A Quick Tour of Master Craftsman Studio

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Plans

Megs has been working a part-time unpaid internship at the Florida State University Master Craftsman Studio on West Gaines Street. The Master Craftsman Studio is an in-house studio to the university. Master Craftsman works with many university departments for the production and installation of art. Master Craftsman has been setup to be a self-subsidizing auxiliary of the university which means they need to generate their own funding through projects they do for the university. As is unfortunately typical for self-funding organizations such as this, the funding is slim, especially in tough economic times as these. And they have to be careful not to charge "too much", which means they're probably not charging as much as they should.

Megan had already established a good reputation with the Master Craftsman staff while an undergraduate, which allowed her to apply for the unpaid internship after she graduated and to be accepted. In return she's allowed to share a corner of the studio with access to studio tools and supplies and the ability to practice and strengthen her natural abilities. It is, in part, a continuation of her undergraduate studies in a more practical environment.

Today she showed one of her projects, glass frames using a firing technique that fuses multiple glass pieces together into a beautiful whole. The designs she's produced lately integrate the university's colors and some of its design motifs. Some of the issues she faces while creating these frames is in carefully measuring and cutting the glass, the cleaning of the cut edges, and making sure that the glass is completely clean of any fingerprints before the firing. Some flaws and mistakes aren't evident until the piece is created, and by then it's too late.

Design

The frames aren't the first project she's worked on. She's been helping the full-time staff since June with a number of different and interesting projects within the studio.

C-clamps

Studio Interior

Winged Victory

I know this is "dad" speak, but I'm very proud of what she's accomplished and continues to accomplish.

Comments

  1. wjl (Wolfgang Lonien)November 21, 2011

    Wow - that first photo is excellent. And as a father of some 30, 24, 21, and almost 7-year olds, I totally get the "dad" aspect. Thanks for sharing, and, oh - I hope your knee's better.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wjl (Wolfgang Lonien)November 22, 2011

    BTw - thanks for adding my site to your links; I feel quite honored!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BillNovember 22, 2011

    Thanks and you're welcome.

    ReplyDelete

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