The Columbia Chronicle just published a great article (”Modern Medievals,” Oct 13, 2008) highlighting the Chicago fire arts center’s talented forging instructor, Jon Gruber.
The article begins where Jon began…learning the hard way as a medieval jouster with bad armor:
“I had no armor of my own when I started, so I’d get loaner suits,” Gruber said. “And getting unhorsed at 30mph hurts a lot worse when your armor doesn’t fit right. Being injured after wearing ill-fitting suits was what got me into forging them myself.”
The article goes on to discuss Jon’s teaching philosophy and what his classes at the fire arts center of chicago offer.
You would be hard-pressed to find an opportunity to take a class like Jon’s in the entire country, let alone in Chicago. The class runs on Saturday, but has a limited class size to allow for more one-on-one instruction. Be sure to contact us today to find out how you can get in!
Our thanks to the Chronicle for shedding some light on this talented instructor. We appreciate all the hard work Jon does and his students truly enjoy the challenges offered by his classes.
Click here to read the full Chronicle article.
The fire arts center of chicago director, Vince Hawkins, unveiled his latest project for the Kankakee County Animal Foundation. The Pet Memorial was unveiled at Whispering Willows Park, Bourbonnais last Saturday, June 28, 2008. One of the missions of the fire arts center, as well as its founders and members, is to create art that motivates social change. Taking on projects like this memorial allows us to shed light on organizations that we are proud to align ourselves with.
The fire arts center is a great place to learn how to create works similar to this one. The Pet Memorial is a cast bronze work that includes a chemical patina that was applied by fire arts center instructor Michael Bennett. Michael, an expert at patination who has worked on several restoration projects, teaches these techniques at the fire arts center. A patina uses the chemical properties of the bronze to create a reaction that changes the metal’s color and appearance. The weather and other environmental variations will continue to change the color over the years.
Vince had other helpful hands joining in on the process. Vince’s daughter helped out with the project and signed the completed work. Vince prides himself on making works that bring people together, and having his own daughter help made the creation of the memorial that much more meaningful. Providing a way for children to get involved in the artistic process is critical to their development and is a great way for parents to get involved in their children’s lives. If you want to find out how you can provide more creative opportunities for your children, check out the fire arts center of chicago’s kid’s classes today. Contact us to find out more.
Vince’s sculpture highlights the great work of the Kankakee County Animal Foundation and their hard work to provide homes for neglected and unwanted pets. As you can imagine it is a difficult job, and money is always short. To help provide more programs for these animals, the KCAF will be selling engraved bricks around the memorial for as long as space is available. Contact them today to find out how to purchase one and dedicate a piece of the memorial to someone you care about.