Hot as Lava

It was an early morning as we hit the road at 8:00 am for a new Arts and Crafts adventure. Our goal was to be in Wilmington before it got too hot because for this trip every degree counts. Our first stop was at the Burchetta Glass Blowing Studio for a demonstration on glass blowing. Our youth had the opportunity to see John Burchetta and his staff hand make glass sea shells for the local chamber of commerce. It is a process that we learned can take several days. It started the day we arrived with glass that was as hot as lava which is why it glowed bright white, red and orange. We learned how they color the glass with pure color that they have shipped in from places such as Germany. We watched as they shaped the glass and quickly moved it from oven to oven to keep it the right temperature to work with it. It is very hot in the studio with several ovens and a machine that holds gallons of molten glass. The artists actually look like they are sunburned from being so close to the heat sources and wear a protective garment on the arm that gets close to the glass blobs to protect from burns. When they get done with the objects they go into an oven overnight so that it can cool slowly, otherwise it would crack. We also worked on not touching anything because you never know what might be hot, or sharp in a place like this.

One of the other things we learned about was how they repair items, and make items such as stemware, and glass serving platters. Since these items are all unique and not made in molds sometimes they have to sand down the bottom of pieces so they will sit flat. The studio is filled with tools that we have seen in other settings but you would not imagine how they are used in glass blowing. We also got to see a "happy accident" as they worked on replacing a glass hummingbird feeder. That was one of the most exciting parts of the tour for our youth.

Then it was time for lunch and a tour of the Cameron Art Museum. We had a very special tour and then had the opportunity to go on our own treasure hunt. The museum had four exhibits. One of our favorite was the room filled with North Carolina Artists. The room was filled with different colors, paintings, photos, sculptures, just about anything you can imagine. Each one of our youth sketched their favorite piece in the room. Then we went to a room that had an exhibit from a local art teacher with a carnival background. We learned a great deal about art and carnivals and got a glimpse into a lifestyle that our youth are not familiar with. Then we viewed an exhibit of sculptures made from papermache from an artist in the bayou. Then the final exhibit highlighted a water color artist which reminded them of the activities they did on Monday. After the treasure hunt our youth got stickers and free family passes to go back and visit again, with their families.

Only one day left for our 4-H Day Camp...how do you think we will sew it all up?