Molten Metal and Glowing Glass: The Crucible’s Classes Bring out the Creative Genius in Everyone

March 17, 2009 - PRLog -- At The Crucible, West Oakland’s nonprofit arts education facility, adults and young people can unleash their inner creative genius with more than 400 classes including blacksmithing, jewelry-making, glass, neon, woodworking, and even flaming hula hoop. The Crucible gives people from all walks of life the tools to be innovative, playful, and exercise their imaginations.

Creativity is an essential part of success in today’s world, says legendary advertising executive George Lois, “Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” And yet, schools have slashed their art programs, and most adults struggle to find an environment that allows them the freedom to experiment and imagine.

That is why The Crucible has become such an important place to the nearly 5,000 people a year who discover their own creative spark by building a bookshelf, making a necklace, fixing a motorcycle, or bending metal into an artistic sculpture. The Crucible’s 56,000 square foot workspace, now the largest public industry and arts facility on the west coast, offers courses not available in public schools, universities and art studios.  Students of all kinds are drawn to The Crucible – from working artisans learning new techniques to professionals or retirees trying something completely new. Almost 20% are young people acquiring new skills and confidence in a supportive environment.

Neighborhood resident Tanya Stewart and her 13-year-old daughter Erica have both become part of The Crucible’s creative community. “It’s almost like a family,” says Tanya, who enrolled Erica in her first class almost four years ago and recently took a jewelry class with her daughter. “She is always down there and everyone knows her. When I took the class with her she was teaching me, and I felt like the kid!”

Quite a few students describe their experience as feeling like a kid again, having the chance to get their hands dirty and play with new materials. Many enjoy the chance to get away from daily responsibilities, and with most classes running on nights and weekends, The Crucible accommodates the busy schedules of parents and working adults.
Many who are drawn here have always dreamed of pursuing a creative art or indulging their fascination with fire, whether it is a busy mom signing up for the women’s welding workshop, a grandfather learning fire eating to impress his grandkids, or a veteran glassworker who wants to build a custom display case for her art. Courses such as welding and fire dancing are always popular, but The Crucible constantly adds new classes like Beginning Woodworking, where students can learn basic skills and receive a comprehensive introduction to the traditional and modern tools of woodworking.  Karen Conroe, who took a blacksmithing course as part of a corporate team-building workshop, says “I had a great time in the class. It was a great opportunity to do something that I’d never get to do in my regular life.”

Providing instruction and support in the learning environment, The Crucible’s faculty members are all selected for their expertise and teaching ability. Some come from an industrial background, like welding instructor Don Carlson who learned his craft over twenty years in the Navy and the Boilermaker’s Union. Others come from the fine arts, like foundry instructor Mary Mortimer who holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. In addition to the permanent faculty, The Crucible often hosts resident artists, guest lecturers, and special events, like the celebration of NASA’s Phoenix mission landing on Mars, Sunday, May 25th.

The Crucible’s mission: to inspire creativity in everyone. So whether you have always wanted to make your own glass bowls, design a ring in real silver, or pull molten metal from a fiery furnace, stop by The Crucible to find the skills, support, and supplies you need to make it happen.
For more information on spring and summer classes, or to enroll in any class or workshop, visit www.thecrucible.org.

About The Crucible®
The Crucible is a non-profit arts education center that fosters a collaboration of arts, industry, and community by teaching fire, metal, glass, and light art. Founded in 1999, The Crucible currently offers more than 400 classes to nearly 5,000 students annually in everything from bronze casting to neon, welding to glass working, blacksmithing to fire dancing. Dedicated to the creative us of fire and light, The Crucible is also known for its innovative and stunning public events and fundraisers, uniting artists from diverse disciplines.

For more information and to register for classes, visit: http://www.thecrucible.org

# # #

The Crucible is a non-profit arts education center that fosters a collaboration of arts, industry and community, teaching and showcasing fire, metal, glass and light art in the East Bay for over ten years, with over 700 classes to 5,000 students annually