CAMtastic Newsletter October 2024
By Breanna Gallagher, Junior at the SIU School of Media Arts. 
One of the most popular fall rituals on the SIU campus, the Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch sale, will return on Saturday, Oct. 12. Breanna recently visited the Industrial Wing at the School of Art and Design, where she observed the fascinating world of glassblowing and chatted with talented students about their passion for the art form. 
Fall is upon us and it's time to get your one-of-a-kind glass pumpkin hand-made by Southern Illinois University students. Explore unique works of art and purchase a pumpkin during the 18th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 12, on the Pulliam Hall lawn. The event, hosted by Southern Glass Works and SIU's glassblowing students, is the perfect opportunity to support your fellow Salukis by purchasing their work. It's also a great way to learn about the process of blowing and creating glass.
I recently talked with some graduate and undergraduate glassblowers about their experiences and goals for the SIU Glass program and their work. They shattered my expectations for glass blowing in the best ways. Some have been working with glass for over a dozen years, and others are new to the craft, having started this semester. Ryan Mell, a third-year graduate assistant, noted that "everyone has to start somewhere" and encouraged folks to try it. While an activity outside your comfort zone can be daunting, you can only know if it's for you once you've experienced it.
In my talks with students and others, I learned that there was once an aura of gatekeeping around glasswork, and master glassblowers were secretive about their techniques. That's not the case anymore. Today, there's a collaborative spirit around the craft, and people are open to helping one another improve their techniques and learn. 
Glassblowing is a team effort. You work in the hot shop with others, communicate your goal, and depend on someone else for your vision. This forces you to interact, be accountable, and bond, meaning you'll likely make some unexpected friends alongside your art.
It's also a great way to scratch a creative itch, shaping and forming a liquid that reaches 2,000 degrees into whatever you can imagine. And if your project flops? No big, says Lily Beer, an undergraduate drawing student experiencing her first glassblowing class. "It also can be kind of therapeutic knowing that whatever you are working on, if you don't like it, or if it happens by accident, it can just smash on the floor and break." Beer says this helps you "stay unattached and be prepared for change."
Alongside the ability to shatter mistakes and quickly move on, I found that glassblowing teaches other essential life lessons: It's more durable than you might think, and so are we. That's why I'd encourage students to push through their fears about new experiences and try glassblowing if it sounds interesting. You might even consider joining the Glass program's new RSO, which seeks to engage more people, promote opportunities, and show off their work in the community. It is open to anyone interested in the arts.
As we move into pumpkin season, the best way to celebrate is by checking out the glass pumpkin sale. Buy one to support your fellow Salukis and add a lovely seasonal decoration to your home. And while you're there, don't be afraid to ask how you can get involved. You might find yourself blown away -- pun intended -- by what you can do with glass.
