letter from the GAs President new Membership ... - Glass Art Society

Glass Life After Katrina: Surviving, Recovering, Moving On
By Laurel Porcari
The story is all too familiar: on August 29 2005
Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast causing extreme
damage. New Orleans was brought to the brink of extinction
when the flood walls broke and water covered
portions of the city that are below sea level. In one day
the lights went out – everywhere and for everyone.
This is not an update on the city’s recovery, nor is it
an exposé on aid, fatigue, or any other political issue that
might be associated with the storm. This is an update on
people that make glass and how the storm has changed
things in their world.
It’s hard to explain the magnitude of what happened
here. People who did the right things – worked
hard, opened businesses, developed their talents, had
national and international reputations – were effected
so badly that for a year or more, a mere fraction of the
studios that were open before the storm were operating.
Imagine that, if you can. In one day the lights went out
and every studio was made inoperable.
It was not until January of 2006 that the actual
meaning of what happened became clear to us, the
glass community as a whole. Until that time, we were
all wrangling with stabilizing our personal situations.
Then, in January, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund
held an emergency meeting at the Ogden Museum of
Southern Art. Present at the meeting were all the key
representatives of the arts in Louisiana: the Louisiana
Division of the Arts, New Orleans Arts Council, Cultural
Economy Foundation, Jazz and Heritage Foundation,
etc. As well, there were key artists present. The greatest
presence was the coalesced glass community: Eddie and
Angela Bernard of Wet Dog and Conti Glass, Gene Koss
of Tulane University, Mitchell Gaudet of Inferno, Mark
Rosenbaum of Rosetree, Jimmy Vela, Carlos Zervigon,
Andy Brott, Claire Kelly and Anthony Schafermeyer,
myself, and more. What became apparent to the glass
community was that it was on its knees. Each of the
bigger studios had employed other glass artists and
they had to let them go. Conti had flooded and was no
longer in operation, leaving not only their employees
but the nearly fifty glass artists that relied on that facility
with no means to produce work. Inferno’s facility was
badly damaged, as was its major tenant, Vella Vetry. Even
Tulane, a major University, was closed, so there were no
teachers or students.
The result of that meeting, aside from the
depressing reality hitting home, was that we had to
work together. We needed help from whatever agencies
were ready to deliver aid and that only by acting
together would we be heard. And, lets be honest, the
arts are not a priority at the best of times, so we had
some work to do.
Gutted Conti Studio contents
ready to be scooped up,
October 2005
The first collective thought regarding actual
facilities was to somehow push to get Conti Glass
reopened. The reality was that it was damaged beyond
what the Bernards could bear. And this is despite heroic
efforts on their part. The solution that we all came up
with was to reorganize the studio as a non-profit. By
February, the non-profit had a name, (New Orleans
Creative Glass Institute), a board, donors and a mission:
to inspire creativity, to educate and perpetuate the
glass community, to invest in art glass industries, and
to promote and nurture the culture of New Orleans’
contemporary glass art community.
The next installment in this series will describe
NOCGI as it is today, and introduce you to an individual
artist and their road to recovery.
Beyond the Bake Sale: Fundraising for College Glass Programs
By Robin Cass
Many college glass programs face funding
of procuring enough work to auction, it can be difficult
is to have students agree on a few particular designs at
challenges for basic supplies, facilities upgrades, or
to find an appropriate space and figure out staffing
a range of price points. At the actual sale, the resulting
“extras” such as visiting artists and student participation
requirements during the event itself. It’s possible to run
work looks far more professional and appealing than
in GAS conferences. Grants from organizations or
up considerable shipping expenses too if requesting
the usual flea market assortment.
generous individuals are welcome influxes for special
work from distant artists.
One version of the usual craft sale is a themed sale
projects, but do not address recurring shortfalls. The
need is common; often glass programs have few full-
The “Make-your-own ______” Workshop:
like the ubiquitous “Glass Pumpkin Patch”. Every other
glass organization in the country has jumped on this
time students but substantial operating expenses.
This imbalance leads to constant searching for new
ways to raise money. A few fortunate departments
benefit from associated groups of supporters and
others have established annual events, but most are
left to their own devices.
The general challenges are familiar; upper
administrators who cannot or will not offer financial
support, no extra staff for development efforts, and
limited resources to dedicate towards fundraising
projects. There is also a need to involve students of
all skill levels in fundraising efforts in ways that don’t
interfere too much with their educational experience,
and perhaps even enrich it. Here is a summary of some
lessons we’ve learned from our many fundraising
attempts here in the Rochester Institute of Technology
Glass Program.
The Auction:
This approach can work well if you are based
in an area with a art-savvy community that is home
to plenty of potential glass collectors. Auctions of
instructor, alumni, and student work can help establish
and maintain relationships with local supporters,
but this type of event does require a huge upfront
investment of resources. In addition to the challenge
These student-lead experiences can involve all
kinds of glass-forming processes, and take advantage
of people’s curiosity about the process of working with
glass. They give students valuable teaching experience
as well as the chance to develop interpersonal skills.
Workshops can be conducted over a long period of
time so as not to interfere with regular department
activities. On the downside, there are safety issues to
be considered when inviting inexperienced people into
a glass studio. Once the Risk Management folks are
appeased and all appropriate waivers are drawn
up though, this type of effort can be quite successful.
We’ve also found that our glass program’s reputation
and visibility benefits from this kind of interaction with
the wider community.
The Sale:
The main challenge with campus “craft sales” is to
maintain some respect for the program while making
items that sell. This can be difficult if you live in an area
where people are accustomed to buying Chinese-made
blown glass in huge discount stores. To counter this,
students need to develop salable work that stands
apart from such competition, and work hard to educate
possible buyers about their creative and technical
processes. An approach that seems to be working well
bandwagon. It seems to work out well for all of them
due to an apparently endless market for funky handblown
glass vegetables in most areas. Students at all
skill levels can participate through assisting, grinding,
packing, etc. The impact on other activities in the
department can be minimized with careful scheduling
and involvement of outside help. We have had great
success with this type of event and it has become our
sole source of funds for visiting artist workshops.
In conclusion, some significant lessons we’ve
learned from our many fundraising efforts:
• Consider partnering with other organizations or
individuals who can help facilitate advertising and
sales through their existing networks of potential
supporters.
• Avoid over committing student or instructor time;
fundraising should take a back seat to education.
• Cultivate reciprocal relationships with college
administration and development staff so they are
aware of your long-term goals.
I encourage you to share any advice you can offer as
a result of your own fundraising efforts!
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