Collaborative Arts

Well acclaimed sculptor Ed Hamilton is a native Louisvillian and has remained here.  He is recognized as a living treasure for the city.  He recognizes his gifts as God working through him which makes him very endearing and he loves young people. 

There was an open invitation to the public to an experimental collaboration with his molds and UofL's glass department.  The hot shop is located in the heart of downtown and also houses a gallery.  This was my first time going since UofL opened its own shop/dept. Previously they collaborated with Glassworks for their classes and now have expanded on their own.  I was thrilled that my son wanted to go with me.

The studio before anyone else arrived.  On the tables to the right in the photo are 2 of Hamilton's molds.  His molds where used to make the molds for the glass, both positive and negative.

In the next picture, the guy has taken out the mold for the glass from the kiln.

The next photo below the head of the department is pouring the hot glass into the mold.

There where benches for us to sit on but people became intrigued with getting as close as possible to see into the molten glass and watching the colour changes that they crowded around as the speaker talked about what was going on...I didn't think it wise to get that close with my oxygen tank...ahhh, the things I sacrifice for fashion.

My son, Ade, is in the foreground (photo to the right).  He was also very mesmerized. 

And in the photo below, Ed Hamilton, wearing the tam which I've never seen him without, is looking on.

After the glass is poured it returns to another kiln where it will stay around 3, 4, or 5 days. 

And talk about ducks outta water, when we left the hot shop and turned the corner these two where walking down the center of the street and cars where swerving around them...they walked like they didn't have a care in the world...we watched them for as long as we could but they were not in a rush at all and still had a four lane street to cross.  They where about a yard from us when I shot the picture.

And I could have sworn this duck below looked at me and under his breath whisphered "stupid-ass human".