Unleash your creativity and dive into the vibrant world of glass fusing in our immersive 3-hour workshop. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, this hands-on class will guide you through the mesmerizing process of fusing glass pieces together to create stunning sculptures and designs.

What to Expect:

• Introduction to Glass Fusing: Start with the basics of glass fusing, learning about the different types of fusible glass, essential safety measures, and the tools and equipment you'll use.

• Hands-On Design: Get creative with an array of fusible glass sheets, frit, stringers, and powders. Design your own glass pieces with guidance from instructors.

• Cutting and Arranging Glass: Master the techniques of cutting and arranging glass to achieve various patterns and effects. You'll learn both tack fusing (partial melting), contour fusing, and full fusing (complete melting) techniques, each producing unique results.

• Create Your Projects: Work on a variety of small projects, such as glass tiles, jewelry, or decorative panels. Your creations will be fired in a kiln during the workshop.

• Understand Annealing: Conclude the session with a discussion on the annealing process. Your completed projects will be ready for pickup after cooling.

By the end of the workshop, you'll have a solid understanding of glass fusing techniques and a unique fused-glass artwork to take home. Join us and experience the magic of transforming glass into vibrant art!

Algal Turf Scrubbers (ATS) are designed to remediate polluted waters where wastewater and agricultural runoff have caused eutrophication and the non-point source of excess nutrients cannot be determined. These ATS systems improve water quality by encouraging algal growth on flow-way surfaces rather than forming harmful blooms in open waters. Excessive nutrients from the water accumulate in the flow-way’s lawn of algae, and unless the algal biomass is repurposed, it is discarded in landfills as waste. In this article, we outline a simple methodology to utilize waste algal biomass as a novel source of clay. Raw algal waste contains minerals which can be used as a sustainable and more environmentally-friendly alternative to industrially- mined clays. When algae-based clay sculptures are kiln fired, they resemble terracotta brick in their color, durability, and porosity. In addition to the aesthetic and artistic potential of algae- based clay, this medium provides an excellent opportunity for educators to engage students with hands-on crafting activities while learning about eutrophication and environmental restoration of aquatic habitats.
Published Research: https://current-journal.com/articles/10.5334/cjme.101 

What to Expect: Jennifer and Casey will lead workshop participants through the process of harvesting algae, preparing it for use, homogenizing it with the clay body. We will have some press molds and ceramic tools for participants to work with. The community participants and art educators could take this acquired knowledge about algae waste back to their communities to develop site-specific projects of their own. We interpret this workshop as an educational gateway demo for artists and educators looking to bridge the art and science realm in a new, interesting way with algae waste.