November 2008

Public Glass

By Noah Arroyo

Public Glass, located in Bayview at Third and Armstrong streets, provides a cooperative space for artists to learn about and practice the ancient craft of glassmaking.  Public Glass features a hot shop, where casting and blowing happens; a flat shop, where glass of different colors and designs are fused, or where artists manipulate a piece’s shape; and a kiln casting area, where artists construct molds and fill them with molten glass.

The cost of practicing glass art is similar in scale to documentary filmmaking.  Public Glass’ furnace, from which artists draw the initial molten glass to begin a piece, is kept at a constant 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 24/7, contributing to the nonprofit’s $25,000 monthly overhead costs.  At Public Glass artists share in these expenses, paying a monthly fee to use the facilities.

The nonprofit was founded by four glass artists in 1997.  Their goal was to provide penny-pinching artists affordable studio space.  Public Glass quickly attracted an eclectic mix of individuals, ranging from beginners, who take classes which cost between $75 to $500, to accomplished artists who depend on high-quality equipment.  According to Michelle Knox, Public Glass’ executive director, the facility mostly attracts local private art school graduates.  “When their classes are done, where are they supposed to go?” she said.

Knox started as an unpaid volunteer, working her way to become the nonprofit’s executive director.  She’s now introducing new ideas to the organization, and, as she says, resurrecting old ones.  She wants to encourage new artists to join, and strongly supports monthly art shows. Because glass work is expensive to practice, and doesn’t typically pay off in terms of sales, “We’re looking for funding,” she said.  Knox also hopes that Public Glass artists will interact more with nearby Bay View-Hunters Point residents.  “It’s fine for people to just come by and watch. We’re a drop-in community. Just call first,” said Rob Tribble, a nine-year Public Glass member.  

Knox considers glass working a great resource for at-risk youths.  It’s highly physical, meditative work, with “consequences” that “don’t allow you to be anywhere else.”   And because glass blowing requires cooperation between two people, “You can either go it alone and burn yourself, or you can trust me,” she said.  Some pieces can take many hours to complete.  According to Knox, one glass-art newbie “…asked me what he could get done in three hours. I had to restrain myself from saying, ‘Well, nothing.’”

 

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