Month: July 2022

Lincoln artist organizes local marble hunt in conjunction with Lincoln Hot Glass artists

event, flameworking

Local artists from Lincoln Hot Glass are bringing treasure to you and going down in history at the same time. The United Nations has named 2022 The Year of Glass, and glass artists are making history with the world’s biggest marble treasure hunt by hiding their handmade marbles for you to find. Now, you can have the adventure of a lifetime and add some beautiful artwork to your collection. The hunt for the marble treasure is open to the public at no cost.

The “fresnel lens” marble turns images upside down!

Nebraska is home to many talented, locally and nationally recognized glass artists. Marc Kornbluh has been making and selling marbles to the international marble collecting community for close to 20 years. His marbles are in museums and private collections throughout the country, and one of his marbles resides in the permanent collection of the Sheldon Museum. “At Lincoln Hot Glass, we make a variety of marbles, from small memorial cremation marbles to giant globes. It’s the only place in hundreds of miles where you can learn to make marbles and other items on the torch,” notes owner Marc.

The “brain” is created with clear glass and fumes of silver and gold to create the beautiful colors inside.

Matt Losee is the lead instructor at Lincoln Hot Glass and enjoys working with those 16 and older to learn about working molten glass on the torch. “Glass marbles are pretty close to indestructible. They’re very durable. Unlike stone, wood, metal, oil paintings or other art, glass is chemically inert. It won’t oxidize and degrade or rot. In a million years, these marbles will look the same as they do now.”

Carrie Strope is a local glass artist and teaching artist who uses all forms of working in glass, from fused glass and mosaics to stained glass and torchworking. “We’re excited to be joining the World’s Biggest Marble Hunt during the International Year of Glass to help bring a fun, free, family-friendly activity to Nebraskans. It is exciting and engaging for even the youngest of marble hunters. 

The planetary marble made by Marc Kornbluh that was hidden in a space themed plant at the UN-L Arboretum.

We hope to inspire folks with the marbles they find and look forward to showing them how accessible it is to make your own marbles at Lincoln Hot Glass”, says Lincoln artist Carrie Strope. 

A couple of the glass artists that are joining the marble hunt and hiding marbles started out as students at Lincoln Hot Glass. Chris Apple started out taking an ornament class as a way to connect with his deceased Aunt, who was a glassblower. Soon after, he was taking every class the studio offered and realized he wanted to be at the studio more often. “Working with glass is a way for me to use my creative energies in a capacity that is not related to my creative day job. It’s meditative and therapeutic. Studio time is me time and is a great balance for my mental wellbeing.” 

Can you spot the mushroom marble made by Carrie Strope?

Another student turned renter, Doug Hanks says, “Glass, for me, is the perfect medium. Every piece is unique, and will last for generations. Where else can you balance lava on a lightsaber and make something beautiful?”

The many marbles being hidden throughout Nebraska use various techniques and are all original works of art. Some of the marbles are created with precious metals such as silver and gold while some of them are full of imagery created using small strands of glass or murrine, which are created by stacking many layers of glass and pulling it down to smaller patterns. If you’re interested in learning more about making marbles, Lincoln Hot Glass offers classes that teach you all of the steps in creating a marble that you could hide for others to find or for you to keep as your own treasure!!

Can you spot the mushroom marble that was hidden at the lake and only accessible by water?

Lincoln Hot Glass will be posting marble hunts specific to the Lincoln Area on their facebook page. Join the Nebraska artists listed below and The World’s Biggest Marble Hunt. You can join the hunt absolutely free!

A handful of the marbles being hidden for the marble hunt, created by Lincoln’s marble artists.

Participating Lincoln Artists:
Carrie Strope – https://calyxglass.com/
Marc Kornbluh – https://www.instagram.com/kornbluhglass/
Matt Losee – https://www.instagram.com/md_losee/  
Doug Hanks – https://www.instagram.com/hanxglassart/ 
Travis djBLAC – https://www.instagram.com/djblac/ 
Chris Apple – https://www.theapple.red/ 

Mosaic artists help raise funds to save mid-century mosaic mural in Lincoln, NE

mosaic

A mosaic mural that was the largest of its kind when it was installed in the 1950s is facing demolition this summer in Lincoln, NE. A group of mosaic artists are doing their part to help raise a portion of the $1 million needed to remove the mosaic mural before the wrecking ball hits.

Lincoln artist Carrie Strope, in cooperation with Architectural Glassarts, is assembling mosaic kits that can be purchased by area residents to learn about and create small mosaics while saving a piece of Lincoln history for future generations.

Create and learn about mosaics while saving a piece of Lincoln’s history…

Mosaic ornaments created in upcycled jar lids.

The mosaic mural that resides on the side of the soon to be demolished and outdated event center in downtown Lincoln tells the story of small midwestern town entertainment in the mid 50s with a nod to the activities that took place in Pershing Auditorium. It was designed by Nebraska artists Leonard Thiessen and Bill Hammond and fabricated by the Cambridge Tile Company.

To save this piece of Americana and preserve a bit of our local history, the Committee to Save Pershing’s Mural and the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation are raising funds spearheaded by Liz Shea-McCoy, a local artist and arts advocate.

Mosaic kits are $10 and 80% of the proceeds go directly to the mural rescue, with the remaining 20% covering costs of materials.

Most of the funds for safely removing the mural from the front of the building have been raised, but more funds need to be raised to store and re-install the mural in its new home. To help with fundraising and to introduce area residents to the art of mosaics, Lincoln artist Carrie Strope and Heather Swartz have donated their time to assemble kits using glass and mirror donated by Architectural Glassarts.

To contribute, area residents can purchase mosaic kits that upcycle jar lids to make sparkling mosaic ornaments. To purchase kits, contact Carrie through her website, https://calyxglass.com/contact/.