Tucson Glass Festival
10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 26
Sonoran Glass School633 W. 18th St.
884-7814; sonoranglass.org
Since 2001, the Sonoran Glass School has provided instruction in a variety of glass-related activities, including glass art and glass blowing. For the past four years the school has showcased its offerings through the Tucson Glass Festival. This year, the event has doubled in size and added a kids-level event during the day. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, the Sonoran Glass School will hold Young @ Art, an event geared toward children interested in learning about glass art. "This is a chance for the public to explore the glass arts, especially kids," said Nick Letson, an instructor at Sonoran Glass School. "Some of the activities would be similar to what we do through our art education programs." Included in the price of admission, which is $5 per person or $20 for a family of five, are short workshops focusing on making glass magnets, torch-working pendants and assembling mosaic pieces. Children also will have a chance to see a desert-themed drawing turned into glass art in real time. Pictures can be downloaded at the Sonoran Glass School website site ahead of time, or kids can print out drawings to color at the event. Three drawings will be chosen at random and the images will be transformed into a glass design. After 5 p.m., the Tucson Glass Festival will switch to an open house-style event that will feature additional glass-blowing demonstrations, a make-your-own-glass-art activity and a cash bar.
