Dawn Lombard in her glass studio

Local glass artist Dawn Lombard is our newest glass instructor at BCC, and will be teaching our first Glass Bead Sampler Workshop  on Saturday June 16, 10am-2pm. “Glass Beads on the Torch” will give beginner students the opportunity to to try lampworking glass without a steep time or financial commitment. Students will use Effetre (soft glass) rods, stringer, and frit to create eight different glass bead designs. After four hours, you can expect to have made a handful of beads that you can use to make a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art. Help us welcome Dawn to the studio and try something new with a Sampler Workshop.

More details on Glass Beads on the Torch Sampler Workshop

Volunteers set up camp at Microsoft's New England headquarters for Give Camp festivities

Last week Brookfield Craft Center spent 48 hours in the hands of technologically inclined volunteers at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development (NERD) in Cambridge, MA during New England Give Camp. Professional designers, developers, database administrators, marketers and web strategists aided New England-based non-profit organizations and charities in advancing their web presence, social networking capabilities and internal electronic operations. In today’s digital age, non-profits will collapse without information technology support for fundraising, marketing and communication efforts, yet dedicating funds to maintaining and upgrading IT solutions remains a low priority when planning budgets to support an organization’s mission. Over the course of one weekend, and with the commitment of 120 volunteers, Give Camp propelled the impact of fledgling foundations, while saving others from the brink of extinction.

New calendar's monthly view of classes showing sample data

New calendar's list view of classes showing sample data

New calendar's subscription feature with sample data

Project manager Alyissa Dzaugis and software specialists Molly Duggan, Joan Wortman, Maura Wilder and Bill Wilder joined BCC Education Director Heather Lawless to hack apart a calendar plugin for brookfieldcraft.org to accommodate the scheduling needs of the school. Round the clock troubleshooting took periodic breaks for power naps in tents and sleeping bags on NERD’s conference room floors. The end result was an unforgettable experience with some incredible people, and a class calendar that will revolutionize how students plan their enrollments in BCC classes.

The calendar is currently undergoing final revisions before its release to the BCC community. Students, teachers, event attendees, open studio participants and BCC staff can look forward to monthly, weekly and daily views of activity in all BCC studios and galleries, filtered by media and interests. The BCC community will also have the opportunity to subscribe to calendars through iCal, Google Calendar and other productivity applications for instant updates on new class offerings. We will announce when the calendar goes live online in the coming weeks.

Many thanks to New England Give Camp organizers for the opportunity, to our talented team members for delivering a successful project, and to BCC jewelry instructor Rachel Morris for her own Give Camp volunteerism and helping us integrate our current technology into the new calendar web feature.

Volunteers in action in Microsoft's creative workspaces

Group shot of all New England Give Camp 2012 volunteers and non-profit representatives

Weaving is one of the many programs at BCC that has been revitalized in the last year.

The Board of Directors of the Brookfield Craft Center (BCC) announced today the departure of Executive Director Richard Herrmann, effective May 31, 2012.  He will be leaving the organization after three years to refocus his attention on Ironwood Gallery, the crafts marketing firm he established with Betsy Halliday in 2000, as well as launch a new venture providing affordable marketing services to artists. Richard’s tenure at the Craft Center began as it faced a perfect storm of financial crises that threatened to shut it down for the first time since its founding in 1954, and he stepped in to help it regain its footing. Often working with Betsy, who while continuing to run Ironwood has devoted many hours to BCC, Richard revived a community of staff, faculty and volunteers, streamlined information systems, created a dynamic web presence, and revitalized the organization’s popular Holiday Sale.

“Since the economic downturn of 2008, many non profits have faced challenges. Fortunately BCC was able to revive its core programs during this period,” said Board President Bill Markus. “We see encouraging signs in the community and new opportunities for the Craft Center. This transition is the perfect time for an organizational review to help us align our structure for optimal program quality, growth and long-term financial stability.”

To that end, the BCC Board has contracted with Support Center for Non Profit Management to work with the BCC community during this process. An Interim Executive Director will handle day-to-day responsibilities, with recruitment of a permanent Executive Director to follow completion of the organizational review.

Buster Shaw and Jim Degen, members of both BCC’s Board and faculty, will have active roles at the campus during the transition, representing the Board on the Education and Transition Committees.  As Jim Degen observes, “With our dual roles, we can see issues from two different perspectives. As we move forward I want to make the process comfortable for the dedicated staff and volunteers who make the Craft Center what it is.  Having gone through many corporate transitions personally, I know firsthand that it can be a stressful experience.”

Heather Lawless, BCC’s Education Director will be another important voice in the process. “Over the last 10 months we have gained tremendous momentum in our education programs. I am excited by our progress thus far, and look forward to working with the Support Center to advance the Craft Center to the next stage of vitality and prominence in the craft community.”

Barbara Drillick, Special Projects Coordinator, Deb Cooper, Registrar, and Jillian Doherty, Retail Coordinator will all continue to provide the structure and services relied on by BCC members, students and faculty to keep things moving smoothly, with no disruption of class schedules, open studios or gallery operations.

Weaving on the Go! with Chris Aulicino uncovers the endless possibilities of weaving on a portable rigid heddle loom.

Class meets Thursdays 6-9pm starting May 3 for 4 weeks.

Click for more info and registration

A weekend hard at work in the BCC Jewelry Studio

We specialize in Weekend Workshops for beginners to advanced students 13 years to adult.

This weekend at BCC April 28-29:

• Natural Edge Wood Bowls
• Enameling
• Intro to Glass Blowing on the Torch

Glass Artist Marta Bernbaum joins the BCC faculty to teach

Blowing Bubbles: Introduction to Glass Blowing on the Torch
Sat/Sun April 28-29, 10am-5pm

This workshop is designed to start students on the path to making hollow beads, sculpture, ornaments and vessels using tubing. Over the weekend students will work on pulling points, making appendages, popping holes, and, of course, blowing bubbles.

On the torch in the BCC Glass Studio

We specialize in Weekend Workshops for beginners to advanced students 13 years to adult.

This weekend at BCC April 21-22

• Wood Pens on the Lathe
• Glass Beadmaking 101
• Jewelry Studio Clean-Up/Tool Repair Day