Glass

Lino Tagliapietra, an acclaimed Venetian glass artist from Italy, is giving glass-blowing demonstrations this week at Centre College. Tagliapietra began working in Venetian glass factories when he was 11. He achieved “maestro” status by the time he was 21. Tagliapietra’s schedule for the rest of the week is: Work in Studio Thursday 8:30-11 a.m.: Open to the public Noon-3 p.m.: Glass Art...

The Centre College art program will host a glass forms exhibit titled "Can you come wash my back?" by artist Lauren Arnold. "Lauren's works are three-dimensional snapshots of nature filtered through her quirky subconscious," says Stephen Rolfe Powell, Stodghill Professor of Art at Centre. "While filled with seductive imagery and luscious glass surfaces that lure the viewer in, Lauren's work, in the end, leaves the viewer grappling for specific meaning that may or may not be there.

Glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell spends his days working and teaching in the state-of-the-art Corning Corhart Philips Lighting Hot Glass studio at Centre College. Pushing students to find direction and develop their own style is what he enjoys most and finds most challenging. Since beginning his tenure at Centre in 1983, Powell has twice been selected Kentucky's "Teacher of the Year" - in 1999 and 2000. Color is key in all of Powell's works. The pieces generally have between 1,500 and 2,500 pieces of glass that lie on the surface.

To some people, science and art are seen as the polar opposites of the academic world. But they actually aren't all that different. "I started out being a biology major," says Jonathan Capps, currently a graduate fellow for the glass blowing program at Centre College. His work is in an exhibit titled "Cause & Effect" at the AEGON Gallery. So how did Capps switch from an organic science to the art of glass blowing? The love of art wasn't just born overnight for Capps. When he was little his mother got him involved in drawing classes, and since then, he always has been intrigued by the world of art. During high school, though, Capps' interest in art was swayed momentarily because of the inadequate art program at his school.

Film producer, director and Centre College alum Tom Thurman will debut his short film about world-renowned glass artist Stephen Powell at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Vahlkamp Theater. The screening is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. "There have been several films about me and my work, including a short segment on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt in 1988 and another KET film in 1993, but never anything this in depth," said Powell, an art professor at Centre. The 30-minute segment is from an episode of the Kentucky Educational Television program "Kentucky Muse.

LOUISVILLE - Flame Run contemporary art glass studio will feature Eoin Breadon, a glass artist whose work is influenced by Irish folklore and craftsmanship, in an exhibit that opens Friday and runs through May 30. An opening night reception begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Breadon has trained in glass studios in Ireland, Australia and the U.S. He sees his role reflecting that of Celtic storytellers who passed down unwritten culture and history in the form of long lyric poems. "I am transmitting the cultural experience of Irish folklore to the greater populace," says Breadon.

The Centre College art program will host a glass sculpture exhibit titled "Cause and Effect" by artist Jonathan Capps. Capps' works will be displayed in the AEGON Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts Center on campus. "Jon's newest work represents a breakthrough with a new direction in his glasswork," says Stephen Rolfe Powell, Stodghill Professor of Art at Centre. "The hot formed cages or vertebrate represent a departure from the vessel and a move towards pure sculptural forms.

Zig Zeigler of Zeigler Stained Glass of Lexington and Sam Noelscher, right, reinstall a stained glass window over the entrance to St. Joseph Catholic Church Monday afternoon during restoration work on the church. Zeigler re-leaded the window and another in the balcony of the church. Once the restoration work is completed, Zeigler will be cleaning the rest of the glass in the sanctuary.

DOG WALK - Fire destroyed a Lincoln County house Monday morning. The house at 1185 Harness Ridge Road near the Dog Walk community on Ky. 39 South was described as a total loss by Lincoln County Fire Chief Danny Glass. According to Glass, Tim McFerron lived at the location with his wife and two children. No one was home at the time of the fire. Though the cause of the blaze has not been determined, Glass said a heat lamp is a likely culprit. Glass said McFerron had been using a heat lamp to warm frozen pipes.

MORELAND - A late night house fire had members of five different fire stations working near Ky. 2141. Lincoln County Fire Chief Danny Glass said the call came in at 10:45 p.m. for 796 Harris Creek Road, home to Larry and Debbie Reardon and their children. Glass said the two-story home was partially engulfed by flames when firefighters got to the scene. "When we arrived, the second story already had flames showing, and before we could get it contained it got to the small attic area," Glass said.

HARRODSBURG - There is a famous scene early in the 1967 movie “The Graduate” where young Dustin Hoffman's character, returning home after finishing college, gets a bit of unsolicited career advice from one of his father's friends. “I just want to say one word to you. Just one word,” the man offers. “Plastics.”  Casey Duffy would have begged to differ. The plant manager at Corning's Harrodsburg facility likely would have told the young graduate: Glass is where it's at. “He was wrong,” Duffy said of the “plastics” man. “He just wasn't looking far enough into the future.” The Harrodsburg plant clearly has had enough foresight over the years so that it remains a vital cog in Corning's global, multi-product glass and ceramics empire as the local operation celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

STANFORD - Police are searching for whoever committed an apparent burglary of the Family Dollar on Lancaster Street Monday night. Stanford Police Detective Joe Gilliland said sometime during the night someone or a group of people broke the glass out of one of the front doors of the Family Dollar and made off with 150 single packs of cigarettes valued at $668. The burglary was reported around 7:30 a.m. after employees arrived to find the broken glass, Gilliand said. There were no other items reported stolen from the store.

Ida Mae Glass, 92, of Winchester, widow of Alex Drake and Wilton Glass, passed away Friday, Aug. 17, at her home.  Mrs. Glass was born in Clark County to the late Nelson and Sarah Ramsey Hall. She was a retired factory worker and a member of Winchester Church of the Nazarene. Survivors include her daughter, Margaret (David) Clark of Winchester, and three sisters, Betty Curtis, Julia Larison and Ruth Smith. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 21, at Scobee Funeral Home.  Burial will be in the Winchester Cemetery.  Pallbearers will be Roy Drake, Danny Ledford, Carol Clevenger, Mike Flynn, Bill Shumate and Mike Fisher.

Ida Mae Glass, 92, of Winchester passed away on Friday, Aug. 17, at her home.  Arrangements are incomplete with Scobee Funeral Home. The online guest book is available at www.scobeefuneralhome.com, and the 24-hour funeral information line can be reached by calling 744-2122.

Visiting glass artist Ethan Stern will give demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Hot Glass Studio on Centre College's campus. Stern also will give a public lecture at 5 p.m. Thursday in Room 108 of the Jones Visual Arts Center. Pushing form beyond the expected anatomy of the vessel, Stern uses glass to investigate the emotive potential of objects. Beginning each piece by creating a blown, geometric form composed of multiple layers of color and pattern, Stern then creates patterns and textures by cutting into the surface after the piece has cooled.

Danville may be on its way to securing a glass operation that would bring several hundred jobs to a longtime factory space, but the process remains in the early stages. At Monday's Danville City Commission meeting, Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of  the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, got approval to go ahead with securing a grant to help retrofit the vacant Philips Lighting plant, which closed earlier this year, for a new glass operation, NeoStar Glass LLC. NeoStar gained preliminary approval for state incentives last month that will allow the company to recover up to $5 million in corporate income taxes and wage assessments on state income taxes if it creates the number of jobs planned.

Charles W. Glass, 73, went home to be with the Lord Tuesday, Aug. 16.  He was born June 18, 1938, in Jessamine County to the late Patricia Margaret Gaston and Holman Crow Glass Jr. He is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Bette Jo Robb Glass;  a daughter, Betsy and husband Ben Jr. Glass Biddle; son Charles and wife Amanda Robb Glass; two granddaughters, Haley Elizabeth Biddle and Elizabeth Alexandria Glass, all of Lexington; sister and brother-in-law...

A whole new world has been opened before my eyes. Literally. After some eye troubles recently, I was forced to switch from contact lenses to glasses, which I¿haven't worn on a regular basis since I was a middle-schooler. Since I¿don't normally wear glasses, it probably goes without saying that the pair I¿owned were a bit outdated. Ten years is a good, long life for a pair of glasses. When the stem broke off and they became so warped that other people noticed they wouldn't sit straight on my face, I knew the time had come to break down and buy a new pair.

STANFORD — Fire officials said by the time they got to the scene Tuesday it was too late to stop a fire that consumed a house just south of Stanford. Lincoln County Fire Chief Danny Glass said flames were showing from the roof of the Chris Cornelius residence at 1764 U.S. 27 when firefighters arrived less than five minutes after the call went out about noon. “When they got up here, it was already venting through the roof with flames shooting up, and the main part of the house was fully involved,” Glass said.

HARRODSBURG — Corning received approval Monday for construction of a 56,000-square-foot industrial addition set to begin today at its plant at 680 E. Office St.   “As always, we’ve got a lot of exciting new projects in the works at Corning, and this is only the latest,” said Galen Negaard, rebuild engineering manager for Corning. Negaard appeared before Mercer County Joint Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday, along with Mark Schentrup, senior project manager for WS Construction of Versailles.