The 2011 Glass Art Society conference to kick off with a twist(y) in Tacoma

Glassware by Davide Fuin will be given away as prizes.

One of the unfair myths about artists and those interested in the arts is that they don’t like sports and are, in general, averse to competition. The truth is, Stanley Kubrick loved tennis, Ernest Hemingway was a fan of bullfights, Bob Dylan immortalized his appreciation for America’s pastime in song, and a stroll through the sculpture garden in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art reveals that the only thing sculpted nearly as much as gods and goddesses were athletes. Tacoma, Washington’s M-Space is honoring that competitive spirit when they host the Twisty Cup Competition on Wednesday, June 1st, the Glass Art Society and its legions of glassblowers descend on the Seattle area for the annual conference. The competitive cup event is described as a chance, “to compete for fame and prizes in a battle royale,” and will have a recap in Seattle on June 2nd at the Corning Museum of Glass mobile studio that will be set up for the conference.

Other prizes include a pipe and punty from Spiral Arts

Twisty cups, a staple of Italian glassblowing, are very thin glasses with small ridges, made by blowing a glass bubble into a small, optic mold, spiraling down the sides from the top of the glass to the bottom. The competition pits about thirty contestants against one another, each getting 10 minutes to make a twisty cup and knock it off onto the judging table. No cups are annealed, the judging is done hot and the judge (this year it is up to Charlie Parriott to decide the winning cup) sets the criteria. Criteria in past events have been: performance, thinness, punty, ridge definition, evenness, number of heats, creativity, and crispness.

What prizes are up for grabs for these gladiatorial glassblowers? Well, prizes include Davide Fuin goblets, Spiral Arts pipe and punty, invitation to compete in the Blow Off on the Corning Road Show on June 2 at the GAS Conference, and a full conference pass for those confident enough of their skills to not have pre-registered for the four-day event.

The Twisty Cup Competition is a compliment to, but should not be confused with, M-Space’s Twisty Cup Pro-Am, which has taken place at the Tacoma public-access glass blowing studio for the past seven falls. M-Space owner Joe Miller says that the Twist Cup Pro-Am, which features both professional glassblowers and amateurs (including local high school students), “may happen again in the fall.” Miller says he knows of several amateurs, “who could be really competitive, but won’t be able to make it because of the time and day of the week.” So, expect mostly GAS attendees showcasing their glassblowing (and twisty cup-making) prowess.

The competition kicks off at high noon on June 1st at M-Space. Limited edition tees and hand blown twisty cups are available along with refreshments. Entry is free for spectators, but for those interested in participating there is a $20 entry fee. Space is limited and pre-registeration is required to guarantee entry. Email mspacejoe@gmail.com to register.

—Jason Guiterrez

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