We like to look back on each year, to take stock of how far we've come. 2019 was filled with opportunities for fun, growth, connection, and community. A big part of this was the events and trade shows that we participated in, both locally and nationally.
GAS 2019 in St. Petersburg, FL was a big one for us! In addition to running our Tech Display booth (with very positive reception), Phil and Chuck had the honor of presenting a lecture on the history of mobile furnaces and how our business is taking that movement into the future. At the end of the conference, one of our Double Little Dragonfurnaces was used for demos featuring a new veggie oil burner designed by Organic Combustion Systems. We also debuted our Independent FATCAT-60 annealing tube!
The weekend after GAS, we were back home in Americus, GA hosting the 3rd Americus Hot Glass Craft Beer Festival! This event featured 9 Dragon furnaces for demos by 32 artists from near and far, over 100 Georgia craft beers, live music by local bands, and great local food vendors. An estimated 2,000 attendees had a very enjoyable afternoon drinking great beer, tasting yummy food, and watching all kinds of glassblowing.
Photo courtesy of Zach Brown Media
The 2020 Hot Glass Craft Beer Festival date is Saturday, April 4th! We are working closely with the festival committee to host another amazing event this year, with some changes including an educational component where attendees can learn more about glassblowing and even try it themselves. We're excited!!
While the HGCB Festival was taking place, Chuck and Jennifer were away at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Vegas! They had a Mini Dragon on display and had great responses from attendees and fellow vendors alike. It was great to see people excited about our equipment possibilities in a setting that is generally more focused on other types of glassworking.
In September, Phil had the honor of being invited to lecture at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, GA. This lecture was given to a group of glass collectors from around the country in conjunction with the opening of the Eugene Fleischer Collection of Studio Art Glass exhibition on view through December 31st, 2020.
At Mobile Glassblowing Studios, we believe that a healthy business is always growing. That's why we continue to make upgrades and changes to our shop layout, fabrication processes, communications, and so much more. 2019 was no exception!
One of the changes we've made is fabricating some items assembly-line style, like the bench frames pictured here. Not only does it save time, they sure are satisfying to look at all lined up together!
You probably know by now that we are avid innovators. Developing new products that function well *and* look great is a big part of our passion for this business.
In 2019, we developed a number of new product options, as well as continuing to refine our existing products (is a work of art ever really finished?!). Clockwise from top left, they are: the Phoenix Furnace, Rolling Yoke, Large Front-Loading Annealer, and the Independent FATCAT-60 annealing tube (shown here in its debut at the GAS conference).
Our smallest Dragon, Lulu (daughter of CEO Phil and Marketing/Workshops Coordinator Robin) is getting very comfortable in the shop!
We think she'll be welding in no time!
Thank YOU for being a part of our growing global community!
