Central Park, NC Blog - STARworks

STARworks Glass March 28 Open House Cancelled

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:58:00-0500

The March 28, 2009 Open House for STARworks Glass Lab has been cancelled. Please join us for the April 18 Open House featuring live glass blowing demonstrations, videos, and artwork. You will get the opportunity to purchase beautiful pieces by our experienced artists. Food and beverage will be served.

Spring Open Houses

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:33:00-0500

Spring brings lots of excitement and activity here at Central Park NC and STARworks NC. Many open houses, classes, and workshops are beginning and we would love for you to be a part of it.

STARworks Ceramics

Open House - March 16, 2009 (5-7pm)
We will demonstrate some of the clay mixing operation beginning at 5:30pm, and we will be giving out small clay samples. Samples are limited, so first come, first served. Beer, wine and snacks will be served also. Don't miss this chance!

Upcoming Workshops--

Large Bowl/Platter Making - March 30, 2009 (1:30-4:30pm)
4 people/max

Japanese Tea Pot Making - April 27, 2009 (1:30-4:30pm)
4 people/max

Basic Plaster Mold Making - May 18, 2009 (1:30-4:30pm)
6 people/max

For information about classes, fees, and how to sign up, visit http://www.starworksnc.org/Ceramics/ceramics.htm

STARworks Glass

Open House - March 28 and April 18, 2009
We welcome the public to come and experience the wonderful art of glassblowing. Our artists will be doing live glassblowing and artwork can be purchased.

Upcoming Classes and Workshops--

Introduction to Glassblowing - April 13-May 4, 2009 (Mon and Weds.)
This four-week intensive class hosted by STARworks Glass will give students the opportunity to learn the techniques of glassblowing from our expert artists.

Glass I - March 13-15, March 20-22, April 3-5, April 24-26 Weekend Intensive Workshop

Glass II - April 24-26 Weekend Intensive Class

For information about classes, fees, and how to sign up, visit http://www.starworksnc.org/glass/Home/Home.html

February Glassblowing Classes Still Available

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:43:00-0500

The STARworks glass lab has spaces available for the February Glassblowing Classes.

January classes were a great success with potters, jewelry makers, and others using their creative energy to make beautiful glass pieces.

February classes are being offered Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 13-15.

February 6-8 - Glass II

This class is the follow up to Glass I, building on fundamentals from the intro course. The majority of time in the class will be time at the bench with demos in between to familiarize students with proper technique for the process. Students will also get to learn basic cold-working techniques to complete the glass blowing process from start to finish.

February 13-15 - Glass I

STARworks Glass Lab will be offering an accelerated, introductory course in glassblowing (Glass I) that touches on the fundamentals of glass, including basic hot shop techniques, tools and equipment.

Classes would be intensive 3-day classes meeting Friday evening, all day Saturday and all day Sunday for about 20 hours of instruction.

For more information about the classes, please contact Mike Linzy, glass coordinator at Mike@starworksnc.org or at 910-428-9001.

Glass Class A Success!

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:56:00-0500

On January 9-11, 2009, STARworks glass lab held its first accelerated, introductory class of the year. Eight students, ranging from potters to jewelry makers, were able to learn the basic hot shop techniques, tools, and equipment. The students had a great time and were able to make between 5 and 10 pieces in the 20 hours of the class.

If you are interested in taking a glassblowing class, contact Mike Linzy at 910-428-9001.

Glassblown Ornaments for Sale

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:25:00-0500

STARworks is selling beautiful glass ornaments for this holiday season.

These ornaments would make excellent additions to your Christmas tree or great gifts for ones you love.

The cost for one is $13. To purchase a handmade glass ornament, please call STARworks at 910-428-9007 or Central Park NC at 910-428-9001.

Upcoming Glassblowing Classes at STARworks

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:50:00-0500

The new STARworks Glass Lab will be offering potters an accelerated, introductory course in glassblowing (Glass I for Potters) that touches on the fundamentals of glass, including basic hot shop techniques, tools and equipment.

Classes would be intensive 3-day classes meeting Friday evening, all day Saturday and all day Sunday for about 20 hours of instruction.

Class Schedule:

Friday: Shop orientation, safety training, history, demo, equipment operation. (4 hours)

Saturday: (8 hours) * Ergonomics: rod and pipe procedure, posture and stance, bench orientation, marvering, hot shop communication * Gathering: safety, where, how far up punty rod, how much * Bench operation: positioning, how to turn, tooling. * Use of jacks, make marbles other simple shapes * Starter bubble, jackline * Second gather, blocking, marvering second gather * Paddles * Transfer to punty, open up bubble, making cups

Sunday: (8 hours) * Recap Saturday, continue making cups * Rolling in color, demo an overlay * Handles, bits * Add all elements into cylinder shape and we'll see how far you get!

Price: $295 including lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Instructors: Mike Linzy, Eddie Bernard, and Evan Morgan Class size: Maximum 8

We are interested in offering a first class before Christmas on December 19-21 if there is sufficient interest. A more advanced class (Glass II for Potters) will be offered after the New Year as well as a repeat of Glass I. Other plans are to teach a glass casting class in the spring as well.

For more info, contact Mike Linzy @mike@starworksnc.org or call 910-428-9001.

December 13, 2008-- Central Park NC Open House

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:46:00-0500

Join Central Park NC as we host an open house on December 13th. Come out and learn about the great things going on at Central Park NC and STARworks.

Enjoy glass blowing demonstrations by our experts and take home one of the beautiful clay and glass ornaments that will be for sale.

Everyone will get a chance to learn about our exciting new classes that will be starting in January 2009! You can register to be a part of the glass blowing and clay experience classes. Spaces are filling up, so don't miss your opportunity to learn from some of the best clay and glass artists in the region.

DATE: December 13, 2008
TIME: 10am to 1pm
LOCATION: Central Park NC, 100 Russell Drive Star, NC 27356

3 Years in the Making Celebrated Thursday, October 23rd

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:22:00-0500

Almost three years ago, Central Park NC Executive Director, Nancy Gottovi, had big dreams of bringing a glass studio to STARworks. On October 23rd she along with the staff of Central Park NC, STARworks, and Wet Dog Glass celebrated the completion of the STARworks glass studio. The STARworks glass studio will serve the only public access glass studio in North Carolina providing glass artists with the opportunity to purchase time in the studio, a benefit to artists with the rising cost of fuel needed to fire glass furnaces.

The STARworks glass studio will also serve as the hands-on classroom for local high school and college students throughout the region to learn about the craft of glass-blowing and the business of working as a glass artist. Spring semester 2009 the first group of students will step foot in the studio at STARworks for a semester long course. Funding for the program has been provided through a grant from Piedmont Triad Partnership.

Funding for the STARworks glass studio was provided by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and the studio itself was designed and built by Wet Dog Glass. Eddie Bernard and all the gang at Wet Dog Glass are also glass artisans themselves and their first glass-blowing demonstration in the new studio will be held Thursday, October 30th during Central Park NC's Annual Meeting at STARworks.

Wet Dog Glass Gang: Phil, Mac, Steve-O, Nick, Eddie, and "Miss Wet Dog" Louise aka "Weezy"

Wet Dog employee, Mac, shows his excitement as Nick opens the door to the furnace fired for the first time on Thursday

Owner of Wet Dog Glass, Eddie Bernard, explains the function of the heat recuperator on the top of the furnace

What's going on at STARworks?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:21:00-0500

Interested in knowing more about what is going on here at STARworks Center for Creative Enterprises? Learn more about what we're actually doing here and keep up to date with all the latest news by reading the STARworks blog. Contributors to the blog include employees and staff of our small businesses here at the STARworks Center: ComfortSouth, Wet Dog Glass, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, STARworks Ceramics, STAR garden and CSA and Central Park NC.

So check it out! Just added entry "How did our garden grow?"

Wet Dog Glass Lands at STARworks

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:28:00-0500

The dog is out of the bag. Wet Dog Glass, the glass furnace manufacturer from New Orleans, has relocated to the STARworks building in Star, NC.

The Montgomery Herald has an in-depth look at the company and its creative, and enterprising, workforce. This move has generated a lot of excitement by artisans throughout North Carolina who now have more immediate access to some of this country's foremost experts in glass and glass manufacture.

Learn more about Wet Dog Glass on their website and keep visiting this blog for more information. In the coming months we should be releasing some exciting new information about glass programs and opportunities to work in the studio.

Pottery Experience Workshop Launched

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:12:00-0500

Visitors seeking a hands-on experience with pottery and working with clay in the Central Park region are in for a treat this year. Takuro and Hitomi Shibata of STARworks Ceramics are opening a hands-on pottery making workshop where visitors can spend two-hours working with clay and making small pots. Those interested in keeping their pots will have them fired in the kiln and either collected on site or shipped to their home for a small fee.

Some of Central Park NC's employees got a chance to test drive the new workshop earlier this week and it was loads of fun. Here are some pictures from that event.

Pictured are happy pot-makers Casey Harris (in the orange shirt), Tim Emmert (black shirt), Hitomi Shibata (checkered apron), Angela Bernard (black shirt), Eddie Bernard (orange shirt), Beth Throneburg (lavender shirt.) Not pictured is Santiago Alvarez who, with a year or two of pottery experience to his name, probably made the nicest pot of them all.

The new demonstration studio fills a niche for interactive experiences in the pottery tourism industry. Every year, Moore, Montgomery and Randolph counties are flooded with thousands of visitors interested in the region's extensive community of potters. There are more than one hundred potteries to visit and an engaging exhibit at the North Carolina Pottery Center in downtown Seagrove sheds light on the history of pottery and some of the techniques potters use. The new studio complements these venues by bringing visitors in direct contact with the pottery experience.

Teaching the pottery classes will be Takuro Shibata, a potter and current director of STARworks Ceramic and Hitomi Shibata, an accomplished potter with a Masters Degree in Educaiton who recently finished teaching at the NC Pottery Center.

Community Garden Yields its First Greens

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:39:00-0500

The first greens of the year are in from the community garden! Anne Pärtna (far left) has indicated that she does not want to be labeled as the master garden of Star Gardens but she is responsible for a healthy crop of greens. Everyone who helped work on the garden was treated to the first batch and we took a picture to commemorate the event

Pictured here from left to right are: STARworks artisan and community garden ... person Anne Pärtna, Central Park NC director Nancy Gottovi, Angela Bernard of Wet Dog Glass, and Central Park NC's Jane-of-all-Trades Beth Throneburg.