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Welcome New Members!
Welcome to all the ISGB members who joined in February:
Arizona
Tina Wier
Aruba
Deborah de Weerd
California
Sioux George
Steven Bay
Colorado
Jill Knapp Campbell
Connecticut
Gale Talmadge
Germany
Dieter Paul
Louisiana
Tammy Callender
Darolyn Thompson
Michigan
Elizabeth Lucas
Ohio
Marilou Volkman
Rhode Island
Lynette Ramsingh
South Africa
Corne Retief
Virginia
Terri Cobb
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The Melting Point
Sedona, Arizona
ph.928-554-4754
Upcoming classes include:
- Holly Cooper - 3 classes March 17-21, 2016
- Sara Sally LaGrand - 3 classes April 20-24, 2016
- Amy Waldman - 4 day workshop May 5-8, 2016
- John Kobuki - 2 classes May 26-29
- Wesley Fleming - 4-day workshop Sept. 1-4
- Marcy Lamberson - 2 classes Nov. 3-6
Beginning beadmaking and glass blowing classes available.
Paid Advertisement
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Rakow Research Library
A world of glass knowledge is at your fingertips. Check out the Rakow Research Library at Corning Museum of Glass!
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Bead Release Archives
Looking for a back issue of the Bead Release electronic newsletter?
Click Here!
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Contact Us ISGB Sarah Riggle, Administrator 85 East Gay Street Suite 707 Columbus, OH 43215 614.222.2243 admin@isgb.org :: |
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by Jeri Warhaftig, President
In the lifecycle of the ISGB this is a very exciting time of year. Most of you have received a link to register for the Gathering, our first ever ISGB swap is open for sign-ups, entries for Hands of the Maker II are due in a few short weeks and, believe it or not, behind the scenes your Board is gearing up to plan the 2017 Gathering!
But the ISGB is just one part of a big world of glass and art (not to mention the rest of life!). Aside from teaching in my studio, my upcoming calendar includes the International Flameworking Conference and Glass Craft Expo in March, the annual SNAG conference in May, and maybe even the GAS conference in June. OH, and lets not forget the GATHERING in July! Like many of our members, I divide my glass time into teaching activities, selling my wares, and SOCIALIZING at these events. I thought I would share with you my approach for coping with the time demands of all of these varied and exciting opportunities, that come on top of my family and my day job. I make LISTS! My lists are fluid and flexible, full of strikeouts and additions, but writing things down (or typing them nowadays) makes me feel like I can get a grip on what I need to get done, and also helps me prepare so that when a big event arrives, I don't feel swamped with details.
I have three lists that are ongoing year round. The first one is where I need to be and how I'm getting there. It reminds me to get airfares and other travel plans in place well in advance of the event. Side note: I love it when an organization or promoter makes the hotel registration part of the event registration (in the same way we do with the Gathering hotel). It makes it much easier to keep track of reservations and I know I'm getting the best price.
List number two tries to anticipate preparations for each event. Here is where I record due dates for juried shows or other "entries". On this list I have recorded what I need for a bead show (things like return address labels to put on other people's mailing lists, business cards, table risers, lights, tape, receipt books and packaging), and clothes I want to be certain to bring - such as a bathing suit when there will be a pool, or a special scarf if there is a pin I hope to wear. It has the names of any people I promised to meet up with at a certain event, and the info about any special local sights if I'm going out of town. As an event gets closer, this list gets very detailed!
Finally, there is the list I make on the trip home from an event. Here I record things such as any thank you notes I want to send, names of new contacts for teaching and selling opportunities, creative ideas that have developed over the days of the meeting, thoughts about how to do it all better next time. On this list I also include my immediate "to do" on returning home, these are mundane reminders to make a bank deposit, pay bills, call a friend, or schedule a check up.
Frankly, this description just scratches the surface, if I am worried that I will be forgetful, I record things in as much detail as possible. A quick glance at the list when I'm getting ready to leave home keeps me calm and focused. The goal of all this is to take away as much as possible from each and every glass art experience. By addressing all of the housekeeping details in advance, during the actual event I feel free to focus on the fun at hand, and to let my lists take care of themselves! I'm sure we all have an approach we use to keep us sane, if yours isn't working right now, try mine!!
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Glasshopper Chronicles - Part 2
Skill Levels
by Ann Scherm Baldwin, Director of Education
One of the issues that affects both students and instructors alike is that we lack a clear and agreed upon set of guidelines for what constitutes different skill levels. If you've been making beads for a year now - are you a beginner, or an advanced beginner? But you know how to blow a hollow - does that mean you're an intermediate beadmaker? Who decides? How will you know?
This becomes pretty important when you are signing up for a class, or developing a class to teach. Unless you're completely new to beadmaking, classes listed for certain skill levels can be confusing. There is no commonly agreed upon set of skills that an advanced beginner, intermediate or advanced beadmaker should have. What "intermediate" means to you might not be what it means to an instructor offering that class. There is no greater nightmare for an instructor than finding out at the beginning of an intermediate class that some students have excellent skills and are ready for new challenges, a few are still struggling to make even, well balanced beads with nice holes, and one or two have only recently taken their first class, or took a class last year and haven't been at a torch since!
With this in mind, I sat down and thought about what the guidelines might be for what I consider the various levels of beadmaking skills. It's only one instructor's opinion, but at least it's a jumping off point for discussion. I think we need to start a dialogue of what constitutes beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced beadmaking skills, to assist students in choosing appropriate classes. Next month I'll share some common sense guidelines to determine your skill level based on what skills you have mastered, what you might be struggling with, and what skills you're probably working on.
In the meantime, I'd like to share my perspective on skill levels: A beadmaker's skill level is usually a combination a number of factors, the most important of which is actual time spent at the torch. Artistic ability, fine motor skills and eye / hand coordination play a role also, but you just can't beat experience for pushing your beadmaking skills to new levels. Please understand when I talk about skill levels, it is not a judgment on a beadmaker's abilities, but rather on their skill level right now, at this point in time. Skill levels are dynamic, ever changing, and not static. Also recognize that skill level is not about how many different "techniques" you have tried. Understanding how to make a bicone or a murrini cane does not guarantee that you will be doing them well, with ease and precision, or achieving a pleasant, aesthetic quality in your work.
Looking at it from the other side, a beadmaker might be making very technically precise beads, but they may not be particularly outstanding, due to lack of design sense, originality, or poor color choice. Those things are harder to learn and develop, and are not what I mean by "skill". Skill is nothing more than a progression of your understanding and control when working with hot glass, and the longer you're at it, the better your skill will be, regardless of your artistic abilities. Want to work on your skill level? I've got three little words of advice: Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Crossing the T's and Dotting the I's - Preparation for Teaching a Workshop
by Hayley Tsang Sather, ISGB Member
Where Do You Start?
Research
First and foremost is deciding on what to teach. Begin by doing a thorough research on both the teaching venues and the topics already being taught. Talk to friends and acquaintances - both online and in real life - in the community. Check with your local ISGB chapter as well as the regional pages on the ISGB website, and contact your ISGB regional director. Look into different national shows (e.g., ISGB Gathering, Bead&Button Show, Glass Craft & Bead Expo, Bead Fest, etc.) and understand their application processes and deadlines.
Preparation
Evaluate your strengths and define what assets set you apart. Write detailed description(s) of your proposed workshop(s), an artist's statement or biography, an overview of your experience and qualifications, and a sample contract outlining your fees and requirements. Create and photograph class samples and samples of your work, prepare sample agendas and handouts, and put together material and tool lists including estimated costs for the glass/material needed on a per-student basis. If possible, create a web page with your workshop description(s) and images.
Approach
Begin by contacting potential venues via email with an introduction of yourself and a condensed description of your proposed workshop(s) with images (or a link to your web page containing such information). Once you have received a favorable response, send a sample contract to aid the negotiation process.
Follow Up
It is important to contact the venue at different intervals prior to the class date.
* Six months prior or once the contract is signed - provide the material and tool lists, check on registration status.
* Two to three months prior - check on registration status, make travel arrangements if applicable, and help promote the class if needed via an email campaign and/or social media. Also confirm material and tool lists (provide new ones if needed).
* Two weeks prior - check to make sure all the materials and tools are in order at the venue (or email students with the material and tool lists as in the case of the Bead&Button Show), confirm the number of registered students.
* One week prior - check the final number of registered students, prepare handouts, make arrival arrangements, and pack.
This article is an excerpt from a presentation given by Hayley Tsang Sather during the 2013 Gathering in Rochester, New York. It is informative for both seasoned teachers and those who are interested in getting started in teaching and it is timely because Instructors' Seminars I & II at the 2016 Gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana will focus on teaching. Please see the Gathering booklet for additional details.
Don't miss Hayley's presentation, Explore the Magic of Double Helix Glass during the July conference.
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by Amy Waldman, ISGB Member
Starting the bead - The Footprint
This can often be such a challenging part of beadmaking. I struggled for a long time just getting my beads started. I have a few tips and suggestions.
Get your glass really, really hot. It will flow more smoothly onto the mandrel.
Get that mandrel really hot too. Often air bubbles can be created when the bead release is not hot enough.
We can debate the pros and cons of big gather vs small gather, if you like - but I encourage you to try it both ways before you commit to an opinion. A number of years ago, I watched a demo at an ISGB conference where the artist started with this huge gather and poof she had her base bead - those of us watching were very impressed. It certainly took less time than the small gather method. It does take some practice to control that big goopy gather, but it can be well worth it.
Personally, I am a small sort of gather girl. But I encourage you to try it both ways and see which way suits you.
In any case you want both the hot glass and the mandrel to be in the flame when you apply that first pass of glass. Try your best to get the hot glass to flow onto the mandrel as straight as possible - we are talking about the ends here - the straighter the ends are the straighter your bead will be. You can smoosh the hot glass around the mandrel a number of times until you are satisfied that the first edge is at a nice, tidy ninety degree angle.
If you do the large gather method, just keep that whole bead in the flame and shift your rod of glass to the other side of the bead and repeat. You can keep the bead (mandrel and glass) in the flame and drag your rod right through that hot glass bead, adjusting the footprint.
I prefer to make a number of small gathers, tucked up against each other to form a long base. I get that small gather of glass good and hot, heat the mandrel and put both right in the flame. The glass rod remains in one spot and I turn the mandrel to catch some glass. I focus my attention on the left hand side of my first base bead and once happy with how straight it comes across the mandrel I get ready for the second little gather. I heat up another small gather, heat the right edge of my wee base bead, heat the mandrel and apply the glass in the same fashion. I tell my students that these little beads are snuggled up on the couch - they are seriously touching each other - overlapping. I move along in this way until I am happy with the length of my base bead. On the last pass I focus my attention on the right hand edge, making sure it is as straight across the mandrel as I can get it.
NOT A DRIZZLE:
Especially when adjusting the ends (but really throughout this whole process), you want to put some pressure - a small pressing - put that glass where you want it - don't just drizzle it on and hope that it goes where you want it.
I hope these tips are helpful. If you have any tips you would like to see shared here or any topics you would like to see covered please let me know. I can be reached by email at amy.waldman.glass@gmail.com
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Industry News & Opportunities
by Kendra Bruno, Executive Director
30 Amazing Glass Artists - As the title suggests, this is an article about some of the most amazing glass artists alive today. Agree or not, well worth the read.
Bead Dreams A juried competition of exceptional bead artistry from around the world. The outstanding piece among category winners receives a Best in Show trophy and a $1,000 gift certificate from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.
Bead&Button Show The largest consumer bead show in the world offering a myriad of educational opportunities. 2016 registration is now open.
Glass Craft & Bead Expo Annual event in Las Vegas featuring specialty classes in hot, warm and cold glass as well as a show floor offering the latest glass, kilns, tools and specialty items.
Haystack This Open Studio Residency provides two weeks of studio time and an opportunity to work in a supportive community of makers.
ISGB Gathering XXIV Early conference registration and hotel reservations open for members current as of January 15, 2016.
SNAG SNAGneXt seeks to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit of people who have made a career in making, selling and running exciting businesses.
AmazonSmile benefits ISGB and as an Amazon customer, you can select our organization. Support ISGB while you shop!
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The ISGB is the leading organization for the promotion, education, and appreciation of the art of glass beadmaking for wearable, sculptural, and functional art.
Our mission is to preserve the rich and diverse traditions of the art of glass beadmaking and glassworking techniques; promote educational initiatives and professional development; and encourage innovative use of complementary mediums among artists and craftspeople.
We invite you to join us on our journey through collaborative creativity in the worlds of glass and complementary mediums.
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