Some Like It Hot

 It takes a certain type of person to become a glassblower. 

From waking up at 5:30 in the morning for studio time to the grueling heat of the 2,000-degree furnaces, working glass is not something to approach lightly.

Glass majors at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art know how difficult it can be but cannot avoid the spell glass casts over them. Kyra Buleza, a first year glass major, who initially was interested in painting, said “I kept walking passed the hot shop and thinking I have to get in there.” Though the excitement of the field drew Buleza, it was the sense of community and nurturing teachers that helped her make a last minute decision to become a glass major.

            Because glass is a teamwork intensive activity, a strong sense of trust forms. It is this trust that fosters the growth of the community into a family. Buleza said, “The extent of care is amazing. You are sweating and getting burned for others’ pieces. What is important is the piece. In turn, the gaffer (person working the glass) is trusting you with their piece when transferring it.” 

Sean Redmond, a third year glass major, says, “The person working on the piece is the center of the universe.  You need to protect the piece they are making.”

An amazing amount of dedication is needed to work with glass, shown in the countless hour spent in the studio and an unrelenting work ethic. And if anyone begins to wonder why they are there Buleza said, “(you) look around to see people who have been working all day – everyone motivates each other just by doing their own work. Every one has the same amount of drive and desire to do their best.” 

Evidence of hard work is seen in the burns glass artists have. A simple burn can tell a story of drive or stupidity. It can even tell you what exactly the person was doing when they got the burn. For this reason, Buleza always looks at the hands of glass artists. Both majors, agreed after working with glass nothing hurts as badly. Redmond said that burns "make you feel like you belong – it’s like a tribe, you’ve been initiated.”

The amazing work done in the hot shop can be attributed to the incredible dedication but one cannot forget the studio itself. Tyler is one of the top three college studios in the nation. It is equipped with every sort of way to work with glass – blowing, flameworking, casting, kiln and cold working. 

Despite the fact that glass making has been around for 5,000 years in places such as Murano, Italy, it was only sixty years ago that the contemporary art form began. Since it is so young, Redmond, said, “You can’t say everything in glass has been done before. I could be the person who develops a new technique.” 

Random experimenting and learning from the greats that established the art movement, many of whom are still alive, makes the impact the students could have in the future even more tangible. Pilchauk, a glass school in Washington State, is the pinnacle of the movement- creating no limitations on what can be done. Students aspire to go to Pilchauk. It is the magical place Buleza said where, "boys go to become men."

"Glass is the most magical of materials." - Dale Chihuly