Southern Illinois University System
10/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2024 08:52
SIU Carbondale hosts Great Glass Pumpkin Patch sale Oct. 12
(Photograph by William Mell and image design by Yifan Yang, both master's students in art.)
October 02, 2024
by Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The talents of students in Southern Illinois University Carbondale's glass program will be on display with the annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on the lawn in front of the breezeway between Pulliam Hall and the Wham Education Building. The best parking lot for patrons will be at Morris Library.
Since 2006, undergraduate and graduate students in SIU's glass program have crafted the pumpkins that sell at this event. About 400 pumpkins will be available this year. The celebration attracts nearly 500 people from throughout the region.
Prices this year will range between $50 and $100 on average, according to Jiyong Lee, professor and head of the glass program. Credit card purchases are available this year, but organizers are encouraging patrons to pay by cash or check for faster checkout.
Proceeds support students
The pumpkin sale is hosted by Southern Glass Works, the glass art student organization in the School of Art and Design, directly supports the students and their work, and is a way to enhance students' educational experiences. Proceeds fund programs including the Visiting Scholar/Artist-in-Residence Program, Visiting Artist Series, field trips and conference trips that enhance the students' educational experiences. Proceeds from the event have also been the main funding for building glass melting furnaces and other major glassblowing equipment.
In September, Southern Glass Works hosted Sayaka Suzuki, who specializes in the pâte de verre glass technique. The group also held a field trip to St. Louis to the Craft Alliance, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Duane Reed Gallery, Third Degree Glass Factory and the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis.
The group is planning to use funds from this sale to attend the annual Glass Art Society Conference at the University of Texas-Arlington in May, Lee said.
Visiting artist
Award-winning multidisciplinary Irish artist Sophie Longwill is the glass program's artist-in-residence for the fall semester. Lee said Longwill has been creating new works in the SIU glass studio, and she will have a solo exhibition at Vergette Gallery in the Allyn Building on campus, 1100 S. Normal Ave., Nov. 18-22. Longwill is the 13th resident artist invited since the glass program began the artist-in-residence series in 2010. The glass program has hosted visiting artists from the United States, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, China, Australia and Korea.