Congrats Deb Ruzinsky – New Director of Appalachian Center for Craft!

The Appalachian Center for Craft is a satellite campus of Tennessee Tech.

The Appalachian Center for Craft is a satellite campus of Tennessee Tech.

The Appalachian Center for Craft (ACC) has announced that their new Director of the Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Tech University is our Debra Ruzinsky! Congratulations Debra – and congrats to the school who is getting such a thoughtful and dedicated new director! This will be great for both of them!

Deborah Ruzinsky lectures on glass casting techniques at Washington Glass School.

Debra Ruzinsky lectures on glass casting techniques at Washington Glass School.

 

The Appalachian Center for Craft is located on over 500 wooded acres overlooking Center Hill Lake in scenic Middle Tennessee near the town of Smithville. The facility was built in 1979 and exceeds 87,000 square feet of spacious studios, gallery, exhibitions, administrative offices, library, cafe, student housing and meeting/audio visual rooms.

The Craft Center is approximately 60 miles east of Nashville and 120 miles west of Knoxville; and only 25 miles west of TTU’s main campus in Cookeville.

Debra Ruzinsky is a creative facilitator, an arts administrator, and an active and engaged glass artist with an ongoing practice. Her works are found in numerous collections, among them the Seto City Museum collection in Seto, Japan, and the Glasmeseet Ebeltoft collection in Denmark. She has exhibited at such venues as Vis Arts in Rockville, MD, Urban Glass in Brooklyn, NY, Hawk Galleries exhibition BIGG: Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass in Columbus, OH, The Wayne Art Center exhibition Reflections in Glass in Pennsylvania, the Brattleboro Museum of Art exhibition Glass in All Senses in Vermont, and the Glass Heap Challenge exhibition at the Glass Factory Museum in Boda Glasbruk, Sweden.

Debra Ruzinsky To Toss Challengers Into The (Glass) Heap

glass.heap.textWe are excited to share that our Debra Ruzinsky is one of 6 international artists who have been invited to participate in a glass art event at Sweden’s Glass Factory Museum in Boda GlasbrukDebra will be part of an international collaboration that includes GAS, Matthew Durran, London, and Linnaeus University which deals with new sustainable ways of working with glass as a resource: The Glass Heap Challenge – taking place October 7 to October 15, 2015.glass.heap

The idea of the Glass Heap Challenge, as conceived of by Matt Durran, is to challenge the creativity of artists, designers and glass protagonists to find and demonstrate unique, creative and inspiring works which show ways to utilize stockpiled waste glass. This not only brings a greater level of awareness to the potential of upcycling glass but also provokes discussion on how to make better use of waste material in general.

The Glass Heap Challenge doesn’t follow any established and elaborate plan – is inclusive and embraces the element of uncertainty. No one knows ahead of time what sort of raw materials will be on hand, often what type of space will be available, what kind of equipment or technical assistance will be on site, and indeed, as some of the teams are made up of people who have never met each other, who they will be working with. This uncertainty inspires the participants to meet the Challenge with a much greater level of energy and excitement than a more structured approach would give. The resulting finished pieces create a legacy of art works, objects and products to inspire and add value to future markets.

Good Luck Debra! Represent!!

Washington Glass School’s Connection to Groundhog Day Movie

Still from 1993 movie classic "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray.

Still from 1993 movie classic “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray.

Love the Hollywood classic movie Groundhog Day? Its the one where Bill Murray plays weatherman Phil Connors who is trapped in a time loop covering the annual groundhog day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

Deborah Ruzinsky, superstar caster.

Deborah Ruzinsky, superstar caster.

 At last year’s seminar on kiln casting techniques, Washington Glass School lecturer & artist Deborah Ruzinsky, while talking of her storied past life making models for the US film industry told us of her contribution to the 1993 movie.

deborah.ruzinsky.model.maker.glass

Deborah Ruzinsky in the studio ca. 1990

Back in the early ’90’s Deborah was a project leader for Cinnabar, a Los Angeles fabricator of sets and scenic elements for film, museums and entertainment institutions. Deb’s background of mold-making, casting, CNC machining, Plastic vacuforming and fabrication, foam carving, sculpting, scale model building, and organic prop construction had her making props and models for an impressive roster of films, commercials and music videos. giphy

debra.ruzinsky.hollywood.groundhog_day_clock.design.filming.glass_school.wgs

Filming the giant scale model clock.

One of her projects was the creation of the digital flip clock used for the “Groundhog Day” movie closeups; the “real” clock would not give the kind of definition wanted by the directors – as the camera size was large, a larger-than-life scale was needed to show the detail.

Photos taken by Deborah Ruzinsky of the filming process.

Photos taken by Deborah Ruzinsky of the filming process.

Deb also worked on Michael Jackson’s video “Smooth Criminal” – part of his anthology film “Moonwalker”. In the film, Michael Jackson plays a ’30’s era gangster who avenges kidnapped children and transforms into a giant robot. In the video, Michael Jackson performs a seemingly impossible forward lean. 

Deb Ruzinsky sets up the Michael Jackson robot armature.

Deb Ruzinsky sets up the Michael Jackson robot armature.

Deborah continued to use and broaden her skills in mold making; she later became a University level educator and was the Visiting Asst. Professor of Glass at RIT for 2008-2009.

Besides teaching glass art and history, Debra is currently the creative director of MNCPPC’s design and fabrication studio. 

Model during film shoot.

Model of Michael Jackson-bot during film shoot.

 

Debra Ruzinsky Lecture On Kiln Casting Techniques

Debra Ruzinsky talks about the glass work of David Reekie.

Debra Ruzinsky talks about the glass work of David Reekie.

Debra Ruzinsky presented a lecture this weekend at the Washington Glass School on the topic of kiln casting. In her history of studying and teaching around the world gave her heaps of images of world famous glass artists process’ and how they approach mold making, and kiln set-up. 

Deb went into detail of how the molds and intricate details were formed and about long annealing schedules.

Deb went into detail of how the molds and intricate details were formed and about long annealing schedules.

The class loved the opportunity to get the knowledge of the various techniques, and stayed after to chat. Debra’s background in glass and her personal history in art provided a fascinating topic for the after-talk… some of these shocking revelations will be part of some future posts!

 

WGS Glass Lecture “Kiln Casters – A Close Look At The Methods Behind the Madness”

With the success of Debra Ruzinsky’s lecture this past October on the Untold History of Studio Glass – This Saturday, May 31st, is the next installment of glass knowledge!

cast.glass.kiln.washington_DC

Free Lecture – Kiln Casters: A Close Look at the Methods Behind the Madness! (Class 1701)

An exploration of the symbiotic relationship between technique and conceptual thinking as seen through the work of contemporary glass casters.  Slide discussion of artists who focus on cast glass, with an inside look into the techniques they’ve developed to produce their work. The talk will be presented with lots of images and there will be time for discussions.

Speaker: Debra Ruzinsky. Deb received her BA in Design from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her MFA in Glass Sculpture from RIT. She has been working in glass since 1982. She serves on the publications committee of the Glass Art Society, and was Visiting Asst. Professor of Glass at RIT for the 2008-2009 academic calendar year, and has been a visiting lecturer to the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Glass Program. Her work is part of the collection of the Seto City Museum in Seto, Japan, and the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, as well as the RIT Wallace Library Collection.

Saturday, May 31st, from 11am to 12 noon

Email RSVP to washglassschool@aol.com

History of Studio Glass: What Came Before

The audience gets settled into Flux Studios for the start of the history of American studio glass.

Professor Debra Ruzinsky’s lecture on the history of the studio glass movement was a treat! Debra’s slide lecture outlined the traditional lineage and then featured many of the artists and works not normally included in the standard time line history that starts in March 1962 and focuses primarliy on blown glass works. Deb’s discussion included pre-’60s and ’70s works, works by women, European glass artists, kiln casters, and narrative works – all the alternate viewpoints.

Debra Ruzinsky’s lecture takes the students on a journey.

Novie Trump of Flux studios offered the use of their stunning space for the talk, and it was SRO – which is always heartening.

Tim Tate addresses the students from Salisbury University glass program that traveled hours to be part of the talk.

Assistant professor Steve Durow arranged for a group from the glass program at Maryland’s Salisbury University to join the lecture and the students had a tour of the glass school. The idea that the young-un’s (as well as us old coots) are getting a sense of the rich history of glass as the medium rushes forward into the 21st Century makes all of us at the Glass School happy.

History and Evolution of Studio Glass Lecture Oct 5th

© Erwin Eisch / CMOG

Whats going on in the photo above? 
Is it a new 8 member boy band created from TV show “X Factor”? No.
Still photo from the latest sequel to a Hollywood slasher/gore film? Nope.
Some Portland hipsters gathering at a coffee café that doubles as a low-carbon-footprint bike shop? Wrong Again.

European glass innovator Erwin Eisch made the 8 mold blown works as a tribute to Harvey Littleton in 1976. Eisch’s non-traditional approach to glassmaking had a profound impact during the formative years of the American Studio Glass movement, and his relationship with American glass pioneer Harvey K. Littleton forged an important link between European and American studio artists working in glass. 

Want to know more about the history of Studio Glass? This Saturday, October, 5, from 1 pm, the Debra Ruzinsky of the Washington Glass School will talk and show images presenting a  broad international survey rooted in the early days of studio work. Works by artists Sybren Valkema,  Edris Eckhardt, Michael and Francis Higgins, Libensky and Brychtova, Ann Wolff, Erwin Eisch, Kyohei Fujita, Vera Liskova, to name a few early & influential artists — such as female glass artist Asa Brandt, who has been called the “Harvey Littleton of Sweden”.

This free talk is a great way to know who and where glass has come as we move boldly into a new future of the medium.

BLUE MADONNA by Ann Wolff

What Came Before / A Slide History Of The Studio Glass Movement

Lecturer : Debra Ruzinsky 

When : Saturday,October 5th  

From:1 pm

Cost : Free of charge…RSVP to: washglassschool@aol.com
Where: Washington Glass School
             3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Oh, and the titles of the Erwin Eisch heads:
(A) Littleton the Gentleman: mirrored inside, with glasses, with marble base. (B) Littleton the Poet: with glasses and beanie. (C) Littleton the Teacher: mirrored inside, glassblower painted on right side of head; set on square black base. (D) Littleton, Man of Frauenau: cold painted in facial area and around base with scene of town. (E) Littleton the Worker: applied band of colorless glass across nose and around head, square black base. (F) Littleton’s Headache: painted with bandages surrounding head and chin area, etched in other areas, square black base. (G) Littleton the Fragile. (H) Littleton’s Spirit: with collar and tie.

Time To Get (Glass) Schooled! Free Lecture on the History of Studio Glass

The Washington Glass School Presents a free lecture titled ” What Came Before / A Slide History Of The Studio Glass Movement.” The talk will be a broad international survey focusing on the early days of studio glass work.

Who was there, what they did, and why; in the US and abroad; male and female artists; people you may never have heard about!   

Perfect for Glass Seccessionistas who want to learn a bit of glass history that isn’t just about the biggest names – this is a great chance to get the overview of the medium and provide new insights!

Lecturer : Debra Ruzinsky 

When : Saturday,October 5th  

From:1 pm

Cost : Free of charge…RSVP to: washglassschool@aol.com
Where: Washington Glass School
             3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Debra Ruzinsky received her BA in Design from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her MFA in Glass Sculpture from RIT. She has been working in glass since 1982. She serves on the publications committee of the Glass Art Society, and was Visiting Asst. Professor of Glass at RIT for the 2008-2009 academic calendar year. Her work is part of the collection of the Seto City Museum in Seto, Japan, and the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, as well as the RIT Wallace Library Collection.

Debra Ruzinsky Solo Show at VisArts Gallery

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Debra Ruzinsky at her show opening at the Brattleboro Museum.
Images of Deb’s work are also featured in the book ” New Technologies in Glass, by Dr. Vanessa Cutler. 

Debra Ruzinsky – one of the DC area Master Casters, has a solo show at Rockville’s VisArts Center set to open September 14, and run thru October 20th, 2012.  Deb’s artwork that was featured in the Long View Gallery 2011 exhibit of artists of the Washington Glass School had the critic for the Washington Post question his previously held beliefs on what contemporary art should look like, as he stood in front of her work  “Staring at it [Debra Ruzinsky’s cast glass], I feel like a monkey in front of a ball of shiny, shiny tin foil.”  By Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post, Thursday, May 26, 2011

“Sight”, 2012, kiln cast glass

8” x 8” x 8″

Debra works in kiln-cast glass and mixed-media, producing objects that mix distopian and utopian visions, investigating belief and meaning. Her new series that takes an oblique look at objects imbued with personal meanings. Referencing memorabilia, collectibles, and luxury goods for display, these objects form a fragmented portraiture, with discrete elements creating implications of a whole. 

“Detached” , 2012, kiln-cast glass and mixed media

7”h x 24”w x 1-3/4”d

Portions 
Solo show, opens September 14 
at VisArts – Common Ground Gallery.http://www.visartsatrockville.org/exhibi 
VisArts
155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD  20850

Debra Ruzinsky @ Brattleboro Museum

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Debra RuzinskySweet Escape” cast glass mixed media, 16.5 x 18.5 x 16 inches 2011

We had mentioned in an earlier post that Studio Artist Debra Ruzinsky was preparing for an upcoming show at Vermont’s Brattleboro Museum. Above is a finished artwork image of Deb’s sumptuous glass artwork and below is more information about the show and link.

Deb’s cast glass confections were selected as part of a show “Glass in all Senses” which opens this Friday, July 15th.

Glass in All Senses
July 15 – October 23, 2011

A kinesthetic investigation into the possibilities of glass, Glass in All Senses features the work of a dozen artists from around the world. Visitors can take in the fragrance of Robert DuGrenier’s glass flowers, create light murals with Alejandro and Moira Sina’s Touch Plane, and even eat Yuka Otani’s Edible Glass. This collection of inventive glasswork will indeed tickle all the senses.
Glass in All Senses is part of ARTCraft, six concurrent exhibits that explore the boundaries between fine art and fine craft.

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
10 Vernon Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301