Glass Blowers Bring Talents Across the Globe

Jeremy Popelka and Araya Phanprom sculpt a glass piece in Bangkok. Photo by Stephanie Trenchard.

Jeremy Popelka and Stephanie Trenchard will be joined by Araya Phanprom as they show images and discuss their experience last year in helping to establish a glass art academy in Bangkok and introducing it to the world audience at the Glass Art Society conference in Murano, Italy. What began as the discovery of an email from Thailand, retrieved from junk mail in April of 2016, culminated with a presentation at a palace in Italy this May.

The duo traveled to Thailand where they spent seven weeks training eight art students to work in the medium of glass. Each student approached the medium in a manner particular to his or her own aesthetic direction. Eventually the program became affiliated with Silpakorn University, which is the finest art school in Thailand.

They facilitated in securing a scholarship for one of their students, Araya Phanprom, to attend a two-week class this summer at the prestigious Corning Museum of Glass in New York. Phanprom, known as Gam, will take her first trip outside of Thailand to come to Sturgeon Bay for two weeks prior to her class. In Sturgeon Bay she will practice her glass blowing skills as well as language.

The duo will present on their Thailand project on July 11, 5 pm in the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor. Registration is appreciated at facebook.com/kresspavilion or call 920.868.3334 ext. 3.