If you’re looking for a uniquely illuminating experience, the ancient art of glassblowing awaits your discovery at The Glass Park on Fort Wayne's south side.
Its owner, Eran Park, is quick to point out this his own affinity for “watching glass melt” began at an early age, and determined the course of his career path within the magic kingdom of glass art.
"I was extremely fortunate to have close connections to Chihuly in the early 2000s,” he said. “I definitely understood what he was doing to the glass movement.”
By 2012, The Glass Park was open and would serve as a place to host classes with experts from around the country so that Park and other glassblowers from around the country could learn, bringing the momentum of the movement squarely into the Midwest.
Julia Meek discusses the mesmerizing properties of the artform with Eran and why teaching others to play with fire feeds his own passion for the flame.
You can find more information about the studio and information on classes at The Glass Park website.
This is a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Eran Park, welcome.
Eran Park: Hello.
Julia Meek: Now your own Glass Park is a fantasy of light and prismatic wonder. Very briefly, what is it about the medium that calls your name?
Eran Park: I love how limitless it is. And, of course, I love fire and watching the molten glass dance in the flame and bending it to my will.
Julia Meek: And just when and how did that medium call your name in such a striking fashion?
Eran Park
It definitely started when I was eight years old, and my mom gave me a little baby sculptural snake.
When I was 15, I saw glass melt in a flame, and it took all of a couple seconds before I said, oh my gosh, you can do that.
So then senior year of high school, I bought a torch and set it up.
And right out of high school, I got a job in a soft glass shop where I learned what I'm teaching now.
Julia Meek: What a wonderful story. And as a matter of fact, your website banner reads, "Turning arsonists into artists." [chuckles]
Now you must like playing with fire, Eran, so which is the bigger thrill, the art that you make, or the art of making it?
Eran Park: 100% the art of making it--the journey, 100%.
I have never gotten too emotionally attached to any physical product I've ever made, although I love that it's beautiful sometimes and brings joy to people, just because of the innate beauty of glass. But definitely, the process.
Julia Meek: The process, once it's done, it's someone else’s.
Eran Park: And I'm ready to start the process over again, yep, as soon as I can.
Julia Meek: And you were seemingly born under a good sign, [chuckles] a fire sign, some would think, at a good time in the emerging art glass movement, to be sure. Now, how did riding that wave affect your own career path?
Eran Park: Definitely, I mean, I was pretty aware of what was going on. I was extremely fortunate to have close connections to Chihuly in the early 2000s.
You know, I definitely understood what he was doing to the glass movement. And I mean, I can definitely think what he did for my shop being, you know, here, period.
And it's a beautiful thing to be a part of, for sure. And for such an old art medium, just in the quarter century that I've been working with it, I see new things all the time, all the time.
People are completely pushing boundaries. New colors are being invented. It's amazing.
Julia Meek: Is perhaps the thing that changes the least that part of the process, like you say, the melting part? There's a flame and there's the sand. And is that most constant?
Eran Park: Absolutely, we still use most of the same tools that have been used for hundreds and hundreds of years. As I'm thinking about the tools in my shop, there aren't many that are new-agey.
You can certainly get more technical, and there are some cool tools out there, but for the most part, most items crafted in my shop are with basic tools that have been used for centuries. It's crazy.
Julia Meek: It is crazy. And would you describe in its most basic form, what melting glass into art involves?
Eran Park: So, glass is made out of refined white sand or silica, and after about 1700 to 2000 degrees, it has kind of like a honey consistency.
So, you can pull it out and play with it with stainless steel rods and pipes, and then you can sculpt it or blow it.
Colors are made by mixing very small amounts of different metals and minerals into the clear glass. So, there's almost limitless colors.
And then the most important step in any glass piece's life is going to be the slow cool down or the annealing process.
So, everything that gets made has to get put in a kiln. They're also called annealers, and slowly cool down based off of the thickness of the glass.
Julia Meek: Deceptively simple in its explanation and its ingredients. So timing must be everything. And what is the timing of all this work that you're describing?
Eran Park: Timing is everything. Absolutely. It's a dance where you're trying to beat, you know, the room temperature is cooling down the piece, which is making it stiffer and harder to work.
So, every time you pull it out of the furnace, your workability is dwindling. If you're able to heat it back up and get back to it, that's a bonus.
But every time you pull it out, every move has to be calculated, and if you waste time, it could make or break the piece.
Julia Meek
And timing really is everything. [chuckles]
Eran Park: Timing is everything. It's absolutely everything. And I think that's what a lot of people love about glass blowing.
You can't think about other stuff while you're paying attention to your piece and trying not to get cut and burned, and work with the very limited time that you have.
And that variable changes based off the thickness of the glass, how hot it is, the colors you're using.
So you really have to be present in the moment, which is one of glass's best qualities, keeping you present in the moment.
Julia Meek: Again, remarkable. Now your space, The Glass Park, besides being a clever play on words and quite a facility, it's a source of continuing ed for you and the community, actually.
How does that all work under one roof that is over Glass Park?
Eran Park: Yeah, it's a wonderful place I have right now. This is definitely the best shop I've been a part of. I have a furnace section.
I have a torch working section for the hard glass.
The furnace is for the soft glass. I have a cold working room and a very small gallery, so everything fits very nice and concisely.
When I first opened the shop up, I was a production glass blower, making items and selling them, but often people asked if they could watch.
And so I started offering classes, and it has become what I love the most out of the whole, the whole Glass Park experience.
Julia Meek: Now, in those first few years, I understand, Eran, that you would actually bring master technicians and artists in to teach classes, because it just wasn't here.
How did that impact you and, and actually the community, and even your current state of operation in your Glass Park?
Eran Park: That was definitely one of the deciding factors to open The Glass Park was to have a place to host classes with people that I wanted to learn from, and then invite other glassblowers from around the country to come and learn as well.
At the time, it was one of the few places, definitely in the Midwest, where you could do that. And I benefited greatly, as do a lot of the glassblower colleagues that I still know today.
There's not a lot of places you can learn. So, finding someone that can teach you the right path without you having to learn through very expensive trial and error, it's huge, absolutely huge.
Julia Meek: And people can learn a lot on the internet, but I can't think of learning that craft.
Eran Park: It's very true. And even 13 years ago, when I opened The Glass Park, YouTube was a thing. But learning this, it was pretty new.
Now there are all kinds of video series, but, but true, you can only learn so much. It'd be like watching a guitar teacher. I often compare glass blowing to a musical instrument that can cut and burn you.
And everybody knows that if you go take a violin lesson, you're not playing Flight of the Bumblebee after hearing it once.
Unfortunately, glassblowing looks easy when people do it good. And even me, knowing this, I'll see people doing stuff, and I think to myself, well, I can probably do that. But it's not the case.
You have to learn the timing, the rhythm, the order of operations. There's definitely a lot of practice that comes with it.
And you know, it's not 100% game anytime. When people come and take a class, I guarantee that they'll get what they paid for, but we might have to remake it if something happens.
Julia Meek: And there's always the fear factor going on in your life with playing with fire.
Eran Park: Sure, I've accepted getting burned, but I don't allow participants at The Glass Park to get cut or burned.
Julia Meek: That is very good. Now the Fort Wayne Museum of Art's dedication to the art form continues to set records and gain national attention.
How has that driven local interest and enthusiasm, would you say, including your own?
Eran Park: Definitely, I'm very aware that we're in a very artistic, creative minded city, and I love it to death. The museum's Paradigm, Gallery gift shop.
They've represented my work for as long as the glass Park has been open, and I love them dearly, and I think we have a wonderful relationship.
I definitely have noticed their glass collection, and hear people talk about it. It's definitely a glass destination, which helps you know everything that's going on.
Fort Wayne's amazing. It's great to be a part of it. Whatever part I am, I'm excited to be a part of it, and I love the experience seekers out there that want to let me share and let me share.
Julia Meek: And know what you're about, indeed. And besides hosting the master classes back in the day, as you've alluded to, you offer beginning classes these days to individuals and small groups.
Now this is above and beyond the average gaffer’s daily grind. What compels you to engage in that social side of the art form?
Eran Park: Most people just want to see it or try it one time. It's maybe a bucket list item, which definitely tickles my soul when people come and they get to check off a bucket list item. I mean, that's, that's as cool as it can possibly get.
But, you know, most people just want to see something that you can't see many places. And of course, there's the fire lovers and the glass lovers and the art lovers.
And, you know, glass, all the colors, the glass, it glows very bright orange and goes through a different array of optics that you only get to see when you come and watch it.
And a lot of people find it very mesmerizing and pleasing, and I find sharing it very pleasing and mesmerizing, and... [both laugh]
Julia Meek: And you get to watch glass and fire some more.
Eran Park: Yeah, it just couldn't get any better. It really, it really couldn't. I feel like it's as cool as magic, but there isn't the stigma of not sharing the secrets.
I get to share the secrets, which in the glass world was not always the case. It used to be very secretive. Not very long ago, it was very secretive.
But, you know, with the internet and shared information, and Chihuly spreading the word, yes, it's out there, and I love it, and the progress, yeah.
And the progress that has been seen in the last 50 Years of it being out there, it's phenomenal. And I'm excited to keep watching what's happening.
Julia Meek: And what kind of a safe and satisfying format Have you developed that you can use for these occasions of teaching beginners the thrill and the experience safely?
Eran Park: Absolutely, safety is rule number one, and the people that come and take classes, they will have the ability to participate as much or as little as they're comfortable with, with the steps I invite them to do.
And there's definitely a lot of people that come and they just want to pick the colors of their item and kind of watch it and tell me what to do.
And of course, I joke they can tell everyone that they made it. I don't care. But then there's some people that want to do as they can.
And I try to offer up as much as I feel they're able to do safely.
And then I do offer ongoing classes where you can do more and more of the process until you get it down.
And I've got people that have been coming for 13 years, that come in and kind of do their own thing, and I'm there to help and assist and keep things safe.
But that's the best part, is the growth, the learning, the challenge, the escape.
Julia Meek: And mastering something like that, it's a real skill, a real artcentricity to have under one's belt. And that's pretty remarkable, right there.
Now, since it's not an average anything, your clients probably are not either. But who walks through that door? Who do you offer these classes to?
Eran Park: Sure, there might not necessarily be an average. I do get a lot of date classes of all ages.
I get a handful of retired people that are looking for, you know, something to do with their time, and just people that are interested in new experiences. I also host field trips.
I've had preschool all the way up to old folks’ homes come and just share. I...there really isn't an average, it covers it all. I get people that are interested and want to partake in whatever level they can, which is pretty amazing.
And I try to cater it to whoever walks in the door. I have partnered up with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization to offer the bigs and littles experiences, and that's something that's near and dear to my heart.
My uncle Don was my dad's Big Brother after his dad died when he was a kid. And that's one thing that I just really enjoy being able to do.
Julia Meek: What a great population to share that special artform with. What kind of reaction do you get from especially kids that that just can't know what to expect?
Eran Park: Definitely, that's probably why I love it the most. I saw glass get melted when I was 15 for the first time. And many of these bigs and littles are, well, the littles are younger than that.
And, you know, sometimes their jaw drops and their eyes are hmm, just wide-eyed the entire time. And that's the coolest thing ever. I love it. Yeah.
Julia Meek: Magic. It's the magic. And since it does seriously cut into your own creating and production time, what's the biggest advantage to this side of the business, it's the social side of the business.
Eran Park: Mmhmm.
Julia Meek: What else does it do for you?
Eran Park: I mean, honestly, it allows me to fill my time when I'm not feeling particularly creative, which is something that maybe isn't fun to talk about.
But most of my glass career was a production worker, which took some creativity and work, and this is just a whole other egg in the basket where I get to interact with people and and relearn the craft that I love so much. On kind of a basic level, it's amazing.
Julia Meek: Do you find that it validates your own immersion into that artform to be teaching it and have people seeking out your teaching it?
Eran Park: I don't know quite how to answer that question, but I do know I fully understand why teachers say that it's fully rewarding to teach people.
My dad was a teacher. I get it, like I fully get it. It's, it's amazing, people that are interested in what you're interested in that allow you to share it. That's a very special moment.
Julia Meek: You happen to have a very special medium to share.
Eran Park: Yeah, yeah! I'm extremely lucky. Yeah, I'm very grateful.
Julia Meek: So, in your own mind, why should everyone with a creative bent and fascination for illumination and [chuckles] illuminating artwork try it once? What can one experience only through trying it?
Eran Park: You get to feel the heat. You get to experience the timing, the suspense of what's going to happen.
The process of creating something is rewarding to many, so you get to feel that. The color change of the glass is something that you only get to see during the process.
And most people agree that's their favorite color, the well over 2000-degree molten glass. Life is all about experiences. It's about going out and doing things.
Julia Meek: And that really is an extreme experience, if we look at it, not a lot of people get to do it.
Eran Park: Yeah.
Julia Meek: So, back to your own business and profession, Eran. What are your short and medium-term plans for Glass Park as well as Eran Park, glass artist, or do you have any?
Eran Park: Mmhmm. No, that's a solid question. Currently, I am thoroughly enjoying the class setting. It's been my main focus, and I'm grateful to say that it's been growing the business and nurturing my soul.
So to be honest, there aren't any creative projects that I'm working on outside of just keeping the glass part going.
I do have a plant cart, so, I like to celebrate growth by offering anyone that comes in a free plant.
So I guess the reason I thought of that is that takes a lot of my creative side, right? [chuckles]
Julia Meek: You have a holistic approach to life. Let's face that and then, let's own it. [both chuckle] And interesting that glass flowers as well as real flowers and plants both call your name.
But what is it about the organic part of the world that you obviously embrace that makes you have to?
Eran Park: Well, yeah! I mean, this, this is the coolest planet I've lived on yet, [Julia chuckles] you know.
It's, it's got some wonders that keep me in constant awe, and melting glass is by far one of them. Yeah!
Julia Meek: So meanwhile, are there still new techniques to be taught and learned and shared at Glass Park?
Eran Park: Absolutely, I'm adding new classes to the roster all the time. The Tumbler Drinking Glass is the most recent one.
And I have actually just added a Sleeping Cat Paperweight as well, and then the ongoing classes. So, you know, if people have a certain project in mind, I'm thrilled to teach them what it takes for them to do that on their own.
One of the regulars that comes, Jen, she's a botany professor at Manchester College. And she comes in for what she calls, what we call torch therapy. [Julia chuckles]
And she comes in and just makes flowers and acorns and beautiful pendants. And it's wonderful.
Julia Meek: That's the best kind of therapy one could get, by many, many standards.
Eran Park: Mmhmm.
Julia Meek: And last question, Eran, what does learning everything possible about this ancient and most magical medium, including teaching it, do for your soul as well as your artcentricity?
Eran Park: Mmm. I love it. It definitely satisfies my soul in a way that I haven't found elsewhere.
The simple truth is that I will never know everything about glass and that's probably the best part.
The challenge, the constant reminder of being present in the moment, the appreciation of beauty and colors and yeah, it's just, it's got me.
Julia Meek: Fort Wayne native Eran Park is glass artist and owner of Glass Park.
Thank you for sharing your story of this amazing journey, this amazing medium, this artform, Eran, continued creativity.
Eran Park: Thank you.
