Seattle, Washington
and Kobe, Japan have shared a sister-city
relationship since 1957. When
the Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum
asked if the Fire & Rain Glass Bead
Society would participate in an
exhibition of Seattle and Washington
State glass beadmakers, we jumped at
the chance.
Each artist in our
120-member group was encouraged to send
beads for the March - May 2006 exhibit.
Altogether, 27 artists submitted over
130 beads. We also agreed to make
a donation to the Museum of a "necklace"
of beads which represents each artist's
beadmaking style. The necklace,
which can be seen in the gallery link
below, includes beads from 38 artists
and will be on permanent exhibit in
the museum.
Fire & Rain sees
the sister-city exhibit as a multifacted
opportunity to gain exposure for American
beadmakers in Japan and to foster a
relationship with the museum and the
Japanese beadmaking community.
The exhibit will run from March 15 through
May 15th, 2006. More information
can be found regarding the Kobe Lampwork
Glass Museum at http://www.lampwork-museum.com (site
is in Japanese).
We were asked to submit a summary of
the history of Fire & Rain to the
Museum -
(by Janelle Zorko and Larry Scott)
Seattle has
long been known as a center of creative
glassworking in the United States.
It is not surprising that Seattle has
played a prominent role in the development
of glass beadmaking as well. Studio
glass beadmaking began simultaneously
in several places in the United States
in the late 1980's.
In the Seattle area, the pioneering
beadmakers included Will Stokes, Julie
Clinton, Mike and Pat Frantz, Brian
Kirkvliet, and Patricia Sage.
Most of the first local beadmakers had
worked in flat panel stained glass and
in fused flat panels and bowls before
they began to experiment with torch
work. It is important to note
since there was no tradition of glass
beadmaking in the United States, the
first American beadmakers had to discover
or rediscover techniques for themselves.
This may account for the wide variation
in styles among American beadmakers.
In the early 1990's, more beadmakers
began to appear. Kathy Johnson
and Andrea Guarino-Slemmons had worked
in stained glass; Michael Barley was
a metalsmith and potter; Dan Adams came
with a strong interest in the sociology
of beads; and Isis Ray had worked in
fabric design. Each one brought new
skills and interests to their beadmaking.
In 1994 the fledgling International
Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) held
its annual meeting, the Gathering, in
Seattle. Following the Gathering,
a loose network of beadmakers met from
time to time to demonstrate techniques
and discuss new glass and equipment.
In the spring of 2005 a group of likeminded
beadmakers met in Seattle and formed
a new chapter of the ISGB called "Fire
and Rain". This new group
consists of about 120 talented beadmakers
from Seattle and the surrounding area.
Each artist has a different skill level,
set of techniques and style. However,
they all share one thing – their love
of glass!"
