Original members (left to right): Lori Hartsook, Phyllis Breitenborn, Millie Burroughs, Barbara Sanford, Stephen Nathan, Margot Gifford, Linda Smith, and in the front (seated) is Ziggy Butkiewicz. Those who were not available on this day are: Joan Stedman, Barbara Purpura, Susan Traxel, and Leslie Sulzberg.
Karla Heinz
We rounded up as many original glass members as we could find! Some were not available to be in the photo, and some may have not been aware we were doing this. All in all, it was a good turnout and fun to see everyone reunite and reminisce about the old days!
The Glass Art Club started out as stained glass in a different location, not dedicated to art. When the new Creative Arts Center building was completed, in approximately 2004, Connie Paulson started teaching fused glass. In the beginning, there were no officers, no board members, very little equipment, etc. To purchase their glass, members pooled their orders for Bullseye glass and waited for it to arrive. They used no adhesives and had to build their project directly in the kiln. In the beginning, there were only two kilns, one large and one small.
There are now 141 members, with numerous classes being offered during the year, which attracts many new members. The room now has five kilns, a board of officers, and many mentors with experience over the years who are more than willing to help others. There are many other sources to purchase glass now, and we keep learning new methods to make our art more presentable and interesting.
Perhaps you have noticed the amazing and beautiful glass work art that is being done by this club in the windows and the gallery. Our thanks to these original members for keeping the glass club going all these years and contributing to making us better artists.