The Fire is Warming

Summer is our slow season, but this year it's been an eventful and busy summer for us. We have completed several large stained glass windows and we've been on the road visiting galleries, art shows and artist workshops. June began with a trip to the Chapman Cultural Arts Center in Spartanburg, SC to attend Artist U. Thank you SC Arts Commission, we are grateful for the opportunity to learn about professional development strategies and how we can make our lives as artists successful.

Also, this summer we rolled out our brand new website. Amazingly, we were prepared for the process. Last fall and winter I spent a lot of time photographing and documenting our glass blowing sessions and studio work. I feel it is very important to document our life as artists. If you are an artist, personal photos of the process - you creating your work - will build interest in your final creations and give your collectors a personal connection to your work. Furthermore, it gives your customers a better understanding of what you do - a glimpse into your life. 

I organized hundreds of photos and several narratives - bits and pieces from the previous six months into categories; work in process, glass blowing demonstrations, stained glass windows, blown glass and studio renovations.  From there, adding content and photos to the website went pretty smooth. The big payoff is that we now have visual elements for future art show submissions, marketing and publicity opportunities.

 Posting photos to Facebook is a great way of collecting feedback from friends and followers - a virtual sounding board - for marketing and product development ideas. It can also give you a visual calendar of your studio work. We love our Facebook community and value their input! Each month we post photos of work to our Conway Glass Facebook Page - documenting the most notable and ordinary, the functional and dysfunctional.

Right now, BIG projects are looming on the horizon! Our studio and hot shop are under major renovations and the Conway Open Studio Project fires up October, 4th with the First Saturday Glass Blowing Demos.

"The Conway Open Studio Project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts."

Barbara Streeter Awarded SC Arts Grant

I've been awarded a $5000 S.C. Artists’ Ventures Initiative Grant by the South Carolina Arts Commission! It is a real honor and enables me to promote and produce the Conway Open Studio Project. 

The Conway Open Studio Project is a six month arts initiative featuring area artists working in collaboration to invigorate the arts in downtown Conway, SC. The Project will include an Experimental Glass Theatre component to be held in the glass blowing studio of Conway Glass at 209 Laurel Street in downtown Conway.

The goal of the Conway Open Studio Project is to raise the awareness of art-making as a career and to introduce visitors to entertaining, educational and fun art experiences in downtown Conway.

The S.C. Arts Commission grant also makes it possible for me to add video equipment, lighting and other improvements to our glass blowing studio, and to provide the public with an enhanced visitor experience. In addition, the funding will help us achieve our mission of providing free narrated, educational demonstrations of glass blowing to the public every First Saturday, October through May.

Conway Glass, Inc. is helping me meet my obligation of matching the Arts Commission grant with local dollars. Other artists are also donating their time and talents to the project, they are: Ed Streeter, Michael Gann, Laurie Brown, J.B. Chisnell, and Kim Clayton.

Local residents can see how the S.C. Arts Commission grant and local funds are benefiting the Conway Open Studio Project by visiting the First Saturday Glass Blowing Demonstrations being held at Conway Glass in 2014 on October 4, November 1 and December 6. In 2015 free demos are planned for January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4 and May 2. All First Saturday Glass Blowing Demos are free and held 10am – 4pm.

In addition, The Experimental Glass Theatre will be held in the hot shop at Conway Glass. This is a Saturday evening event and will debut November 2014. It's glass blowing like you've never seen before. Additional performances are scheduled for January and March 2015 (TBA.)

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission is working to increase public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.

About Barbara Streeter
Barbara Streeter is a visual artist and glass blower living and working in Conway, SC. She and her husband own and operate Conway Glass, Inc., a local glass company specializing in stained glass and blown glass.

About Conway Glass

At Conway Glass, Barbara and Ed Streeter have over 50 years of combined experience in the glass industry. Although they offer many glass products, they are quite different from most glass companies in that they design, manufacture, assemble and teach about this amazing material.

"This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts."

Book a Class or Make an Appointment

Conway Glass is located at 708 12th Ave.

Conway Glass is situated at 708 12th Avenue. At present, all classes are fully booked, and there are no spots available until April 2024. We will post new courses on January 15th, 2024. To stay informed about upcoming events and classes, please subscribe to our newsletter.