Ann Oliveri

Discover Glass Blowing

That's the name of a one-day experience at Glen Echo Park, a turn of the 20th century amusement park, now National Park dedicated to the arts. Located on the Potomac River at the edges of the District of Columbia and Bethesda, Maryland, Glen Echo is famous for its carousel and ballroom dancing. It is also home to dozens of artisans, including Paul Smartwood and glass blowing instructor Bret Coonhardt.

In five hours, Bret got five of us to grasp the fundamentals and create our first solid and blown glass objects. The craft is essentially unchanged in 2,000 years: the tools look medieval because they are! What's it like?  Imagine twirling honey on a chopstick, but dipping into a 2,000-degree pot.

(That glowing blob on my pipe became the paperweight below.)

 On so many levels I should have hated this, yet I am hooked. It was one of the most extraordinary learning experiences I have ever had. In one afternoon, I created a paperweight and a Christmas ornament, but more importantly I discovered how to dance with glass, a practice that completely holds my attention and deepens my appreciation for the artists who work in this medium.

 

Share This

As an ADD-enabled person, I love that "+ADD" is all you need to distract so many others with your fleeting interests.

The number of ways to share via social media is geometrically expanding.  This morning I wanted to email myself a link from a website and was confronted with 286 choices for sharing the link, including email. 

Thanks to + ADD, you too can add all these options as I did at the top right of this page.  (Be sure to expand the box at the top and then again at the bottom of the menu for the full effect.)  Yipes!

Others are trying to make sense of this. Now in version 3.0, here's a visual taxonomy of all those choices: The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and JESS3.

     

Ignite Associations

What if you had 5 minutes, 20 slides, and an audience willing to be enlightened?  That's the promise of an Ignite event and here's how Stephanie Horn responded at Ignite Phoenix last week. 

  A group of us are organizing Ignite events for the association community at the Great Ideas! Conference in Colorado Springs next March and right here in Washington in February at Busboys and Poets.

 You can be one of 16 chosen, but you need to submit your topic by Nov 10: https://www.greatideasconference.org/ignite_proposals.cfm

 If not you, who?   If not now, when?

Again, from Ignite Phoenix, take a look at Tim Huffman's presentation: The Art of Radical Altruism. What's your passion?

ISO Rugs

Last night, the Textile Museum honored Michael Franses, co-founder and publisher of Hali Magazine, with its George Hewitt Myers Award.  Well deserved, no doubt, but what grabbed our attention was that the presentation was to be made at the Residence of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. Although I sublimated my rug addiction years ago by subscribing to Hali and value Franses' contribution, we attended just to see the house and the rugs.

The Turkish Embassy Residence is just below Sheridan Circle on 23rd St NW, near the Dupont Circle Metro.  Completed in 1914, it combines 16th century Italian, 18th century Romanesque, 19th century Art Deco, and the distinctive decorative styles of the Ottomans. Completely renovated in 2007, the house features some spectacular rugs and silk embroidery.

The American twist is that the building was commissioned by the Cleveland, Ohio, industrialist Edward Everett, best known for inventing the Coca Cola bottle cap.  The house was rented by the Turkish embassy in 1932 and purchased, fully furnished, for $400,000 in 1936.

It's one thing to see rugs in crowded shops or displayed on walls of museums, but there's nothing like seeing such extraordinary art in use as originally intended.  Guess that means I now need to visit a yurt.

Road Trip Turkiye 2010

Merhaba.  Just posted a few photos from our third road trip in Turkey, this time travelling with our friends, Sue and Ed Mack. 

Relied on Trip Adviser for most of our hotels and were delighted with them all.  Didn't use a GPS or Michelin Guide so we had a challenge finding our way to the hotels in Ankara and Bursa. Both cities are growing so fast the road signs can't keep up.  But as with all new things, once you find your way it seems so obvious. Made for some exciting driving for my husband Bill in rush hour. When we stopped for directions, most stepped past me to discuss it with the driver, clearly a handsome turkish man.  This was always followed by much laughter when he revealed himself as a lost American.

The best part of traveling in Turkey is all the people we meet and gaining a new perspective on the world.