A few weeks ago, the Fun with Glass team traveled to Elmira, NY to help the Chemung County Library District celebrate Makers. As individuals that make a lot of things, we were very excited to have the chance to not only make sun catchers with the community but also to see all of the different booths hosting other makers.
Christa Westbrook working with library patrons to create fused glass suncatchers
The Steele Memorial Library in Elmira has recently opened three labs dedicated to making. The Tinker Lab with 3-D printer, sewing machines, paints and electronics. The Broadcast Lab with a dedicated room housing equipment for Podcasting, greenscreening, Youtubing, voice recording/editing and hi-def video recording/editing. Lastly The Kids Lab has simplified versions of robotics for young teens and basic mechanical play sets for younger children. With these three new maker’s spaces open what better way to celebrate than by hosting a big open house?
Bits and pieces of glass
As this was the library’s first event of its kind we were unsure how many people would attend. We came prepared to make between twenty and two hundred suncatchers. In the end we had the chance to make fused glass suncatchers with one hundred and twelve people.
Glass sun catchers waiting to be fired
It was a great day and during the fair all of our team had an opportunity to peruse the other maker’s tables – there was some really cool stuff being made. For example, there was a station making felt lavender-scented mustaches. There was also soap making, recycled paper made into burnable bricks, a banana piano and face painting. Not to mention the sewing machines, 3d printer and all of the other stuff the Steel Memorial Library has to offer (besides, of course, all the books!)
The Studio offered the fused glass projects at no cost to the participants of the Faire. Find out more about the Steel Memorial Library’s Maker Labs. Find out more about special projects here at The Studio and our Fun With Glass programs.