barb Svetlick
And yes, she is my wife, I just do not need her to take my name because she has her own following with her beads and writing.

[UmaJulz]

Sounds like a good time!

[Julian]

Sounds really awesome! I'd love to go to SGI. I've worked a bit with soft glass. No doubt it would be a lot of fun, albeit a slightly different scene than AGI. Okay, probably super mega different. If nothing else this would be the perfect opportunity to give Megan back her valuable flashlight....

[LewisW]

Soft Glass Invitational Update Oct 13
Barb and I have been working on adding a private teaching studio area to be available during SGI. This is a small 12 by 12 room in the rear of the Bandu building. Good light, ventilation and up to three torches. It will be available to the teachers first, then to any attendees. The idea is to have this room available to a teacher that wants to offer a one on one demo, or a demo for five or six people or even a hands-on “mini class’ using up to three torches. The cost to rent the room will be $15 per hour. There would be a limit of no more than two hours rental by any person or persons. Any arrangements and payment between teachers and students is between them. The intent is to have this room available so that if someone wants to have a special private glass session, then it can happen.
The second thing that we have planned, is to let people know that if they want to rent any single building at The Glassblowing Center , they may do that , either before or after SGI. The rental will be between the teachers and Tom and Elaine Doner but we will advertise it on the website. There are five building that have multiple torch stations. An example would be renting the Barry Laffler building for $110 for one day. It has 14 torch stations. By renting the building, the teacher becomes the hosting studio that usually gets half of all money given for classes.You can get more information directly from the center. Ask for Tom or Elaine. http://www.glass123.com/

[LewisW]

We now have a facebook page for SGI. It is here https://www.facebook.com/groups/179094955507270/ . There are as lot of pics that are from the last AGI. Same buildings, different people.
Lewis

[LewisW]

Barb and I are pleased to announce that both Wale Apparatus and Soft Flex Wire Co will be tech vendors at this event.
Lewis

[LewisW]

Today we hit the half way point with torch stations. We have 40 torch stations available for SGI. We have applications from 29 people . Paid deposits from 14. There are six teachers. So we now have 20 more torch stations open. We also have three wanting a "B" ticket so they can share with someone at a torch station. A dozen are planning to camp out . Others will be at the motel as a group.

[LewisW]

Update Jan 27---Barb and I want to let people know that we still have 15 "A" tickets with torch stations . We also have room for 16 "B" tickets for those wanting to share. We head out to Tucson next week and will be passing out lots of postcards for Soft Glass Invitational. We will also put up posters at Best Bead Show.
About half the attendees are camping out. We have a block of rooms at a local hotel that cost $50 a night(Clean, WiFi, and quiet). We have one special surprise guest that wants to drop by and give a demo.
We have three of our four racoons very adept at making small mandrel beads. One is rather snarky and is doing small sculptures in boro. Barb has named him Looie.He is the one not looking at the camera in the picture on the home page . http://softglassinvitational.com/home.html
Lewis and barb

[LewisW]

Update March 10, 2012. We had just three "A" torch spaces left. But we have decided to expand into the last building . That gives us another four torch stations.
So right now we have 27 "A" tickets and eight "B" tickets sold. Six torch stations for the instructors. We are at 33 torches now with seven more available.
Also, Trey Cornette will be bring his new crucible furnace. It will be at SGI for him to do large marble encasements.Also we might be able to do some vacuum encased marbles or paperweights.
Just under ten weeks to go.
Lewis

[LewisW]

Could I please get a little help with sharing this picture of the ad for the bead bazaar that will be held on the Saturday during the Soft Glass Invitational retreat. It is being held at the Glass Blowing center run by Tom and Elaine Doner. If you have face book friends in Pennsylvania could you please share this so they can see it and also share again. Wale Apparatus and Soft Flex wire will be there. And forty lampworkers.Thanks for the help.
Thanks, Looie

[LewisW]

Soft Glass Invitational was a blast. Here are some pics
http://s1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg637/Lewiscwilson/