Conference Time and Gallery Hopping

Hot Shop Demo from More Fire Glass Studio

View from inside the Nan Miller Gallery

Today the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers) conference began in earnest. We had some great demos to watch and lots of conversation and friends to connect with. Then tonight the ISGB had ordered us up some transportation again and we were able to visit a great store called Let's Bead!. We then followed up the buying trip with some gallery hopping through the Nan Miller Gallery where Convergence II: Jewelry Design with Art Glass Beads was being shown and then to More Fire Glass Studio where the Perspectives Bead Show is staged among their beautiful glass offerings. More Fire also treated us to demos in the hot glass shop and torch working areas. It was inspiring.

More Museum Fun

Students in the week long course at the Corning Studio's Hot Shop

The Empty Studio Hot Shop with cold furnaces

Reflections in the beakers

Typical casserole dishes shown heated to different temperatures. The ones at the top are annealed to the temperature which makes them usable in our ovens - they start out relatively clear and finish tempered very strongly to a nice opaque white. Their example was such an artistically arranged towering sculpture.

The Corning Museum has so many different facets - the museum with glass education and gallery, the school, and the library. I decided you might enjoy seeing some of each so the photos above are representative of what we saw educationally and at the school studios. The hot shop wasn't the only studio they were teaching in. There were torching lessons going on, cameo engraving on glass, making wet forms to kiln dry for slumping, and many children's classes besides - including furnace work. It would be a fantastic place to take a class - a total glass environment.

Today, the Corning Museum of Glass

This beautiful museum is like going into Habitat Galleries during April (glass month) in Michigan. Plus, it's got all of the bells a whistles that glass month doesn't have...and then some. It's late and I'm exhausted so I'm just going to post some "taken all over' photos of the musem and tomorrow I will get to some explanaton of what we've been seeing.

The Gathering!

We made it. We left at about 9:30 AM and drove from Michigan - through Canada - and back into the United States to Rochester, NY. Tomorrow is the bus trip to Corning, NY. and the Corning Museum. I'll take photos and post them when I can...it will be inspiring to see all of the glass.

The theme of this year's conference is "Beyond Boundaries". Tonight we could see everyone beginning to arrive...and all the laughing that filled the lobby, couches, and restaurants. This is going to be fun - - - - - -

Merry-Go-Round-Horses

Well..., I was up and riding and getting ready for the Bazaar and decided to dismount. Pphfft! Zip, Done. In the garage I arranged the potential display and simply decided that there wasn't enough actual merchandise to fill it. Bead and Button was good to me, I'd have to close my Etsy temporarily and still it would feel bare -I wouldn't have any back-up stock to put out. It was a good plan but it's just not going to materialize and I'll call tomorrow and have them take my name off the bazaar list. I was going around and around this decision making process all week and felt like I was riding the carousel horses. Not to worry, I have a show in November with the Southeastern Michigan Beadmaker's Guild - Winter Wonders. By then I will have those trays filled and more jewelry completed. Onward and Upward.

Back in the Saddle Again

I'm getting ready for the Gathering. I will miss not having two friends with me this year. My friend Susan is teaching a class at the Gaston School for the Arts during that week and my friend Mallory is up at her daughter's condo in St Paul, helping (which is a very good thing!). Lillian and I will be traveling to Rochester, NY by car. OMG! - a bona fide road trip....but with a destination. I consider it a road trip if it takes more than four hours to get there. I think it's going to take about eight as the bird would fly.

I'm going to be in the Bead Bazaar on Saturday of the conference and Lillian has graciously agreed to help me out with it. It will be fun. Not the setting up or the taking down but the middle part. Since the DH and I did art fairs all over the country for over 27 years I know all about the setting up and taking down, all I can say is ICK, Poo, Spit - hate it!

Oh Yeah, the first few years you enjoy the anticipation of it all. Each show is a beginning; an opportunity, and that part doesn't go away. But, it does get to be the dregs packing, throwing the gear into the car and trekking it into a show space to set it up. Literally, you are setting up a storefront weekly. And, when you are done with the set up you have to work all day - usually more than one day - and usually about a 14 hour day. ACK! For most of those 27 years I managed it and looked darn perky doing it. Today, I'm a little concerned about getting my "perky on" for a day after setting a booth space up in the morning. After seeing my friends in Ann Arbor looking a little worn at the edges on the first day of that show my imagination's running in overdrive.

Luckily, it's not a full outdoor booth. Just a table booth and not terribly complicated....but I still have concerns about the perky part. I count on my friends for the perky part - I'm the quiet one. Yes, I'm social but I'm not going to take any awards for standing out in a crowd with a look at me attitude. I'm the one blending into the wall paper and pretty happy about it too. If I could find a top to match my table cover so you wouldn't notice me I'd be so ever delighted. I'd also prefer to do it the way some corn stands do. I'd gladly put out a jar and you could drop in your money if you decide you'd like some of the tasty goodies. Nothing is ever that easy!


In a previous post I was off to make some earrings. Since my booth "buds" aren't going to be at the Gathering I figured I'd better make some jewelry. They are both very prolific jewelry makers so it filled a void (uh, empty table space) when I'm being lazy. Now what???? Who's going to CYA (my buns have avoided finishing objects for awhile now). Okay already...I thought sincerely of dropping out of the show. That was a very real possibility - I procrastinated like the pro that I am. I have not done a single (as in solo) art show in a good ten years or so. I actually think maybe I'm having a panic attack about all of this. Really! There is no good reason to be having one. My skills are competent in glass and metal.

Are you enjoying this discourse? It's like thinking out loud - a inner discussion spewed out so I can move forward by convincing myself of something I already know. It's all going to be okay! The photo is of some of the earrings I made. A small handful. It's not that there will be a BIG handful at the Bead Bazaar...more like...WYSIWYG. What jewelry there is to exhibit will be cleanly accomplished - I'm tidy, what can I say. And, the inner critic hopes you will like it. It's been a long time between solo flights.

Fair Fun

This is Jim Ardis's booth. He does this fantastic and huge outdoor art. Sculptures for your yards - arbors, and wall art. We've know him for a long time and if your ever get to see this stuff you'll be amazed. Not your run of the mill copper cut outs.

I think I've mentioned this before the Ann Arbor Art Fairs are actually four fairs. It covers most of the town and is usually in first or second place for the top fair in the country. I didn't think we'd make it through all of it...but after what we did see, with breaks and lunch I was on eye candy overload anyway. We were able to see lots of old friends and linger our way along the many streets. A Greek lunch was wonderful too. Music, impromptu and planned is always an extra treat. There were bands and many street musicians. Even a booth of pet portraits - "Blue Dog" would have been proud.


And then there are the sales - it is summer close-out time and nearly every store has a special going on or a booth outside their storefronts. There are so many funky stores you could just spend the day going from store to store - shoes, clothing, eyeglasses. Yes, I love the eyeglasses. Every year in the summer "SEE" (that's the name of the store) closes out lots of last year's frames. You can purchase funky frames (originally priced in the stratosphere) for $49.00.


This town is home of the University of Michigan - you've got to love college towns! It could be any university actually, they just tend to draw an eclectic and diverse population.

There are so many things to love about these particular art fairs. The university atmosphere, the four art shows, the sales, the music, the diversity, and sandwiched in between two of the fairs there is the section of non-profit booths. There are booths that can just tickle you in that section and some that make you want to cry.

Sometimes the placement of the booths can be absolutely absurdly funny...today the Atheists of the World were two booths down from a wonderful group of Muslims - who had signs out that everyone should come and get to know them because they were really peaceful people. I agree and don't know why they needed signs to announce that but they were so sincere and nice. Oh, and just down the road - is the the Buddhist Temple.

The non-profits are most certainly not restricted to people of religion. Want to talk to pro-choice - they're there, but they were about a half dozen booths down from the Catholics! Love a Libertarian? They were there and next to the Welders from Washtenaw County Community College....there's a joke there somewhere. The Democrats were there and I loved the fact that the couple in the booth had been married a million years and were retiree's. Where were those young hip types standing by the Obama T-shirts? Heck if I know.



I gave money to the Soup Kitchen people and the Save the Greyhound people. Maybe it was a year to feed everyone. It is definitely a street to keep an open mind on and to talk to your hearts content on any topic of interest. I took a few photos of the booths. I wish I'd of gotten the one on how to continue to help the Haitians because there was a phone number on the front. And I took a photo of a booth that was full of photos but then deleted it when I was editing It was such a honorable booth but the photos were the kinds where you can not blink, they make you wince, and didn't think it appropriate to pass along here. They were there to talk about the toll that land mines are taking on some of the native populations of some countries - heartbreaking! I know there are many fine arts shows to visit while in Ann Arbor but I will dare to suggest spending a little time on this street taking to these passionate booth sitters. It very quickly helps you to understand your place in the world and I always feel a lot more humble and thankful when I am done.


Attached all over this post are the photos I took. I really didn't get much on the "art". There were lots of signs out asking that everyone not shoot photos of their work. I'm thinking it's the economy and so many artists are concerned about being ripped off artistically. Before, pre-economy crashes, there were not. But so many times photos are taken and repo's have turned up in major chain stores. Sad but true.

And, the last photo - I just thought it was fun to find this plant by a parking lot. In Ann Arbor the art is everywhere!

Fair Weather Day

Off and running this morning - - - - going to the Ann Arbor Art Fair! It's always wonderful and a little bitter sweet as we visit with old friends. We used to participate in this show every year but since DH's spinal surgery nearly two years ago we've had to take a sabbatical. It's been tough on him - forced retirement. I'll let you know how the show looks this year. It should be a wowzer since there are some new artists.

TAH TAH for now.................

Well, I'm not this laid back but I'm hanging out in the studio and making some earrings today.

I Reserve the Right To Disagree

In our family a heated discussion about any topic from politics and religion to family matters was not considered an earth shattering event. In the end people could agree to disagree - no one was really crazed about it all. No one was peeved to the point of distraction or thinking they had to change their opinion because the other person might not like them or be "friends or family" anymore.

My son and I had worked for a long time at the same place. In that place we had team meetings where all the people involved in a client's care would meet once a week to discuss that care. Those meetings were a lot like my family - we had heated discussions from time to time about what was best for a child in our care. These were not personal attacks, just opposing positions. Often, my son - Don - and I would not agree on a path for treatment. Sometimes the other team members would get uncomfortable. Don and I would find it amusing. One of us would sense the tension and laugh, breaking the ice, and often he would say - "Get over it - this is just family bonding." For over twenty years (although Don was not there for all of those 20) we hashed out excellent treatment for the youth we served and we family bonded. We all learned the art of disagreement and negotiation for the benefit of the population we served. We did not agree, we stated our opinions and the reasoning for those opinions - and then we would decide on a plan. It was never all my way - or their way - and often it was a blend. And sometimes we just agreed to disagree and go with the majority - voting for a president is like that (we are all Americans, after all). It not only was okay, it was fantastic.

We all now meet via a facebook site or phone calls. Ah, yup - all of these "teammates" who were involved in the heated discussions. We just had a reunion - we are having a pig roast next week to celebrate Deb's eleventh year of being cancer free.

Recently I said to an acquaintance that she needed to "Get Over it". I forget that everyone doesn't handle heated conflict well. She was highly offended and for that I apologized. But, I have an educated opinion about the politics of the state I live and work in. I think others are entitled to theirs too but I also think if you are going to endorse someone you ought to investigate their track record and talk to people who might give you a broader base of knowledge from which to draw your opinion.

It is my personal opinion (and this only an analogy) that all Christmas presents look great wrapped up. Mostly you don't know what's in there until it's unwrapped and being used. It could be a kitchen mixer. But - But - But - is it a Kitchen Aid that can handle the pressure of lots of kitchen duties, or is it a hand mixer that you needed for the lighter and fluffy stuff? It's like that with politicians - they all look good making those speeches in their Christmas wrap. It's up to each of us to figure out what's beneath the wrapping and decide which utensil is going to suit us best.

The person I offended doesn't want to be Facebook "friends" anymore. It's okay. We weren't friends we were acquaintances. I have lots of friends and acquaintances and if you can't take the heat, or the apology, or an honest discourse on politics then get out of the pan. To this issue of being "friends" I think Doctor Seuss had a saying:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind" ~Dr.Seuss