New craft studio now accommodates glasswork

By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs gold ribbon winner Edie Hunt moved to Cedar Crest last September she needed a place to construct her artwork. And when fellow stained glass artist Roy Kay discovered they had similar interests, he encouraged her to teach classes on campus.

Since then Cedar Crest, Kay, and Hunt have been working to outfit the Woodland Commons craft room with glasswork capabilities.

“I’m excited to start teaching the class because people will get self satisfaction out of it. It’s not easy, but you don’t know until you try,” Hunt says.

Community effort
Before Cedar Crest completed the craft room in Woodland Commons, Hunt cut and soldered in the community’s wood shop, run by Kay. Now, she and others at Cedar Crest have the proper space and equipment available for this type of work.

In order to prepare the room for glasswork, Cedar Crest added two workbenches with six stools, vertical lockers to store works in progress, and a sink. Additionally, Kay laid sheetrock over some areas of the oak counters for a cutting surface.

Participants will need to purchase their own tools such as a soldering iron, solder, scissors, copper foiling, and a glass cutter. “The total cost for tools should be between $60 and $100,” Kay says. The main element, glass, has been provided by Kay. He donated his large stock to the community when he and his wife moved here nearly six years ago. “The glass I donated should last a long time,” he says.

Community resources held a plenary session for interested persons in late spring, where Hunt and Kay displayed several items and discussed the formation of a stained glass group.

Award winner
Hunt’s unique pieces, which she calls “pressed flowers under glass,” have gained recognition on and off the campus. She has 11 years worth of gold ribbons from the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs under her belt.