Heartland Art Gallery to celebrate the Year of Glass
PLYMOUTH—ON March 18, 2021, the United Nations approved a resolution to declare 2022 as the ‘Year of Glass’ to give artisans an opportunity to showcase their work and to allow others to appreciate glass, its heritage, and importance. To commemorate this, the Heartland art Gallery will be hosting several glass art classes throughout the month of May and a
glass art show in June. “Let people come in and see the different forms of glass that we use,” said Jayne Jacobson. “I hope people will get a new-found enjoyment of glass.”
There are four glass artisans who are members at the Gallery, all of whom pursue a different discipline within the art form. Mary Szymczak uses pieces of colored glass to design stained glass windows. “I’ve done Holy Family Church, which is [my family’s] church and I did the church at Desaria House. It’s a lot of work,” she explains. “But when it’s done and it’s all put in and you walk in and you say, ‘Oh my god, I did that?’ and what’s even more special is when your grandkids walk in and say, ‘Grandma, you made that?’ It’s there forever!” She has also painted on glass, a complicated process that requires painting on glass with hot, liquid glass. After the painting is done, the whole art piece is put in a kiln where all the pieces fuse together.
Cindy Carter specializes in mosaics, but also has branched out into other glass specialties, including stained glass, fused glass, has tried her hand at bead-making, and has taken a few other classes as well. “I just love glass,” she said with a smile.
Kari Chittenden has been mastering the glass craft for 30 years. At first, creating stain glass windows represented an opportunity to recover financially after a divorce. Then, she and her daughter learned about a class about how to make lamp work beads. Since the three-day class included all the equipment needed and her daughter was extremely interested, Chittenden decided to sign up. “We both ended up getting hooked.” Visitors to the Plymouth Farmer’s Market can visit her booth.
Since then, she has gotten involved as an on-call bead artist with Beads of Courage, an organization that gives hand-crafted beads to children going through chemo therapy. “Sometimes, the only way they can get the kid to go and take the treatment is to pick out a really fantastic bead beforehand,” Chittenden explained. “They’re allowed to specify the bead of their dreams. The person at the facility will give the assignment to a bead artist… and sometimes it’s so elaborate. My very first assignment was a square bead with a wolf face on each side of the square with one brown eye and one green eye. I was hooked immediately! And he sent me the nicest thank-you note!”
Jacobson is a glass enamelist, specializing in fusing glass and copper into designs. This is one of the oldest forms of glass art, with archeological evidence of the form dating to 300 BC. “The glass that I use is ground up to the consistency of sugar. I apply it to copper and then put it into the kiln and fire it,” she explains.
Glass art provides an opportunity for artists to work with an incredible medium. The colors alone represent an extraordinary palette. “There are 210 different shades of amber. It’s from the lightest that you can just hardly see to the darkest that’s almost brown, but it’s all ambers,” described Szymczak. “Any combination of color can be put together to make different shades of things and variegated glass.”
The medium is rather unique since it can be worked in a solid or liquid state. “I’m kind of a pyromaniac: I enjoy the torch and melting the glass. I like the freedom that you get with free-forming molten glass,” says Kari.
It is also an awe-inspiring experience to watch the the project’s metamorphosis in the kiln. “When you make your design, put it in the kiln, and then pull it out—to see that transformation from that dry powdery stuff into the bright colors and everything and the smooth, glass-like surface, it’s intoxicating,” describes Jacobson.
Not only is this an addicting form of art, it’s also a way to unwind. “I find it very relaxing when I’m working on a project. I totally lose track of time. The colors and textures of the glass are mesmerizing,” Carter said. Jacobson agrees: “It’s sort of therapy, too. It’s a way to make something and shut your cares off and share with each other.”
All four of these artisans willingly admit that glass art isn’t for everyone, since it takes a lot of patience and work up-front before the piece can be kilned. “You can’t make good art… without a lot of work,” explained Chittenden. Typically, those who enjoy a piecemeal project, like sewing or jigsaw puzzles, enjoy this kind of project. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. We have a puzzle—we have a cartoon or a design—and you’re making the pieces to fit this puzzle. So if you don’t like puzzles, you’re not going to like this.”
For those who wish to try their hand at the glass art form, there are several classes being offered through the month of May. Szymczak will be leading a class to create stained glass garden art, Jacobson will be teaching a glass enameling class, and Carter will teach students how to mosaic a flower pot. For more information on dates, times, and costs for any of these classes, visit heartlandartgallery.com or call the gallery at 574-936-9515. For those willing to wait, Chittenden will be teaching a class at Moontree Studio this fall on bead-making. For more information, visit moontreestudios.org or call 574-935-1712.
Heartland Art Gallery has a wide selection of local art for sale, including pieces by the artisans mentioned in this article. The gallery is located at 101 N. Michigan St., Plymouth.