Young Adult Tours & Demonstrations
The following information describes demonstrations and hands-on activities that are available for young adult groups: including school field trips, birthday parties and scout meetings. If you would like to reserve a date, please contact GlassWorks office, to check availability for your preferred time and date. GlassWorks prefers to schedule demonstrations during weekday mornings, starting at 10:00am as the young adults are alert to participate. On Saturdays, preferred times are after 1:00pm. To schedule your event, please call our office, Mon - Fri, 11am - 5pm at (504) 529-7277.
While the activities listed are based on ONE HOUR time increments for demonstrations and faculty instruction, GlassWorks' office staff is more than happy to work with you in scheduling a longer event for your group's unique, individual needs and interests. Both large and small groups can easily rotate between the glassblowing arena, glass torch working studio and the printmaking studio, allowing many people to rotate around the artist's studios and experience a number of different activities at the same time with hands-on, make & take activities. Depending on the size of your group, and hands-on activities chosen, you may decide to extend your time past one hour. Prices will then be adjusted to fit the time scheduled.
Glassblowing Demonstrations
In a scheduled, ONE-HOUR LONG GLASSBLOWING DEMONSTRATION, our distinguished master craftsmen and GlassWorks faculty introduce your group to the techniques and skills required to shape and form the honey-like, challenging medium of molten glass. A verbal narration accompanies the demonstration, which explains the origins of the processes, dating back to Egyptian times. Scientific and technical experiments performed by GlassWorks' faculty show visitors how the different ingredients that make up the soft, glowing molten glass are important elements when creating the glass designs exhibited in the front room, New Orleans ArtWorks Gallery. Each young adult is also treated to a Prince Rupert's Drop. Before their eyes the glowing, molten glass is turned back into its original form of sand! The entire audience then participates in a fiber optic pull, bringing this ancient process into the high-tech, computer age of the 21st century. The young adults will see the magic of glass, while in its liquid state, as a conductor of electricity, creating light and moving objects. The chemistry of adding colorful, rainbow-like wraps to the clear glass from the furnace is also demonstrated. These magical, musical and scientific experiments are always favorites to everyone! Questions are encouraged; audience participation is welcomed. Your group will also learn activities they can try later at home or in a class setting, giving more insight to glass working techniques-this will be of interest to teachers and group leaders.
One-Hour Glassblowing Demonstration:
Price includes cost of set-up, narration (explanation of each step, as the master glass blowers create dragons and space creatures from the hot, glowing molten material), conducting hands-on, scientific experiments and interaction with electricity, sand, and fiber optic pulls, the teams of glassblowers and sculptors demonstrating for the young adults (depending on the size of your group), printed materials & hand-outs (available upon advance request) for classroom study of the educational processes
Scientific Glass Flame Working Demonstrations
Scientific glass flame working, also called torch working, allows young adults to observe or experience, through hands-on, "Make & Take" activities, the techniques of forming glass objects, such as vibrant glass sea creatures, or glass beads, from rainbow colored glass rods that become soft when heated by the flame of a table top torch. TORCHWORKING is a process that is being rediscovered today by many contemporary glass artists. Groups are invited to observe this process in a scheduled, hour-long demonstration OR opt to schedule HANDS-ON, "MAKE & TAKE" ACTIVITIES IN GLASS TORCH WORKING. A small glass sculpture is formed by careful and delicate maneuvering of the honey-like substance of glass around a steel rod, called a "mandrel".
Group members over the age of 10 may participate in a hands-on "Make & Take" activity in this studio by learning how to make their own, unique small glass sculptures using a table-top torch. Our experienced GlassWorks' faculty members gently guide young adults through each intricate step.
The torchworking studio has 7 table-top torches that may be in use at one time. Tour group visitors can rotate in between studios observing and participating in this hands-on activity, in conjunction with glassblowing and/or printmaking demonstrations. (Please keep in mind that the glass sculptures made during your demonstration MUST cool overnight; they will not be available to take home at the end of your event. Glass sculptures your group members have created and labeled may be picked up within two weeks of your demonstration. GlassWorks can mail (UPS) all labeled glass sculptures made during your hands-on activities to you at an extra cost).
One-Hour Glass Sea Creature & Egyptian Glass Beadmaking Demonstration:
Price includes narration by faculty master craftsman, materials, set-up and clean-up. A group of approximately 25 people can watch this demonstration at a time. Larger groups can rotate to other working artists studios within the time they are here, and watch working craftsmen in their studios, such as glassblowing and/or printmaking & paper marbling.
Hand-On "Make and Take" Activites in Glass Flame Working:
In ONE HOUR, GlassWorks can allow 3 groups of 7 people (21 people total) to make their own small glass sea creatures or Egyptian-inspired beads. GlassWorks has 7 torches on which visitors may learn. Each participant will have approximately 15 minutes to experiment, assisted by a faculty member. Designs can be picked up or mailed (UPS) to your group (at an extra cost) when they are cooled. This workshop is ideal for class field trips, scout troop meeting, and birthday parties. Please keep in mind your young adults are here for the educational experience, as beginners, to enjoy and appreciate the process.
Printmaking Demonstrations
Hands-on, "Make & Take" demonstrations are available from a Master Printmaker in the spacious printmaking studio in monoprint, Italian paper marbling, and silk screen. Each member of the group is given the materials needed as our printmaking faculty guide guests through the magical experience of instant flow of color on paper or fabric. A traditional Conrad, intaglio press or a revolutionary Whelan, spring loaded press will be utilized in creating the group's one-of-a-kind images and pieces of artwork. Become a part of history in the making, taking your group from today's modern digital world back in time using ancient, traditional methods.
Hands-on, "Make & Take" Printmaking Demonstrations are available in one of the following:
- ITALIAN STYLE PAPER MARBLING (SUMINAGASHI) - also called ink floating, allows group members to recreate the colorful, marbled paper found in traditional Italian, hand-bound books. This hands-on experience is ideal for teachers to take back to the classroom, incorporating the experiment into writing or history projects.
- BOTANICAL MONOPRINT (MONOTYPE) - create wildlife, detailed flora using foliage and flowers, producing unique natural impressions that can also easily be transformed to a classroom setting, for projects such as scientific tree and leaf identification. This process employs the use of the traditional Conrad intaglio press to transfer the colorful results onto handmade, archival paper surprisingly instantaneously to take home.
- SILK SCREENED T-SHIRTS - one of the most commonly recognized printing methods allows group members to create their own t-shirt using a design that is particularly meaningful to your group. Group directors can email or fax a ONE OR TWO -color design, (such as a school or club logo) to GlassWorks Office, and your young adult artists can print their design on t-shirts to take home. (Your group must supply your own t-shirts.)
One-Hour Printmaking Demonstration:
Price covers the cost of the faculty master printmaker & assistants, the verbal narration of the process demonstrated, studio set up, materials, paper and ink, maintenance of press & blankets, and clean up. (up to 25 visitors may watch at one time and then circulate to demonstrations in glassblowing or torchworking.)
Hands-On "Make & Take" Printmaking Activities:
Please consider the time it requires for each participant to make their print. Please contact the GlassWorks' office to arrange exact pricing and timing for your event.
Glass Hand Casting
Held on Friday afternoons by appointment or prior arrangement only. Create a personal cast glass relief sculpture of the palm side of your hand! Glass hand castings are unique keepsakes for parents and grandparents, as well as for friend's birthdays and holiday gifts. The glass hand castings originated with GlassWorks' Art's in Education project, "Language in Glass." A thirty-foot neon sign showing the American Sign Language Alphabet is on display above the glass casting studio. At least 3-day advance notice is required in order to schedule and prepare for glass hand castings.
HAND CASTING PROCEDURE: The audience and participants gather around the glass casting arena, beneath the neon display of the Sign Language Alphabet in preparation for the event. Each person is encouraged to learn the sign for their first or last initial, or a symbol such as "I love you" or "friendship." Large rectangular sandboxes are filled with a mixture of fine, moistened sand and clay. With the guidance of GlassWorks faculty, participants carefully press their hands into the sand and clay mixture to form a mold. The impressions are then carbonized with a glowing torch, which prepares and solidifies the mold for the honey-like molten glass that will be ladled into your hand mold. The excitement mounts as a member of GlassWorks faculty dons a protective, silver, "space suit". After taking the honey-like, molten glass from the furnace, he ladles it into each of the carbonized molds of the hand impressions, as the audience watches. The cooling glass hand casts are gently carried to an annealer, where the temperature is gradually lowered to room temperature over a two-day period to avoid cracking the cast glass hand sculpture.
Please note that the annealing, or cooling, process generally takes at least 72 hours, so the glass hand castings cannot be removed and cleaned until they are completely cooled down to room temperature. Please contact GlassWorks gallery to confirm that your hand casting has been coded and cleaned before planning a pick-up time. Once you have called to confirm the readiness of your casting, they may be picked up during gallery hours, from 11am - 5pm, Mon. - Fri., or they may be shipped, UPS, to you at a minimal, extra cost.
GlassWorks faculty can also take photographs of the process by prior arrangement to commemorate this special occasion.
This site created by Lauren R. Brown