Sara Sally LaGrand has had the great fortune to study with many gifted teachers both in Italy and the U.S. She has been melting glass since 1996. In that time, she has won numerous awards and has had the great privilege to teach workshops all over the U.S. and Europe.

She earned a BA in Glass Formation at Park University of Missouri with the collaboration of the award-winning public glass artist Dierk Van Keppel.

She continues to study and grow, pushing the limits of glass and combining it with unconventional materials for an eclectic look at nature, life, and pop culture.

sarasallylagrand.com

   Trained as an ethnologist/ichthyologist, Robert K. Liu received his PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he worked on experimental gerontology and immunology in the Department of Pathology, School of Medicine. In 1975, he left biomedical research after founding The Bead Journal, which changed its title in 1978 to Ornament, a journal of personal adornment. Self-trained as a jeweler and photographer, the author is co-editor of Ornament and has written extensively on ancient, ethnic, and contemporary jewelry and personal adornment. One of his specific research interests has been the history and technology of craft media used for personal adornment. He also lectures on and gives workshops on the photography of personal adornment; he is currently writing a book on this topic.

He is the author of Collectible Beads and more then 650 articles or publications. Gerontology, ichthyology, animal behavior, military technology/history, and construction equipment are other fields in which he has published, besides beads, other ornaments, and all aspects of personal adornment.

   Paul Stankard has earned an international reputation for his flameworked floral glass paperweights and small scale sculptures. His work is represented in more then 50 museums around the world.

In 2007, Stankard’s book, titled No Green Berries or Leaves: A Creative Journey of an Artist in Glass, was published. In his autobiography, he writes about the challenges and obstacles associated with establishing a career in glass.

Paul is currently developing a curriculum designed for an independent studies program that encourages and challenges creative people to reach higher. This new book in progress, posted on www.paulstankard.com under Independent Studies, is a collection of articles and essays designed to be a resource for the creative craft community, especially flameworkers.

In addition to an active career as a studio artist, Paul serves as chairperson of the International Flameworking Conference, held annually at Salem Community College, where he is an adjunct faculty teaching sculptural flameworking.

   Barbara Becker Simon has been a metalsmith and jeweler for more than 40 years and has been working with metal, clay, and lampworked glass beadmaking for 15 years. She has a BS in Art Education from SUNY-New Paltz and an MFA in metalwork and jewelry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Barbara has taught metalsmithing and jewelry and basic design at the University of Wisconsin-Menomonie, Iowa State University, and Edison State College. Her work has appeared in numerous books, such as the cover photography for Contemporary Lampworking Volume 2 by Bandhu Scott Dunham, and periodicals such as The Crafts Report.

This year, Barbara won first place in the metal clay category of the Saul Bell Design Award. She is the author of Metal Clay Beads and has traveled the U.S. and abroad, most recently Japan and the United Kingdom, teaching folks how to use these exciting materials.

“Manipulating hot glass is, for me, an exciting, joyful process. I look forward to viewing the results of this exciting exhibit.”

barbarabeckersimon.blogspot.com