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Glassblowing is an expensive and technical art that anyone enrolled at UNK can try. ART-224: Glass I is beginner-friendly class that focuses on technique and how to manipulate glass.
Nadine Saylor, assistant professor of Art and Design, wants people to know that they shouldn’t be intimidated by glassblowing. She encourages everyone to try it because it’s not about talent. It is about practicing and taking the time to learn.
“It’s not like painting a picture or drawing, it’s hard, but it’s about technique,” Saylor said. “Once you get it, you get it, and it’s fun, and people love it.”
Students involved in glass-blowing classes also have the opportunity to join Glass Club. This club has hosted multiple fundraisers, including creating glass pumpkins and glass Christmas ornaments.
UNK’s Glass Club will take on creating glass pumpkins for the second year in a row that will be sold and raffled off in room 306 of the Fine Art Building on Oct. 27.
This event will last from 4-7 p.m. During this time, Saylor and her students will also lead a demonstration of glass techniques.
Graduate student Taylor Moore explained what the process will look like during the event.
“It will be like an assembly line,” Moore said. “One person will do one part and then hand it off to another person who will do another part. So, I’ll be doing demos in the hot shop while the sale is going.”
Each glass pumpkin will be sold for $45-85 depending on the variation in size and colors. Their earnings will go towards improving the glass studio and giving the student’s the opportunity to invite artists to campus and attend a glass conference next June.
Moore found his love for glass blowing his sophomore year of undergraduate school while studying pre-medicine. The unique art unexpectedly became one of his passions.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Moore said. “The material goes from liquid to solid, and there’s a gooey state in between. It’s all about getting the right temperature and having the right rhythm, turning it. It’s something that is really easy to get lost in while you’re doing it. It’s like dancing.”
