Fifth annual Female Flame-Off burning up Northern California this weekend

The scene from last year's Female Flame-Off, an annual event which has been held each year since 2006 at different locations around the U.S.

Girls like to play with fire, too. To see for yourself, just attend one of the annual Female Flame-Offs, an event that started in Chicago in 2006, and has been held in Philadelphia; Berkeley, California; and Texas in the years since. For 2010, women flameworkers will return to California to create works of glass art to be auctioned off to benefit a charity organization. The event takes place in the town of Arcata, in the far Northwestern corner of the state, not far from the Oregon border. Matt C’s Studio at the Unauthorized Art Building in Arcata is the site of the three-day event that started this morning at 10 AM and runs through Sunday.

While glassblowing may be competitive in some ways, it is outwardly only about a spirit of support and sharing of technique. Glassblowers just don’t tend to go head-to-head in a battle of skills.There’s plenty of sharing in flameworking, as well, and a supportive culture with numerous gatherings to demo and present information about the borosilicate field. But flameworkers don’t shy away from contests. The regular duels that are held around the U.S. are known as flame-offs — a head-to-head competition in which individuals or teams work against the clock and against one another to create the work that is judged to be superior.

It seems female flameworkers are just as sporting as their male counterparts. The 2010 Female Flame-Off artists will compete in five categories: Functional Sculpture, Wearable’s, a Mystery Theme, Mommy & Me, and Men’s Drag.

The founder of the Female Flame-Off, Austin, Texas-based Roze Chikiar, says, “this event is about giving back what was given to us and supporting others through our support network.” The event was originally conceived as a place for women glass artists to meet one another from far and wide and come together to support each other as well as raise money for donation to women’s non profit charities all across the world.

“I think it’s a great event for everyone, not just women,” says flameworker and frequent flame-off participant Corinne Winters. Indeed, the audience at these events include a number of men, though the competition is exclusively female, offering a less-intimidating atmosphere to the testosterone-driven atmosphere of many traditional flame-offs.

And the Female Flame-offs are always about raising money for charity. The first Female Flame-Off, held in Chicago in 2006, raised $800 for the Austin chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The 2007 Female Flame-Off, held at the Philadelphia Glass Works in Philadelphia, raised $1,820 for Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN). The 2009 event raised $2,645.00 for the Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (FOFG).

For 2010, money raised through the auction of completed pieces will be donated to Humboldt Food Bank. The organization “Food For the People” will be accepting food and monetary donations on site at their booth during the event. Vendors with booths will be donating 25% of the money raised at the event to Food For the People.

IF YOU GO:

See the official website: www.femaleflameoff.com

Contact Lisa Toroni via email at lisa@lisaspieces.biz or by telephone at 541 787 8738.