History of Glass and Uses of Glass.

  Glass is a product that has been used for centuries. Early on it was associated with wealth. As time went on commercial (bottles, containers, and dishes) allowed the product to reach every household. However, with the growing use and production of plastic it is becoming less common. One thing is for sure, it has always and  will always be an Art form.

1st. Explore the following link to the Corning Museum of Glass Website. This foundation is  a " not-for-profit museum dedicated to telling the story of a single material: glass."

An Interesting Interactive about the History of glass. See if you can correctly place the piece of glass in the timeline by reading the brief caption about the glass piece.

Timeline of Glass History

Next- Uses

We are familiar with glass in our windows and on our table as dinnerware but what else is glass used for?
A very common use today may surprise you!  Your on this device a lot!
In the timeline activity above you can see glass has been used for MANY different things.

 Use a search engine and search for different glass uses. (HINT- look through other Cabell County Teacher's blogs for links and uses. You may use information from their sties as well!)

When you find a cool use for glass post it in the following Google Doc along with your supporting website.

 We will explore the uses in class.


Enrichment Tip!- Explore the Corning Museum site for additional interesting information.

Fenton Glass Company

Another current glass company located in WIlliamstown, WV. It started in 1907.

This video was created when the company announced in 2007 that it was closing. (Luckily it is STILL open today but unfortunately they stopped producing hand crafted art glass in 2011 and now only make beads.) 
In this video series that appeared on WV Public Broadcasting shows you a look at the companies beginning, the glass making process, specific employees and their role in the company and skills, specific pieces, and journey as a glass company.







Things to think about while watching this video. (Watch this video before class and be prepared for our discussion about Fenton Glass.)

The videos talk about surviving the Depression, what did Fenton create to succeed during this time and compare this to what Blenko did to "survive".

Could you recognize a piece of class from Fenton called Hobnail?

Ask some family and friends if they own or know anything about Fenton Glass. Write down or capture on video the responses or pieces you get.

See if you can identify some of the tools used for glass making and the specific workers at different stages of glass making. (Refer to the Virtual Hot Spot game for examples!)


For more information on Fenton Explore the following website!
http://www.fentonartglass.com/

How Glass is Made!

Today we are going to explore how glass is made. As a review please watch the following video about how glass is made. Pay close attention to the ingredients of glass making and the process of glass making.




Also to further explore how glass is blown (like how they do it at Blenko) play the following virtual "Hot Spot" game.

http://tcm.childrensmuseum.org/themuseum/fireworks_ofglass/games/glass_blowing/index.html

Pay attention to the temperatures needed during the process!
I want you to write down some of the names of the tools used in the glass making process as they will be crucial for upcoming assignments.


Explore these other links of websites that explain how glass is made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nheDVHSUoG0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1hafqSyG0
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Glass

Blenko Garden

About : "This is a garden in Charleston, WV that is decorated entirely with Blenko Glass sculptures, vases, bricks, and many other Blenko items. Blenko Glass is a highly collectible glass company based in Milton, WV."



Ask your family and friends if they own any Blenko Glass pieces. (Snap a picture and lets share!)
If you have any family connections or family stories about pieces or experiences, write about it on your blog!

Blenko Lovers Across America

In preparation to our field Trip to Blenko, I have been doing a little background searches. (When you're going somewhere new, a great way to spark interest is to do a quick google search for images, reviews, and videos. I do this with most of my trips!)  

I stumbled upon this video where the Iowa Public Television  (very much like our WV PBS station) was doing a fundraising event. Their special gift for donors was our very own BLENKO glass! It;s referred to as the Blenko piece and could only be purchased through this episode.  This is not the most interesting thing about my discovery. As you watch the video at 4:47 minutes into the video they begin a special presentation titled: "Blenko, The Spirit of American Stained Glass."  The video details some Blenko history, where Blenko can be found (quite impressive), Blenko Artists, stained glass art and Mr. Blenko's legacy!

 



ASSIGNMENT:  To further understand the history and importance of our local Blenko Glass, watch the video from 4:47 to 27:13 (I encourage you to watch Walter speak as well he talks about the color and creation of certain color.I specifically love the tangerine piece!)  and post some things that you found interesting (Use details or quotes). Please read the previous posts and do not replicate interesting facts. We will use your interesting facts as our discussion points for class. (Some of your interesting things may be about the process, history, variety, or unknown concepts of stained glass art.)

History of Blenko Glass.

In our journey to understand the history and science of glass making we have looked at the locations of glass companies throughout WV. We are now going to focus on the current glass companies in WV and learn a little more detail about their history before we get into the Glass making process. Lets start LOCALLY!!


Blenko Glass located in Milton WV has a beautiful and vast history in the glass industry.  The Blenko Glass wesbite  has a section on history. I took a screen shot of the site below and highlighted some things for discussion. Please read the entire article and then follow along the discussion numbers below.

 In your posts for this assignment further discuss historic aspects about the following topics.

1.  We spoke about the components of a successful glass industry in previous posts. (Resources, Energy etc.) Discuss why Milton was the most successful location for the Blenko Company and why other locations did not work.

2.  This talks about the boom of Blenko Glass that made the it a household name. Discuss why in 1930 Blenko branched out from stained glass and became very popular.

Other interesting websites that will help you answer these questions in detail are:

The Blenko Musesum
Blenko Archive
Blenko Glass Project

I highlighted 3 and 4 to share general information. Number 3 Richard Blenko is the reason why certain states have specific pieces that represent just that state (i.e the Iowa piece from the previous video.)  and finally Number 4 is the Current President of Blenko.

Anticipation Guide

The following article discusses the history, development, economic impact, growth and decline of the industry of glass in our state. WE are going to investigate many of the topics from this article in more detail and I will be referencing this article throughout this unit. The article is found in the Winter 2009 edition of Region Focus. The article is Economic History West Virginia Glass Houses By Betty Joyce Nash.

 When you are finished reading the article complete the following basic Check for Understanding. We will reference this activity throughout our unit.

Document Link