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Tuesday January 12, 2010 | by Andrew Page

Book Report: Gillian Hulse’s beginner kiln-forming guide takes a coloring-book approach
FILED UNDER: Book Report
The just-published book Kiln-Formed Glass: Over 25 Projects for Fused and Slumped Designs (St. Martin Griffin, $24.99) by British illustrator and glass artist Gillian Hulse offers novice students 25 glass projects that range from panels to plates to jewelry. Each project is clearly explained with before and after pictures, a step-by-step description, a list of equipment and materials needed, and a technical discussion. The book briefly (perhaps too briefly) touches on cutting techniques, kilns, kiln furniture, annealing, and the essential tools for the kiln-forming process. While Hulse does a very good job at articulating these simple projects through clear descriptions and quality photographs, the focus seems to be on hand-holding so that a beginner can duplicate her designs rather than encouraging creative expression.

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Tuesday January 5, 2010 | by Andrew Page

Guest Blogger: Glass as tourist attraction (Part I)
FILED UNDER: News
The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, is promoted by the regional tourism office. The term “tourist” conjures up images of slow-moving hoards of out-of-towners dressed in bucket hats and fanny packs, easy targets for the derision of sophisticated locals. Yet tourists and the dollars they add to local economies are highly sought-after by municipal and regional officials looking to improve their fiscal realities. The top of the tourist class are the cultural tourists, a type of visitor assumed to earn more money, spend more money, and support upscale businesses and institutions. Nearly every ambitious city official wants to attract the museum-going tourist, and an increasing number of them are turning to the sparkling jewel of art made from glass to lure them.

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Glass: The UrbanGlass Quarterly, a glossy art magazine published four times a year by UrbanGlass has provided a critical context to the most important artwork being done in the medium of glass for more than 40 years.