Pollack Glass Studio - The Curriculum

I have recently had a lot of request to join my mailing list to be notified when classes start.  We have a great lineup of teachers already committed to coming down to teach specific skills in 2018-19.  I don't want to name any names until this reality gets closer but these classes will fill up fast.   

My own classes will start as soon as we are open, around the end of the year.  Our first invited instructor will be coming in town for the New Year.  We will be hosting  Jerilyn Alderman of Fire Childe Glass and her husband Randy.  They will be in town vending at the New Orleans Comic Con.   While she is here, we plan to have her show and teach students how to make marbles. Specifically,  her chaos and  space themed marbles made by vaporizing and fuming different metals onto the glass.  This class will be open to all levels but some experience is suggested.  

For those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of glass over time, the general curriculum of the studio will be as follows:

1.  Intro Classes - Beads

The best place to start is at the beginning.  There is a 3000 year tradition of glassbead-making that predates any other hot glass working techniques other than glazing of pottery.  

Learning bead making first is a really great introduction to a new material that you may have never played with before.  Beads are a canvas for exploring how this new material acts when it gets hot and starts to move.  We generally start with similar techniques that have been used for 3000 year.  Dot and lines and basic patterns and color decoration techniques.   

All of these steps of the curriculum should be reinforced with practice at the torch.  The more time you put in the more comfortable you will become with the material.  We will rent torch time for $15-20 per hours or less by the week or month.  

2.  Sculpting  

From there we will learn small animals and sculpting at the torch as has been done for many years.  This is great practice and reinforces some basic skills.  Over time, processes get easier.   We will slowly grow our skills into the assembly of multiple pieces into larger sculptural works.  

3.   Blowing

After a good foundation is built in solid glass working techniques we will explore hollow glass or blowing techniques.   From there the possibilities are limitless.   

4. Cold working - cutting, grinding, polishing the glass are some of the lesser discussed glass techniques but equally important in finishing and refining works of art.  The new studio will have a basic cold working room with saws, and grinders and sandblasting equipment.  This equipment will be available for class use and for rent.    

5. Other glass techniques - stained glass, "warm glass" fusing, enameling, jewelry making, etc.  Let us know what you would like to learn.  

The classes with be ever rotating and changing based on what our students want.  I hope that you can come join me for a class.  I look forward to sharing everything I know about the history and techniques used in creating with glass.  Please contact me if you would like more information or to sign up for my mailing list.  Thanks for following...