A Work of Art: Glass Blowing at First Friday Art Walk

Pretentious Glass Co. offers glass blowing workshop to create a custom piece for attendees to take home

First Friday. Two words that mean so much more than just the day of the month to the makers of Knoxville.

On every first Friday of the month, businesses around downtown Knoxville welcome artists to set up and showcase their works. The art walk consists of artwork of all forms – paintings, sculptures, photos, music, glass and much more. The participating businesses vary from month to month, but there is always plenty of art to be experienced.

Nestled on South Central St. are two shops - Pretentious Beer Company and Pretentious Glass Company (PBGC). PBGC originally was a small drinking club at the Mellwood Arts Center in Louisville, KY. Each Friday, the club would enjoy a beer (or two) in the courtyard and one day, they came up with the idea of making beer glasses for everyone. Founder and owner, Matthew Cummings, created the Hoppy Beer glass and realized that there was a lack of craft beer glasses. Thus, he started PBGC to solve the problem. Cummings spent over six months coming up with the different styles of glasses.

Cummings went to school for glass blowing and has been in the industry for about 16 or 17 years. At his Knoxville studio, Cummings handmakes each glass and uses techniques that have been around for hundreds of years. According to their website, no machine touches the glass one would drink out of at the bar – it is completely handmade. Cummings also signs each glass before packaging them in their boxes. While the company is a one-man operation, Cummings has help from some friends.

Gaffer (Glassblower) David Wiss and glass blowing assistant Michelle Belcher led the make your own glass workshops on Friday. Wiss has been in the industry for about eight years and with the company for almost five years. Belcher started about a year and a half ago at PBGC and has been working with glass about just as long.

“I had a brief summer course in college about seven years ago and thought “I’m never going to use this again,” but then saw [PBGC] was hiring an assistant and was like “I can do this!””

The duo helped patrons create their own booze glasses all night Friday. In just two and a half hours, they worked with six different people. Belcher would assist Wiss in the glass making; however, she would walk the customer through each step and explain the process.

The customers got to participate in almost every step, but the professionals kept everything on track and safe.

Belcher loves working with glass because of how hands-on it is and the constant learning that goes on day-to-day.

“I love that I get to use my hands every day,” Belcher said. “To actually make something and I don’t have to be behind a desk, answering phones, or doing things like that. I can actually be getting dirty and sweaty and making something and feeling good about a product.”

Wiss enjoys the difficulty of his job. He said he would not want to do it if it was easy.

“It’s taken me eight years to be somewhat proficient at it, and it’ll take me another eight to be a little more and another eight to finally get it,” Wiss said. “Everyone has the “oh, I love glass” the first time I saw it, but I hated it.”

It took Wiss a couple of months to really get into glasswork. He knew it was really hard but was determined to figure out how to do it. He really enjoys the challenge, problem-solving, and the most difficult techniques he can do at his job.

Glass blowing is an art form. It takes a lot of technique and know-how to complete even the smallest piece. Both Wiss and Belcher attest to this and have worked hard to learn the techniques and skills needed to create glass pieces. While they are learning every day, they are also teaching when they host the workshops.

Customers can pick from a shortlist of options during the make-your-own sessions – booze glasses, flowers, pumpkins and paperweights. Each option is completely customizable from the color and shape to the texture of the glass.

First Friday is more than just a day for art lovers. It is an experience and a way to bring the community together. PBGC’s glass blowing workshops add to that experience and allow those who want to, the ability to be part of making art.

PBGC’s part in the art community does not stop with First Friday or themselves even. Coming up in April is their fifth annual Forms and Flora event. They are looking for a select number of artists and floral designers to participate in this year’s event. All mediums are welcomed for submission. More information can be found on the website.