The Art and Science of Glassblowing: Workshop at the Calgary City Teachers’ Convention

The Experience

As soon as session registration opened for the 2018 Teachers’ Convention, I heard from one of my Chemistry
Teachers colleagues that it would be fun to attend a session called, “Glassblowing; Science Heats Up “. We regis-
tered immediately and looked forward to trying something new at convention. As the day drew closer, we were
given instructions to come dressed for the weather. Until that time, I didn’t realize that the workshop would be
held outside. When we arrived at the event, I could see why. The workshop facilitators, The Glasshouse Fine Art
Collective, run a mobile glassblowing workshop out of a big truck. Although it was cold outside, the temperature
was not a factor. Things really were heating up in that truck with open ovens burning at over 700°C.
Upon our arrival, we all signed waivers and were reminded to wear glasses or sunglasses for our protection. The
session began with a demonstration of glassblowing. It was inspiring to watch an
expert in action. He explained some of the steps involved in making his master-
piece and that it was not as easy to do this work as he made it look. The work
that he created would be auctioned off to one of the teachers in attendance.
After the demonstration, we were instructed to select colours to create an orna-
ment or a paperweight. Some teachers selected the glass ornament option as
this would involve actual “blowing”. I opted to create a paperweight because it
would be more colourful and it would be something to display on my desk at
school.
The organizers had enough equipment and space for two people to be working
at a time. This meant that once teachers
started working, there was a lot of down-
time. We had an opportunity to explore
cSPACE, which is an arts hub located near Marda Loop in Calgary. There are
many different types of gallery spaces to visit. Throughout the year, they
offer a wide range of art exhibitions and classes. The location for this work-
shop was perfect for us to get our creative juices flowing!
When it was time for my turn, I was excited and nervous. This experience
was certainly out of my comfort zone. The equipment was unfamiliar and
the oven was extremely hot so I was a concerned about being close to it.
The staff was very helpful and they found the right balance between mak-
ing a person feel like they were really doing something while also keeping
them safe.
I was able to experience heating my glass in the oven and twisting and
shaping my paperweight. I used a soaking wet wad of newspaper to create
a rounded shape. Then the instructor broke my glass off of the large stick it
was on. After that, I used a blow torch to smooth the breaking point so there would be no rough edges. Every-
body’s creations were placed in a kiln and we were told to return in a couple days to collect them.
The Science
The Glasshouse Fine Art Collective offers this mobile glassblowing experience to school groups. This would be a fan-
tastic cross-curricular learning opportunity for students, but little information was offered about the science of
glassblowing as the session name suggested it would. I would highly recommend this opportunity to teachers and
students, but science teachers would need to design lessons before and after the workshop to help students gain an
understanding of the science. So what is the science behind glassblowing and how can it provide a valuable experi-
ence to our science students?
What is Glass?
The most common type of glass used today is called soda lime silica glass. The
main ingredient of glass is sand or silicon dioxide (AKA silica). The melting point
of silica is 1700°C. With a melting point this high, silica is difficult to work with,
so different chemicals need to be added to it .
The first thing that is added is the soda, or sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). By add-
ing the sodium carbonate to the silica, the melting point is lowered to 850°C.
While this makes the glass easier to work with, it also makes it water soluble.
Water solubility is not a desirable quality for glass, so another additive is neces-
sary.
The next thing that is added to the glass is the lime, or calcium carbonate
(CaCO3). The calcium carbonate helps to deal with the solubility issue and leaves
glass that is durable and easy to work with.
The artisans at the Glasshouse Fine Art Collective do not make their own glass. They purchase the glass in a pellet
form. For the demonstration and our own pieces, the pellets were kept in shallow trays. Once the rods that they work
with were heated up, they would collect the amount of glass pellets they desired by rolling the rod in the shallow
trays.
Other Additives
Depending on the desired properties of the glass product being produced different
chemicals may be added to soda lime silica glass:
Boric oxide (B2O3) will be added to make borosilicate glass that is resistant to chang-
es in temperature. This type of glass is ideal for lab equipment and cookware like
Pyrex.
Aluminum and potassium are added to the glass used in smartphone screens to
make them more resistant to damage.
Transition metals are often used to create different colours of glass. On their own,
transition metals have a reflective sheen, but if they are oxidized (electrons are re-
moved), they can contribute great colours. For example, any green glass that you
have seen may be a result of iron ions while cobalt ions can give glass a rich blue
colour. If you see glass that is ruby red, a small amount of gold may have been
used.
Integrating Art Into Science Curriculum
Schools have traditionally divided education into subject areas. This reflects a conception of curriculum
where academia is the priority. In this type of education, content is considered very important and students
are expected to acquire the knowledge and skills required to uphold our western culture.
As we move into the future, I would argue that our students would be better served by providing them with
an education that promotes individual growth. In the individual conception of curriculum, the education is
focused on all aspects of the learner, including personal growth and self-actualization. Although content is
still important, it is a priority for students to develop their
own understanding of it based on their unique viewpoints.
Since our society places a premium on innovation and crea-
tivity, we should design learning activities that will help stu-
dents develop these skills.
Activities that integrate art into curriculum are beneficial to
students. They are more likely to be engaged in their learn-
ing and so including art in all subject areas can increase aca-
demic achievement while promoting creativity and self-
confidence. Higher analytical thinking and reasoning are
important skills that are developed in both the arts and sci-
ence and should be encouraged as much as possible through cross-curricular opportunities like this one.
If you are interested in learning more about the mobile glassblowing or cSPACE, please visit the sites listed
below.
Alicia Taylor
References:
D. (2018, February 02). CSPACE King Edward is an arts incubator, innovative venue and coworking space for Calgary to experi-
ment, explore, and spark change. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://cspacekingedward.com/

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.glasshousecollective.com/

How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive | MindShift | KQED News. (2015, January 14). Retrieved
March 11, 2018, from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/38576/how-
integrating-arts-into-other-subjects-makes-learning-come-alive

McNeil, J. D. (2009). Contemporary curriculum in thought and ac-

tion (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. Pages 1, 3-14, 27-39, 52-
60, 71-74.

Al Mousa, N. (2013). An examination of cad use in two interior de-

sign programs from the perspectives of curriculum and instructors,
pp. 21-37 (Master’s Thesis).

Toothman, J. (2008, September 15). How Glassblowing Works. Re-

trieved March 11, 2018, from https://
entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/glassblowing1.htm