2018 SGS CONVENTION DAY 2 REPORT AND GALLERies
Thursday, July 26, 2018 was a very full day for everyone at the 2018 Stretch Glass Society Convention. We began the day with a seminar on how to make a center-handled server with George Fenton leading the discussion. George’s career at The Fenton Art Glass Company gave him first hand insight into the making of glass. He explained in detail the process of heating the mold, gathering the glass, pressing the server in the mold, turning it out, iridizing it, reheating it, shaping it and cooling it to make a finished product. We had on hand the original mold used by The Fenton Art Glass Company to make their dolphin center-handled servers during both the early and late periods of production.
Here are some photos of the mold in an open position showing the location of the dolphin handle in the bottom of the mold. Above the dolphin there would be a bowl, opening at the top of the mold. After the server had been taken out of the mold, iridized and re-heated, the bowl was reshaped into a flat or nearly flat surface with the dolphin on top, forming the handle for the server.
We were also treated to Dave Shetlar’s video of the making of the Wisteria Dolphin handled servers in 2007 when Fenton made them for The SGS as a Convention souvenir. George narrated the video as it showed all of the various steps necessary to make the servers.
After a delicious lunch of hot pizza, next up was Dave’s presentation of the Club Display of over 100 center handled servers from Central, Diamond, Fenton, Imperial, Jeanette, Lancaster, Northwood and US Glass companies. Vineland did not produce a center handled server during the stretch glass era. The Club display featured the only known Central stretch glass center handled server as well as many other unusual and rare servers. Here are a few pics of the club display. (See also the separate piece about Dave's presentation called "Handled Servers at the 2018 SGS Convention.")
Following Dave’s presentation, several members talked about their displays of how they use stretch glass today. Here are pictures of these members’ displays.
Thursday evening was our banquet and a presentation by Steve Lindquist telling the story of his and Gary Sullivan’s interest in collecting carnival and stretch glass beginning in the 1990s with the purchase of a marigold carnival glass bowl. It is a fascinating story of how an interest grows into a desire to collect and then into a collection which today fills their home with carnival and stretch glass of all sizes, shapes and colors. Here are a few photos of Steve’s presentation and the glass they brought with them to share with us.
While we slept, Tom and Debra Burns set up the glass to be sold at their auction on Friday evening. Below are photos of the auction items.
