Liberty Craftworks Artisans
Marc VandenBerg started working with glass in 1993 and has been a glassblower at Greenfield Village since 1998. He earned several scholarships to acclaimed schools, including Pilchuck Glass School, and has been fortunate to study and work with many prominent artists. Marc exhibits work nationally and teaches and demonstrates internationally. He is also a talented lampworker with a personal studio at his home. Marc’s work is published in several books, including “500 Glass Objects” from Lark Books, and he has been honored among Best of Michigan Artists in 2007. |
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| Josh Wojick has worked with glass since 1998 and received his B.F.A from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. He is a production glassblower at The Henry Ford, creating early American historical reproductions. In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member, teaching glassblowing at the College for Creative Studies. He has worked and demonstrated in various studios with some of the top artists throughout the country. His technique is based in the traditional style of Venetian furnace work. It employs functional wares and mixed media sculpture and involves the use of man-made and natural materials. |
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Andy Koupal was introduced to glassmaking as a high school student through extracurricular programs at the College for Creative Studies. Fascinated, he continued his studies at the School for American Crafts at R.I.T. in Rochester, New York, where he graduated with a B.F.A. in Glass Craft and Sculpture in 2009. Professionally, Andy has worked at the Corning Museum of Glass, Simon Pearce in Windsor, Vermont, and many privately owned glass shops in New York and Michigan. Andy's studies and career experiences have exposed him to a variety of techniques and methods, and he aims to honor these traditions while melding them with contemporary designs and concepts. |
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Melinda Mercer has been working with clay since 1994. She has a B.F.A. in ceramics from Kent State University. Melinda learned historical pottery methods while working as a potter at Hale Farm and Village, a tile glazer at Motawi Tileworks and an intern at the Greenfield Village Pottery Shop. Melinda has been a full-time potter at Greenfield Village since 2004. In addition, she teaches pottery classes locally and is a member of the Plymouth Village Potters Guild. |
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Alex Pratt has been working with clay since 1993. He received his B.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Michigan in 1997. He established and maintained an independent studio after graduation, and was a member of the Ann Arbor Potters Guild for several years. He has exhibited and sold his work throughout southeastern Michigan, including at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. His teaching experience includes the Ann Arbor Potters Guild, the Plymouth Village Potters Guild, the Ann Arbor Art Center and the Kay Yourist Studio in Ann Arbor. |
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John Ahearn started working in clay in 2002 and went on to earn his B.F.A. in ceramics from Adrian College in 2009. John has also studied at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and the Ox-Bow School of Arts. He worked for three years as a ceramics shop tech for Adrian College, where he helped build a wood kiln and designed and led a group of students to construct a soda kiln. |
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