2008 Woodie Awards
USA to have first visual arts glass program in Alabama
Sidra Rasool
STAFF WRITER
Issue date: 7/14/08 Section: News
Since the beginnings of the studio glass movement of 1962, the art of glass has grown popularity not only as a hobby but as a professional career. The South and especially Mobile has seen a trend in the making of glass sculptures, vases, and even tiles. The Department of Visual Arts at USA has recognized this burgeoning desire for glass art and design and has turned it into a new glass program to be offered at USA.
The Glass Program in Visual Arts, which will begin Fall 2009, is the first of its kind in Alabama and only the fourth in the Southeastern United States. This program will give dedicated art students the chance to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts professional degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Glass, along with any of the other seven concentrations. Some of the other concentrations that students have the option to study in include Sculpture, Ceramics and Painting.
"Most students would probably find that a B.F.A. degree with a concentration in Sculpture would educationally work well together with the concentration in Glass, since these two artistic categories go hand-in-hand," Jason Guynes, Chairperson of the Visual Arts Department, said.
To receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Glass, students would have to complete all requirements for a B.F.A. along with taking 24 credit hours of training in the Glass field. The main goals of the Glass Program, according to the Visual Arts Department, are to "allow students the opportunity to explore the sculptural, conceptual and functional aesthetics of glass as an artistic medium. Coursework is structured to develop technical, aesthetic and conceptual expertise as well as encourage the student to seek personal expression through the exploration of a wide range of glass techniques and applications."
Some of the proposed courses of study include Kiln-Formed Glass and Glassblowing. Conventional glassblowing, which began in the Roman Empire in the 1st Century B.C., is a form of "hot work" glass art. It involves inflating molten glass with the aid of a blow pipe and forming it into sculptures and vases. The glassblowing classes will be available in beginner, intermediate and advanced glassblowing.
The other course to be offered in the Glass Program is Kiln-Formed Glass, or Oven-Formed Glass. This type of "cold work" glass art involves arranging chunks, beads, pieces, or even powdered glass and placing it in a kiln, or oven, to allow the glass to fuse together in the fashioned arrangement. "This form of glass-making allows for many creative materials to be used, such as ground-up coke bottles or other recycled materials," noted Guynes.
To coincide with the new Glass Program, a hot and cold glass art studio will also be built. This instructional studio will be 4000 square feet, climate-controlled, and will be built on the South side of the Visual Arts Building. Construction is to begin Fall 2008 and is expected to finish Spring 2009. Classes are planned to begin Fall 2009. For more information on the new Glass Program in Visual Arts, contact the Department of Visual Arts at (251) 460-6335.
The Glass Program in Visual Arts, which will begin Fall 2009, is the first of its kind in Alabama and only the fourth in the Southeastern United States. This program will give dedicated art students the chance to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts professional degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Glass, along with any of the other seven concentrations. Some of the other concentrations that students have the option to study in include Sculpture, Ceramics and Painting.
"Most students would probably find that a B.F.A. degree with a concentration in Sculpture would educationally work well together with the concentration in Glass, since these two artistic categories go hand-in-hand," Jason Guynes, Chairperson of the Visual Arts Department, said.
To receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Glass, students would have to complete all requirements for a B.F.A. along with taking 24 credit hours of training in the Glass field. The main goals of the Glass Program, according to the Visual Arts Department, are to "allow students the opportunity to explore the sculptural, conceptual and functional aesthetics of glass as an artistic medium. Coursework is structured to develop technical, aesthetic and conceptual expertise as well as encourage the student to seek personal expression through the exploration of a wide range of glass techniques and applications."
Some of the proposed courses of study include Kiln-Formed Glass and Glassblowing. Conventional glassblowing, which began in the Roman Empire in the 1st Century B.C., is a form of "hot work" glass art. It involves inflating molten glass with the aid of a blow pipe and forming it into sculptures and vases. The glassblowing classes will be available in beginner, intermediate and advanced glassblowing.
The other course to be offered in the Glass Program is Kiln-Formed Glass, or Oven-Formed Glass. This type of "cold work" glass art involves arranging chunks, beads, pieces, or even powdered glass and placing it in a kiln, or oven, to allow the glass to fuse together in the fashioned arrangement. "This form of glass-making allows for many creative materials to be used, such as ground-up coke bottles or other recycled materials," noted Guynes.
To coincide with the new Glass Program, a hot and cold glass art studio will also be built. This instructional studio will be 4000 square feet, climate-controlled, and will be built on the South side of the Visual Arts Building. Construction is to begin Fall 2008 and is expected to finish Spring 2009. Classes are planned to begin Fall 2009. For more information on the new Glass Program in Visual Arts, contact the Department of Visual Arts at (251) 460-6335.
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