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JACKIE PANCARI: GLASS IS ABOUT
THE MOMENT, AND I KNOW WHEN I’M
CREATING MY WORK THAT IF I HAVE
THAT MOMENT WHERE I GO, OH WOW!
YOU KNOW, THAT’S COOL, THAT’S
REALLY NEAT.
I KNOW THAT I’M GETTING
SOMEWHERE OR I KNOW THAT I’VE
GOT IT.
ROBIN CASS: WHAT MAKES HER AND
HER WORK INNOVATIVE IS HER
OPENNESS TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF
INSPIRTATION AND RESEARCH AND
PROCESSES AND SO WHAT THAT DOES
IS IT MAKES HER WORK MORE
ACCESSIBLE I THINK TO THE
GENERAL PUBLIC BECAUSE SHE’S
KEEPING IN MIND AN AUDIENCE
THAT’S WIDER THAN THE ART WORLD.
PANCARI: IT’S THE PROPERTIES OF
GLASS THAT I’M REALLY INTERESTED
IN, IT’S THE PHYSICS OF THE
GLASS.
IT'S THE MOMENT WHERE MAYBE YOU
SEE A LITTLE BUBBLE IN THE
GLASS AND THAT BUBBLE IT’S
BEAUTIFUL AND WHEN YOU PUT
LIGHT THROUGH THAT, ALL OF A
SUDDEN YOU’RE SEEING SOMETHING
ABOUT THE GLASS THAT WAS IN
ESSENCE INVISIBLE.
CASS: I THINK THAT THAT’S ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT MAKES HER AND
HER WORK SO SPECIAL IS THAT SHE
DOESN’T’ STAY WITHIN ANY
BOUNDARIES AS FAR AS THE
EXPECTED OR THE NORMAL,
TRADITIONAL GLASS WORKING
PROCESSES.
PANCARI: I’M REALLY INTERESTED
IN NATURAL PHENOMENON.
I LOVE TO GO ON WALKS, I LOVE TO
TAKE PICTURES.
I HAVE PROBABLY 24,000 IMAGES
NOW AND THAT’S, IT’S REALLY
INSPIRATIONAL FOR ME TO TAKE
THAT INFORMATION, BRING IT INTO
THE STUDIO.
CASS: JACKIE’S INSPIRATION
OFTEN COME FROM THE MOST
SEEMINGLY MUNDANE THINGS OR
OCCURRENCES THAT MOST PEOPLE
WOULD JUST WALK RIGHT BY, LIKE
THE WAY WATER DROPLETS FORM ON A
WINDSHIELD AND MOVE UPWARDS
RATHER THAN DOWN AND THAT WOULD
LEAD TO A WHOLE PIECE.
SO SHE INVITES YOU IN TO SHARE
HER SENSE OF WONDER AT IT.
SOME OF JACKIE’S PROJECTS SHE’S
STARTING WITH TRADITIONAL GLASS
PROCESSES, BUT SHE’S TAKING IT
IN NEW DIRECTIONS LIKE SOME OF
HER REFLECTIVE HEMISPHERES,
SHE’LL PUT IN A CENTRAL PIECE TO
MAKE PATTERNS OF THE GLASS, BUT
SHE’S BROUGHT IT TO A NEW PLACE
BY CELEBRATING THE OPTICAL
POTENTIAL OF THAT COMBINATION OF
THIS PATTERN WITH THE SILVERED
BOWL SHE’S TAKING SOMETHING VERY
OLD AND VERY NEW AND PRESENTING
IT IN A NEW WAY.
PANCARI: FIRST I GO INTO THE HOT
SHOP AND I CREATE THE WORK.
SO THEN I TAKE ALL OF THAT WORK
BACK TO THE STUDIO AND THAT’S
WHEN THE FUN BEGINS BECAUSE IT
IS, IT’S LIKE A LABORATORY, I’M
EXPERIMENTING, I’M MAKING
DISCOVERIES.
IT’S ABOUT HAVING THESE OBJECTS
AND PUTTING THEM TOGETHER AND
PLAYING AND DISCOVERING NEW
THINGS.
AND THE THING ABOUT GLASS IS
REALLY THE MATERIAL IS ALIVE AND
IN A SENSE I’M REALLY TRYING TO
BRING OUT THE BEST QUALITIES OF
THE MATERIAL.
CASS: I THINK SHE REALLY THRIVES
OFF OF THAT ENERGY THAT COMES
FROM BEING SURROUNDED BY HER
IDEAS.
PANCARI: I DON’T THROW ANYTHING
AWAY.
YOU KNOW I TELL STUDENTS ALL THE
TIME, DON’T THROW ANYTHING OUT
BECAUSE YOU MAY FIND THAT THAT
IS YOUR BEST PIECE AND YOU JUST
DON’T KNOW WHY YET.
CASS: THE SCHOOL FOR AMERICAN
CRAFTS HAS EVOLVED AND WHAT
WE’VE DONE ALL ALONG IS BRING IN
THE BEST MAKERS AND THINKERS WHO
SPECIALIZE IN VARIOUS MATERIALS
AND TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES BUT
NOT IN A WAY THAT IS JUST TO
PRESERVE THOSE TRADITIONS, BUT
REALLY TO USE THEM AS A
FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATING, FOR
DOING NEW THINGS WITH THESE
PROCESSES, THESE TECHNIQUES,
THESE MATERIALS, SEE WHAT CAN BE
DONE.
PANCARI: I THINK THAT INNOVATION
IS ABOUT TAKING AWAY ALL
PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ABOUT
SOMETHING AND TAKING IT IN A NEW
DIRECTION.
CASS: SHE HAS THIS WAY OF BEING
ABLE TO TAKE THESE SMALL MOMENTS
AND TRANSFORM THEM INTO POWERFUL
PIECES OF ART AND IN THAT WAY
OTHER PEOPLE GET TO BE IN HER
BRAIN AND GET TO EXPERIENCE LIFE
THE WAY SHE DOES, WHICH IS A
WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE.
PANCARI: MY HOPE IS THAT WHEN
SOMEBODY IS LOOKING AT MY WORK
THAT THEY GET THE SAME KIND OF
EXPERIENCE THAT I DO IN THE
MAKING OF THE WORK TO SORT OF
HAVE THAT MOMENT OF AHA OR AWE.