12/05/2024
[The following message is from Bennett Harris (founder of the Alamance Makers Guild, STEAM Junction, Maker Faire Burlington, and NC Makers)]
It is with deep and profound sadness that I must announce the passing of one of our own community; Master Glassblower, Artist, Teacher, Maker and most importantly Friend George-ann Greth. George-ann passed away at her home on October 10th 2024. Some of her closer friends have known for some time, but out of respect for her family’s wishes I have waited until now to publish this news and my own inadequate attempt at a tribute to my friend.
You may have known George-ann through the Glass Blowing community anchored out of Liberty Arts in Durham North Carolina, or through the Maker Community anchored out of Burlington NC extending across North Carolina. Many will have taken hands-on classes from George-ann through our former Maker Space STEAM Junction. Some will have had the chance to watch her create fragile art from nearly 3000 degree molten glass. Others may have met her at one of her many exhibits at Maker Faire Burlington. Some may have interacted with her at an Alamance Makers Guild meeting, particularly our holiday pot-luck dinners. Some may simply feel that they have met her through the thousands of photos and video clips we generated of her at any number of these events. To me she was all these things, but most importantly she was my friend.
Whether you knew George-ann well, met her briefly, or are just now stumbling upon this post I ask that you do me a personal favor and take a few minutes to read what I have to say about one of our fellow makers, a kind hearted person with a passion for art, and who spent every moment of her life thinking of her friends.
George-ann cut a slight figure, short, and petite but she cast a very long shadow by the light of her glass blowing furnace. She had a way of seeing the ever changing and moving beauty of this world and freezing it into semi-permanence by working molten glass. Her tools (more or less her only cherished worldly possessions) extensions of her hands and of her soul. Tools and a soul that she shared with others openly and with great duty of care giving so many people a chance to sample a skill that would otherwise be totally out of reach (because of rarity, scarcity, cost, and yes safety). Where others might let you watch at a suitably safe distance, George-ann gave people of all ages (even small children) a chance to try this skill up close and personal for themselves. Her hope was simply to inspire them, to make them aware that they had agency to create in this world.
In spite of her explanations of the science, history, and art involved in this skill, glass blowing never lost its sense of pure otherworldly magic to me. If you watch any of the video clips we captured of George-ann working at her gaffers bench there is a moment in most creations where she would roll the item she was making back and forth on the end of the pipe or the punty establishing its roundness, a competition between gravity and rapidly changing elasticity as the molten glass cooled in the open air. As she did this she would c**k her head over slightly to one side and get this look on her face. The only other place I feel I’ve seen this look is in watching a mother feed their newborn baby. In that moment she was totally focused, totally at peace, totally one with what she was doing. I always enjoyed watching her work just for this moment (not to mention her humor, working the crowd, and seeing beautiful objects take shape in front of my eyes)
George-ann may have been physically small, but she was actually as tough as nails in more ways than one. She faced adversity in her life at many junctions. Just like annealing gives glass strength, her life’s experiences made her strong. They say the good lord never gives anyone more than they can handle, at times George-ann showed that she could handle almost anything. I’ll leave out details of her private life, sad stories, or details of some of the unfair experiences she had to live through, but I allude to this adversity because I was always impressed with her tenacity and positive attitude. Here is a story I will share: she had to warn people that a lifetime of working in front of the furnace had made the normal ability that most women have (and most men do not) of easily handling hot objects without seeming to sense heat into a super power. Long story short, don’t let her hand you hot dishes at the dinner table. This was one of her tried and true jokes that put people at ease while she was teaching and guiding them at the forge. I miss hearing this and all of her other stories told over and over every 20 minutes for days on end as we did our weekend classes.
George-ann had quite the sense of humor, I’ll never forget the first time we set up to do a class and the joke she played on our business partner Danny. Danny is built like a football player, tall, muscular, and always handy for moving large heavy things (also smart and kind). George-ann knew that one of the pipes (one with a blue stripe) was clogged with hardened glass. It was the last third of the long day of classes and Danny came in for his shift to help out, so George-ann made sure that he got that non-working pipe. In front of the class of eager glass blowers standing outside in 30 degree weather she chastised Danny for not being able to do the impossible, start an air bubble in the molten glass (through the non-working pipe). Danny huffed and puffed and blew out his cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie but nothing. “Come on, I weigh 80 pounds, a tiny little woman, and I can do this easypeasey, why can’t the big man do it?”… all a joke at Danny’s expense. Soon she let him and the students in on the joke. Really the whole thing was to make some of the kids that were there loose their inhibitions or worries at how hard blowing glass might be.
George-ann never met an animal that she didn’t like, especially cats. Like a friendly cat herself she was nice to everyone, but you should be honored if she made you her friend. She was kind-hearted to a fault and always thought of her friends and acquaintances. People may not have realized it at the time but she always listened deeply to people and had a photographic memory for the things they mentioned about their lives, their troubles, their stories. Every time we spoke she would ask after any and all the people that we had in common between our circles of friends. “How is so-and-so doing,” “I heard through the grapevine that so-and-so lost their mother, are they ok?,” “I’ve got something special planned for so-and-so, I know they just went through a hard time.” She was also always thinking of people, buying them gifts because something made her think of them, making them things because she knew they would like it. I was told that when some of her friends helped clean out her house after her passing they found multiple packages and baskets and half-wrapped gifts and other items that were meant for people she knew, just waiting for the next time she saw them. George-ann was generous with her time, her creativity, and her money. Thankfully she chose well when it came to friends because she always inspired help from others. I wonder how many people have rescued her as one of her many vehicles gave up the ghost, or hauled her rig to a glass blowing gig, or helped out as she taught a class. I’m personally grateful to have had the opportunity to have been one of these folks. I want to thank all the others that have helped her out over the years, especially those who helped out in conjunction with STEAM Junction or the Maker Faire.
When I think of George-ann I’ll remember some of the little moments, the laughter, the beauty. She always went a little extra even if most folks would never know or notice. I remember we made glass flowers for spring time as one of our workshops, and when George-ann arrived to set up she said to me “how do you like my dress, its my daisy dress, its for spring and because we are making flowers, I’m a little flower!” I’ll always remember that she kept the colorful “frit” used to give clear glass its color or its sparkle in honey-bear jars which added whimsy to the amazing colorful display set up for students to use. When working with young children she had a way of doing the heavy lifting but making the child thing that they had done it all by themselves, you could feel the pride and self confidence that she was able to give them without them (or sometimes even their parents) even suspecting. She also always tried to find the other artists or potential artists in any crowd and get them to watch or to take part or to help. She was an amazing mentor. I’ll never listen to Dick Dale or surf music without thinking of Georgie.
I believe we are all artists and makers, it is part of what it is to be human. But I know that we are all very different when it comes to our abilities and to what we have had the luck to be exposed to and find success with. Not everyone is humble about their skills, or cognizant of the sheer luck of have an opportunity. George-ann went one step further trying to make sure others were exposed to some of the spark of creativity that she first experienced herself as a spunky teen. To me, choosing to be a mentor, a teacher, an instructor is one of the most important callings in this world. More than just a teacher though George-ann was an artist. People create art to inspire others, but also to leave a little something of themselves in this world. Nothing lasts forever, but the things we create have the potential to outlive our fragile bodies and have the chance to effect people long after we are gone. George-ann was an artist and brought beauty to our lives. I have items in my home that I’ll treasure forever that George-ann made, or that she helped me make, or that she taught me how to make and gave me the opportunity to make. All artists put a little of themselves into the things they create, and I find it very fitting that as a glass blower, some of George-ann’s very breath is frozen inside the many sparkling and colorful things she’s created, preserved if not forever, then for longer than herself and that is as close to permanence that any of us could hope for.
I will always remember my friend fondly, and I hope that if you knew her, or even if you are just reading this, that you’ll learn some lessons from the example of her life. Find a way to inspire others, take risks and create things, help people, look for opportunities to be a mentor or a teacher, just be kind.
Some of George-ann’s friends, colleagues, and students led by Ilsa Spaan are planning a Celebration of Life event for Saturday February 1st from 4-8pm in Burlington NC. Further Details including the exact location and a link where you can RSVP will be published soon. If you can attend you are welcome, please also share with anyone you know who may have known or worked with George-ann.
There is a link to George-ann’s obituary in the first comment below.
Also linked here is a video we made interviewing George-ann for our “Meet the Makers” series of videos that includes some footage of her teaching classes and being creative at STEAM Junction.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories about George-ann in the comments below.
Meet the Makers featuring Master Glass Blower George-ann Greth:
Meet the Makers #7 features Gaffer (Glass Blower), Artist, and Instructor George-ann Greth of Bee Creative Glass Blowing telling the story of how she got inv...
