International Flameworking Conference celebrates 10 years by honoring one of its founders

Paul Stankard, a driving force behind the International Flameworkers Conference, will be honored during this year's event.

When the annual International Flameworking Conference takes place from March 19th to the 21st at Salem Community College in Carneys Point, New Jersey, the three-day gathering of devotees of the torch will be celebrating its own 10th anniversary.

To mark this milestone, organizers have invited the featured artists from each of the last nine conferences. Except for 2005 featured artist Iwao Matsushima, all past featured artists will be in attendance. They include Robert Mickelsen (2001), Lucio Bubacco (2002), Kari Russell-Pool (2003), Cesare Toffolo (2004), Ginny Ruffner (2006), Loren Stump (2007), Carmen Lozar (2008), and Shane Fero (2009).

This year’s featured artist will be none other than Paul Stankard, one of the driving forces behind this conference that has helped to raise the visibility of creative flameworking. Stankard is also an alumnus of the Salem County Vocational Technical Institute, the predecessor of Salem Community College, and Stankard was instrumental in setting up the institution’s glass programs. Stankard will present his work for the conference’s opening-night event, followed by a review of the work of past featured artists by Andrew Page, editor of GLASS: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly.

Saturday and Sunday will be devoted to flameworking demonstrations by this unique roster of top-tier artists in attendance, as well as a Saturday night banquet with an auction benefiting the Salem Community College glass programs.

Registrations for the conference can be made as late as March 16th for the entire weekend’s events. A ticket is $170 including the Saturday-night banquet, or $140 without. Click here t0 download a registration form, or email Ms. Mickey McAllister at mcallister@salemcc.edu.

To download a copy of the PDF brochure, click here.

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