by Margaret Merrick

Glass blower John England compares his craft to a dance.

"If you change the steps, you change the dance."

England uses this analogy to explain that glass blowing requires the same steps over and over in making a piece, and, if the steps change, the piece will be different from what originally was started.

Major is making a "break-off mark" using a long-blade jack on a paper weight he is creating. The paperweight needs a break-off mark so it can be snapped from the rod used by the glassblower to create the shape.

This past summer, the Berea craftsman helped teach a new partner the dance when he took on an apprentice from Berea’s Art Department.

Berea College student Bob Major, the College’s first glass blower apprentice, worked 10 weeks during the summer under the watchful eye of England and his wife, Jill.

Major, a junior art major from Harlan, Ky., engaged in the apprenticeship as a participant in the summer labor program. Major was one of three students who inquired about the apprenticeship through information supplied by Art Department Chair Dr. Robert Boyce.

England, a Berea artisan for the past nine years, made his future apprentice stand beside the glass furnace for a portion of their meeting. This test would prove if Major could stand the intense heat.

Major said he had never done anything quite like glass blowing. His closest experience was a bronze sculpturing class taken at the College, but he was intrigued by the apprenticeship because of his eagerness to work with as many different types of art mediums as possible.

His favorite part of glass blowing is the design aspect, and so far, the only pieces he has created have been paperweights. However, having seen the intricate and detailed pieces that England created, Major would like to improve his skills.

"John has a paperweight called Jacob’s Mountain that features a hand-sculptured mountain encased in glass. I would love to create something like that," Major said.

Major’s worst fear in glass blowing was breaking a newly created piece. He has somewhat overcome that fear since knocking over a piece that was in the Englands’ gift shop.

"Accidents happen," England said.

Major hopes the College can continue a craftsperson/apprentice program in glass blowing, perhaps during the Short Term in January. Steve Fain, ’88, Student Crafts coordinator at the College, agrees.

"I’d like to have internships for Berea students in any of the craft areas not available at the College," he said. "We have many excellent crafts people in the Berea community who could make an internship a great educational experience for our students."

Following his graduation from Berea, Major plans to attend graduate school at the Art Institute of Chicago. Long term, he hopes to teach at the college level or be involved in a type of art so he can create his own pieces.

At Berea, Major has found the integration of work, learning and free tuition to be a bonus.

"Berea was my first and only choice," he said.

The new skills Major has learned from England have only enhanced that choice.

England has been active in the Berea area since moving his studio and glass shop in 1990 from Piner, Ky. He and his wife, the former Jill Copher, a 1988 Berea alumna, have their studio and gift shop in their home located near Berea City Hall. The family business is called the England Family Glass and Vessels. In 1998, the Englands also started a new studio and gallery, "Vessels" in Ludington, Mich.

For someone who built his own glass furnace and taught himself by reading books, England has a long list of achievements.

His work was featured in the Smithsonian Museum in 1993, and he is the exclusive glass blower for Berea College Crafts. His work will be featured in its upcoming catalog.

In 1994 and 1995, England traveled to Kiyosato, Japan (Berea’s sister city) where he demonstrated at the Paul Rusch Festival. His glass ornaments also were featured on the Kentucky Christmas tree at the White House in Washington, D.C. for two consecutive years.

Although England has a distinguished list of honors, his apprentice believes that his greatest talent lies with his strong working relationship with his wife, Jill.

"Not every husband and wife can work well together," Major said.