Williamsburg Under Glass

by Grant Moser

According to Encarta, glassblowing originated in the Middle East along the Phoenician Coast in the 1st century B.C. The process of actually making glass had occurred in the Middle East as well, but dates to the 3rd millennium B.C. Nearly 3000 years had passed before man discovered that glass could be shaped by blowing air into its molten form, and not merely by pouring it into molds.

Forward another two millennia to Williamsburg. We too now have the opportunity to learn the ancient art of glassblowing, right in our little burg at a place called one sixty glass.

Opened in June 2001, one sixty glass is the brainchild (and they would say first love) of John Pomp and Michiko Sakano, partners.

“I identified with the material and the process in the same way that a sport fits an athlete,” said Pomp. He was introduced to the art as a freshman at college. “It is very intuitive and it is a quick medium. The process is rapid and always changing. Glassblowing also taught me discipline. Once you start a piece, you have to continue until the end. There are no breaks.”

“But I also find it seductive and sensual. The work is thrilling because of the constant fragility of what you are making. I love making glass.”

His partner at one sixty also learned glass blowing at school. “I saw it once and I knew that’s it, that’s what I’m doing,” Sakano said.

Glassblowing in the United States is both an old practice and a new art. It holds the distinction as the oldest good manufactured in America. The first colony of Jamestown in Virginia had a glass maker in 1608. Nowadays, the practice of glassblowing as an art is growing rapidly in the United States, Pomp said. It is a new and exciting medium. The modern phase began in the 1960’s, when people brought glassblowing out of the factories and into their garages. It is then that many trace its change from being a product to being seen as art.

The tools involved include a hollow metal iron pipe, nearly 4 feet long, various ovens (some heated as high as 2300 degrees F), and the glassblower himself. The process is beautiful to watch, with liquid glass clinging to one end of the pipe like dew on a limb as the glassblower shapes it with blown air or various tools and molds to create a shaped and finished piece of glass.

But don’t take my word for it. Come on over to one sixty glass and watch for yourself. “We love glassmaking so much we want to share it with everyone. We encourage anyone who wants to stop in and watch to do so. We leave our doors wide open,” Pomp said.

one sixty glass is planning on having an open house in November for an entire weekend that will include demonstrations, products for sale, and a party one evening.

But if that is not enough, one sixty also offers classes for beginners. Meeting once a week for three hours for six weeks, the small classes of six people are led through the process of creating glass. “It’s dramatic the first time people attempt it,” Sakano said. “It’s like nothing anyone has ever done in their lives. But if you can drive a stickshift car you can do this. It’s merely about a little coordination of eyes and hands.”

The classes cost $550 and include all materials. “People walk away with their own creations at the end of the class,” Pomp said. “But more importantly, they walk away with an understanding of what glassblowing is and what the experience is like. It’s very unique.”

While one sixty is letting the public watch them at work and teaching classes, they also are producing commissioned projects as well. They are working with other local artists that need items, and even have supplied some lighting fixtures for clubs in the area.

Pomp repeated his welcome one more time. “The studio is open to the public. Everyone is welcome to come see why we love this work.”

one sixty glass is located at 160 Berry Street between N. 4th and N. 5th. Pomp and Sakano can be reached at 718.486.9620. The studio is open from 10am to 6pm, seven days a week