Through the looking glass

For the first time since the StoryWalk® first graced the Sundance walking paths, its contents don't tell a single story.

Instead, each frame will display a photograph of a piece of fusion glass artwork and the unique story behind it.

The pieces were created by students of Sundance High School under the tutelage of art teacher Tobi Miller-Ayer. Depending on the complexity of the project a student has chosen, she says, they can take as little as a month or as much as a semester to complete.

Glass work is taught from seventh grade upwards.

"For some students, this is their first time with fusing glass. For others this is their fifth year, it depends upon grade level and year in art," she says.

"For my older kids, I require more complex projects. Some students really get into the glass and they have projects they have been planning for a year or two. Junior high does get a little taste and often they catch that bug and can't wait for the next go-round."

The goal, she says, is to have the lesson taught, safety tests accomplished and glass cut and assembled before Christmas.

"The firing process can be arduous with the number of projects, students and the sizing," she says.

"Our glass unit is called 'Warm Glass, Hot Glass, or Fused Glass'. Many pieces have to be fired twice. Once to fuse all the pieces as one, the other to form or slump into or on a mold."

Miller-Ayer doesn't require an overall theme for her students' work.

"I don't require an overall theme, in looking through the different years one would think I did. For example, we may have a lot of trees or dragonflies and the next year we might have cactus," she says.

"I believe it's important to allow my kids to choose, as it drives them to strive for an amazing outcome."

Library Director Bonnie Stahla was able to put the showcase together using a photo booth bought through a Library to Business grant. This will be the fifth or sixth display to appear on the StoryWalk, she says, and is already in place and available for the community's enjoyment.