IN THIS ISSUE:
-Kristallnacht Collaboration Update
-Annual Winter Open House Coming Up
-Mobile Studios at Oro Valley Arts Festival
-Student Artist of the Month: Mark English
-Get Your Torch On! (Visiting Artist Glyph Glass)
-Book Your Holiday Party at SGS
-Give the Gift of Glass Art Education
-Philabaum's Studio Sale November 30-December 1
-Jim Click Raffle Supports Sonoran Glass School
Kristallnacht Project Update
Over the past several months, Sonoran Glass School has collaborated with Tucson’s Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, The Tucson Jewish Community Center ( The Tucson J), and Jewish Family & Children’s Services on a very special project. Together, we have created values-based, experiential programming to commemorate the eighty years since Kristallnacht (Nov. 9 – 19, 1938), when a wave of anti-Jewish violence rolled through the streets of Nazi Germany. The “night of broken glass,” owes its name to the shards of shattered glass from the windows of the hundreds of synagogues and thousands of Jewish-owned businesses that were plundered and destroyed.

Remembering Kristallnacht: New Work from Broken Glass encourages participants to reflect on their ability and responsibility to heal a broken world. Middle- and high school students participated in docent-led field trips to the Holocaust History Center, created their own glass projects at SGS, and contributed to an exhibition at the Fine Art Gallery of the Tucson J. Tucson-area Holocaust survivors helped build a six-foot mural of broken glass that pays tribute to those who perished and honors those who work to nurture hope and promote tolerance in our community. 

The program will come to a close with a community-wide Shabbat dinner on Nov. 9 and gallery reception on Nov. 11th. For a complete schedule of the weekend’s events, please visit www.tucsonjcc.org/Kristallnacht. We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for making this project possible:

Rabbi Stephanie & Dr. Jack Aaron
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
Experiential Jewish Education Network
Beth & Michael Kasser
Ellen Kaye
Long Realty Cares Foundation
Karen Spiegel and the Honorable Jonathan Rothschild
Nancy Strauss
Kandie & Drew Vactor
Annual Winter Open House Coming Up
The Winter Open House on Saturday December 8th is your chance to check out handmade gifts from our artists and try making glass art yourself in a winter wonderland atmosphere.

You can make your own ornament at the event without an appointment, however we strongly recommend you preschedule a time slot by calling the office at 520-884-7814.

All of our studios will be offering special activities, including holiday-themed projects in our torchworking and kiln-fusing studios.

2018 Signature Ornaments: After the great popularity of our cactus and saguaro ornaments last year, we've made the desert landscape the theme of this year's signature ornaments.

Join our Facebook event for updates.

See you on Saturday December 8th from 10AM-4PM!
Mobile Studios at Oro Valley Arts Festival
On Saturday and Sunday December 1st and 2nd, Sonoran Glass School will bring its mobile studios to the Oro Valley Festival of the Arts. The event, brought to you by SAACA and the City of Oro Valley, features over 150 artisans, more than 30 performances by student and local musicians, family arts activities, food trucks, and the TUBACHRISTMAS holiday play-along. Festivities culminate in the lighting of the Oro Valley holiday tree.

Sonoran Glass School will be providing Make Your Own Glass Art Experiences through its mobile studios and will have work on display and for sale at its booth.

Our staff we be very busy with the mobile demonstrations, and we could really use some volunteers to help us at our booth.

Email info@sonoranglass.org if you'd like to volunteer.
Student Artist of the Month: Mark English
How did you get started in glass?
I took a few glass fusing and bead making classes at Tucson Parks and Recreation about ten years ago, and soon after found opportunities for deeper study at Sonoran Glass School. I’ve been availing myself of the facilities, staff, and guest teachers here ever since. No artist ever stops being a student.

Why did you become interested in flameworking? 
I’ve been making art, and jewelry in particular, as long as I can remember, from spiraling colored telephone wire into finger rings, to weaving seed beads into miniature astronomical and science fictional tapestries, to silversmithing and setting stones. I’m basically a big magpie, and glass always fascinated me, but for reasons that still baffle me, I never thought to pursue glass art until about a decade ago. I was desperate for something to help me through the tough time after my mom died, and my creative brain kicked into high gear, pumping out a lot of very specific and involved ideas that I wanted to figure out how to do with glass, even before I knew the first thing about what it was really like to work with. 

What is your favorite part of working with glass? 
The creative possibilities of glass appeal to the scientist in me, and the scientific properties of glass appeal to the artist in me. I worked for years as a harpist and dancer, and I have always loved the mutable and ephemeral experience of the performing arts, both in creating and in performing the work (not to mention while observing it). Melting glass is often like a dance, requiring technical skill, scientific knowledge, and sensitivity to how it moves and responds to gravity, heat, and how I move my own body. I love that. 

With glass, there’s a definite sense of longevity that appeals to me, too. I like knowing that something I’ve made and shared could last for a long, long time, largely unchanged, but imbued with connections and personal histories grown beyond my original intent as it’s passed along.  

It’s also pretty when it melts in the flame. Magpie, remember?  

~ Mark J. English         MarkJoeArts.com 
Get Your Torch On!
The Flame Shop has several exciting opportunities coming up for aspiring and intermediate torchworkers.

Join us for a full day of crafting human or animal forms as jars or pendants. Glyph Glass is known for his detailed Ganesh Jars and variety of techniques. He will help you with any shape or form that you want to make.  

This class is for the beginning boro worker who wants to learn the craft of flame working.

This consecutive 3-session, 9 hour class introduces you to melting soft glass with a torch to make beads.
Book Your Holiday Party at SGS
Holiday parties at SGS are a fun and interactive way to heat up your holiday season! Book a studio to be the location of your get-together. We have space available for drinks and food and will work with caterers to provide tables, power, and other needs.

Have your guests make an event keepsake with one of our instructors through a Make Your Own Glass Art Experience .

Call 520-884-7814 for details or email nick@sonoranglass.org.
Give the Gift of Glass Art Education!
Our gift certificates are the perfect gift for the aspiring glass artist or the intermediate student to take classes, rent time, or purchase glass tools and supplies!

Buy one today in the office, or order one online and we'll mail it to you.
Philabaum's Studio Sale on Nov 30 and Dec 1
Kick off the holiday season with the 40th annual (and final) Studio Sale at Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio. Featuring art glass gifts, jewelry, ornaments, and live glassblowing!
Sonoran Glass Art Show | Feb. 6-9
Explore Tucson's only all glass art show during the Gem Show. Featuring beautiful works national and international vendors.
Visit our website if you'd like to sign up as a vendor .
Support Glass Art Education for your Chance to Win a Jim Click Car
You can support Sonoran Glass School's community programs by entering to win a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, two first-class tickets to anywhere in the world, or $5,000 cash.

It's all part of Jim Click's Millions for Tucson Raffle in support of local nonprofits. 100% of the cost of the ticket(s) you buy go to the organization you brought them from!

You can pick them up at the SGS office or purchase from our website and we'll mail them to you. Last day to buy is December 7th. Raffle winners are announced December 13th.

Tickets are one for $25 or 5 for $100.
“When we were making our pendants I was afraid of the fire, but I saw colors that I had never seen before!
Your school is an amazing, creative place.”

-Josiah, 5  th  grader in TUSD