{"id":403946,"date":"2020-12-21T14:16:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=403946"},"modified":"2020-12-21T14:16:09","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:16:09","slug":"college-of-dupage-art-program-alumnus-creates-record-setting-glass-christmas-tree-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/college-of-dupage-art-program-alumnus-creates-record-setting-glass-christmas-tree-sculpture\/","title":{"rendered":"College of DuPage Art Program Alumnus Creates Record-Setting Glass Christmas Tree Sculpture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Glen Ellyn, Ill., Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Releasing a cloud of steam in the chilly December air, Jason Mack pours liquefied glass onto a spinning, metal frame to create branches and needles for his latest project: the world\u2019s largest glass Christmas tree.<\/p>\n

Mack, with four assistants, is building the tree and spreading holiday cheer on a lot in Champaign, Ill. Made from steel and recycled glass, the tree will measure 31 feet in height with a circumference of 52 feet at the base and weighing in at approximately two tons. Mack\u2019s goal is to beat the current world record held by a 27.5-foot glass tree in Italy.<\/p>\n

View photos<\/a> and a video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mack said building the sculpture on-site provides a great way to bring his work out of the studio and contribute to the life of the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI like breaking the mold of glassblowers working and laboring over a piece of art in a studio and then bringing the finished project to the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not as interested in selling objects as I am in projects that involve the community and bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack is using glass collected from on-site donations during the construction. Melted at a temperature of 2,300 degrees in Mack\u2019s mobile glass furnace, the liquefied result then is poured onto a spinning, metal frame to form the tree\u2019s branches and needles. <\/p>\n

The build attracted hundreds of attendees opening weekend and the team received approximately 2,000 pounds of donated glass, more than half of what they need to complete the tree, Mack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response from the community was great,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were in awe. I\u2019m the only person in the world doing anything like this\u2014driving around with a 2,000-degree furnace behind my truck and building a record-setting tree from recycled glass.\u201d<\/p>\n

While using recycled glass helps to fulfill a need in the community to dispose of used items, Mack said he also enjoys the idea of the history of his material.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like materials that are honest, not fabricated,\u201d he said. \u201cWe might get in a dirty jar with baby food or pasta sauce; each item used for a utilitarian purpose then sat in someone\u2019s home till they brought to the site. Every bottle has a story behind it. Even if it\u2019s not an important story, it still becomes part of our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack added that there are many characteristics of glass that draw him to working with the substance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no other material like it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe properties are so unique, but it\u2019s also so ubiquitous. It\u2019s in everyone\u2019s home and a part of everyone\u2019s life. Often, it\u2019s just a waste product, but when you change its state, people become mystified by it. Another thing I love about working with glass is that there is an element of organized chaos to it. There is an order to the process, but there also is some randomness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The site of his Christmas tree project also features a gift shop selling hand-blown miniature trees and ornaments. Gift shop proceeds benefit Mack\u2019s ultimate goal of building a glass forest constructed of recycled glass.<\/p>\n

Mack, a native of Glen Ellyn, earned his Associate in Fine Arts degree at College of DuPage. He currently teaches glassblowing classes in the Urbana-Champaign area.<\/p>\n

Mack said he credits his time at COD with nurturing his exploration of art.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a great experience at COD,\u201d he said. \u201cThe skill level and experience of teachers in the Art program were top notch. I felt well prepared when I went on to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in studio art from Illinois State University in 2007. At COD, I met one of my most influential teachers from my college career as a whole, John Calimee. He taught me that, at its core, art is a way to find answers to questions, and that the quality of the answers coming back depended on the quality of questions going out. I have never forgotten that. I have found that the better my questions become, the better my art becomes.”<\/p>\n

\n Learn more about Mack\u2019s work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learn more about the Art program at College of DuPage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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