Through glassblowing, Briana Bennett combines her training as a materials scientist and her passion as an artist. She came to Penn State in part because the University Park campus boasts a fully-equipped glassblowing shop, where Bennett can now often be found, honing her craft.
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Briana Bennett, a senior studying materials science and engineering, first fell in love with glassblowing while taking classes at Harrisburg Area Community College. She came to Penn State, in part, because the University has a fully-equipped glassblowing shop, which Bennett has been able to use to hone her craft.
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The glassblowing shop is located in the Steidle Building and was founded by Carlo Pantano, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering. Since coming to Penn State, Pantano has become an important and resource for Briana, as she's grown as both an artist and a materials scientist.
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Since coming to Penn State, Bennett has helped take over operations of the glassblowing shop. She often invites and teaches other students, introducing some for the first time to the challenging and rewarding craft of glassblowing.
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Glassblowing is an intricate, multi-step process. Here, Briana Bennett rolls a ball of heated glass at the end of her rod over bars of colored glass. These bars stick to the heated glass, and will provide the color and patterns of the final piece.
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The bars of colored glass that Brianna Bennett added to the heated glass are still visible, but have already begun to become integrated into the piece.
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After adding the colored bars to the glass, Briana Bennett returned the glass to the furnace. The intense heat helps further incorporate the colored glass into the base of molten glass beneath, allowing her to to begin to shape the piece.
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One common glassblowing technique is to use a wad of moistened newspapers as insulation, allowing glassblowers a great degree of dexterity as they shape a work-in-progress by hand.
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Here, Briana Bennett uses a metal tool to shape the heated glass as she uses a tube to blow air into the glass, causing it to expand. This is a central technique in producing rounded items, such as bowls or vases.
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A work-in-progress will be removed from and returned to the furnace several times during the glassblowing process. As glass cools, it becomes less malleable. Periodically returning the glass to the furnace, which is usually about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, ensures the glass remains workable throughout this process.
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After multiple trips to the furnace, and multiple rounds of being carefully shaped, the final piece beings to emerge. Here, the glass bars that were added early in the process have become fully incorporated, lending their color and patterns to the final piece.
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After much careful work and attention, what was once just a ball of molten glass has become a piece of art with both artistic form and practical function. After completing the molding and shaping, a glassblowing piece must be carefully and slowly cooled to avoid breaking, which Briana Bennett does through the use of a specialized piece of equipment in the glassblowing shop.
