Learn how to safely heat, shape, and add color to make a piece of glass art: a beautiful glass paperweight. Then work one-on-one with a skilled artist at The Morton Arboretum’s Glass Pumpkin Patch to design and create your own! Meet at the demonstration area of the Glass Pumpkin Patch. Spend time with the glass pumpkin artists, learn about the art of glassblowing, see a demonstration, then work on making your own glass art. Go home with a special Arboretum memento.
This program meets in person at the Arboretum.
Instructor: Shannon Jane Morgan, glass artist, Girl Glass Studios, Inc. and Kit Paulson, glass artist
Age: 16 and older
Course number: A366
Shannon Jane Morgan, glass artist, Girl Glass Studios, Inc.
Shannon Morgan has been working with hot glass for the past 20 years. She graduated from the school of sweat equity and is primarily self taught. Since 1995 she has become widely known for her colorist approach, delving into glass color in a painterly fashion; it is a style that was inspired by a request from her mother when asked if she could, “Paint like Monet” in glass. Her passion employs a wide range of techniques in her blown glass objects, drawing inspiration from the world around her. She combines the naturalistic elements of light and glass. Morgan states, “Glass is my canvas . . . the light passing through my piece holds me captive and breathless at times.” Her craftsmanship is highly regarded by gallery owners, collectors, and friends for the deep emotive quality held within each creation.
Kit Paulson, glass artist
Kit Paulson received her MFA from Southern Illinois University and her BFA from Alfred University. She has taught across the United States and internationally at schools including Penland School of Craft; Pilchuck Glass School; Corning Museum of Glass; Bildwerk Frauenau, Germany; National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland; and Canberra Glassworks in Canberra, Australia. She has completed residencies at the S12 Gallery in Bergen, Norway, the Tacoma Museum of Glass, and, most recently, a three-year residency at Penland School of Craft. She has received scholarships from Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Center, The Windgate Foundation, and the Glass Art Society. Her work has been published in New Glass Review editions 36, 37, 38, and 41 and is in the permanent collection of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum. She is currently a studio artist in Penland, North Carolina.
What to Know
This program meets outdoors.
Check the forecast and dress for the weather. Bring layers.
Program Schedule
Section A: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Section B: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Section C: Wednesday, October 11, 2023,1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Section D: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Section E: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Section F: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Section G: Friday, October 13, 2023, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Library Parking Lot, west of the Visitor Center
