FREE Veterans Glassblowing Day – November 8

Pratt Fine Arts Center is Saying “Thank You” to Veterans

FREE Veterans Glassblowing Day

November 8, 2014

SEATTLE, WA – Pratt Fine Arts Center is proud to participate in Veterans Glassblowing Day on November 8, 2014. Organizations from all over the country are participating in this nationwide initiative by hosting a day of free glassblowing classes for the nation’s Veterans and provide an experience that is fun, challenging, and community driven.

The goal of the event is to expose men and women to the world of glass art as well as affording troops the chance to develop a technical skill. Veterans Glassblowing Day hopes to unify the glassblowing community, and bring awareness to the craft and various organizations through their involvement.

Veterans may sign up online at http://www.pratt.org/classes/glass/

November 8, 2014
Afternoon Session: 1:45-5:45pm
Evening Session: 6:00-10:00pm

FREE and open to Veterans

Veterans Glassblowing Day was initially inspired by President Obama's plea for citizens to help our Veterans find work after returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Following President Obama's passing of the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act in July 2012, longtime glassblower Lisa Aronzon was inspired by this call to action and invited the glassblowing community to come together in support of our veterans. As our nation faces financial uncertainty, social revolution, acts of violence, and military conflicts, Veterans Glassblowing Day offers a terrific opportunity for Americans to pay it forward to our troops. Pratt Fine Arts Center is proud to offer this opportunity to our Veterans.

ABOUT PRATT

Pratt Fine Arts Center offers classes for all skill levels and abilities. It is the only facility in the Northwest where absolute beginners and established professional artists work side-by-side creating art in glass, sculpture, jewelry and metalsmithing, painting, drawing and printmaking.  Pratt provides affordable studios with unparalleled state-of-the-art equipment and professional artist instruction to create an environment where students learn, experiment, and create.

Pratt is The Place to Make Art.

About Veterans Glassblowing Day
Veterans Glassblowing Day will take place on November 8, 2014 nationwide. Glassblowing schools across the country will open their studios for veterans to experience the craft of glass blowing.

The long-term goal of Veterans Glassblowing Day is to create a non-profit organization that will offer scholarships for veterans to attend glassblowing classes and apprentice with professional artists.

Veterans Glassblowing Day Mission Statement
To provide United States veterans with a free opportunity to try the craft of glassblowing with the intentions of developing a marketable skill, building joy through artistic expression, and creating community through an annual national event.

Biographies

Lisa Aronzon, Founder & Director
www.LisaAronzon.com

Lisa Aronzon has been a working glass artist since 1985, receiving her MFA in glass from California Collage of Arts and Crafts in 1992. After graduate school, Lisa worked in a cooperative studio for four years and then built her own studio in Oakland, Calif. in 1998. In 2006, Lisa relocated to Virginia, where she rebuilt her glass studio in the Shenandoah Valley.

In 2012, Lisa responded to Presidents Obama’s request to help our Veterans return home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  She was inspired to create an event that would allow Veterans to experience glass blowing in their hometowns by organizing glass studios and workshops throughout our nation. The project called “Veterans Glassblowing Day” is scheduled for November 8th 2014, and Veterans will be able to attend a free Glassblowing Workshop at participating schools. Lisa hopes to take the VGD further by creating a non-profit scholarship program that will fund Veterans interests in pursuing a career in art glass.

Mary Catherine Richardson, Co-Director
http://mcrichardson.prosite.com/57502/gallery

Mary Catherine has been working with glass for ten years and holds and MFA in glass sculpture from the School for American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has worked at Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Studio School, Penland School of Crafts and Ox-Bow School of Art. Her work explores material and its presence in space. She incorporates various media including cast iron, ceramic and glass, using the inherent qualities of materials and their interactions to comment on personal experience. Currently she is living in Rochester, NY.

Participating Schools & Organizations
Area 253 Glass Blowing   http://area253glassblowing.com/default.html Tacoma WA
Asheville Glass Center     http://www.ashevilleglass.com/   Asheville NC
Atlanta Hot Glass  http://www.atlantahotglass.com  Atlanta GA
Blue Sage Studios http://www.bluesagestudios.com/ Oklahoma City OK
Conway Glass   http://conwayglass.com/classes   Conway  SC
The Crucible  http://www.thecrucible.org/home Oakland CA
The Crysler Museum  http://www.chrysler.org    Norfolk VA
Diablo Glass School  http://www.diabloglassschool.com/ Boston MA
Glen Echo Glassworks http://glenechoglassworks.com/  Glen Echo, MD
The Glass Academy   http://www.glassacademy.com/   Dearborn  MI
Glass Axis  http://glassaxis.org/   Columbus OH
The Glass Blowing Center   http://www.glass123.com/  Hilliards PA
Goggle Works Center for the Arts http://www.goggleworks.org/Facilities/Glass-Shop/  Reading  PA
Half Moon Bay Art Glass http://www.colquhounglassworks.com
Ignite Glass Studio  http://igniteglass.com/  Chicago IL
Indianapolis Art Center  http://indplsartcenter.org/
J and C Glass Studio  http://www.jandcglassstudio.com Cleveland OH
Lisa Aronzon Glass Studio  http://www.LisaAronzon.com  Broadway  VA
Pratt Fine Arts Center     http://www.pratt.org/    Seattle WA
Public Glass   www.publicglass.org   San Francisco CA
Revolution Glass     http://www.revolutionglass.com    Los Angeles CA
The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass http://www.cmog.org/glassmaking/studio  Corning NY
Schack Art Center   www.schack.org   Everett  WA
Tacoma Glassblowing Studio    www.tacomaglassblowing.com Tacoma  WA
The Works, Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology  http://www.attheworks.org     Newark  OH
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center   http://www.wheatonvillage.org   Millville   NJ

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