Ada Borup West High School Art Teacher Jodi Peterson spoke about the glass art process, the connection she feels to ancient glass blowers, her philosophy, how Aikido inspires and directs her, striving to find balance and harmony, teaching, and the classroom. Her fused glass piece “Vintage Fish” won 3rd place at the NW Art Exhibit in Warroad. Jodi explained how fused glass is created (taking sheets of glass and melting a ceramic kiln; then putting it in a mold and slumping it into a shape that she likes). The vintage fish has decals embedded in it, a process that she recently started experimenting with. Her work with glass includes fusing, slumping, casting, and making glass beads.

Jodi’s business, Wolfnest Glass Works, is in a studio above her garage at home where she has a kiln and she teaches bead making.

Jodi was joined by her students Lillian Hansen, Sydney Schneider, and Kerstyn Lindsey. Lillian received 1st place in the student category for her ceramic piece “Bon Jour Cat Teapot.” Sydney won a merit award for ceramic hand called “Ow!”; and shared that the finger kept breaking off the ceramic hand she had created so she decided to include that into the description and make it the focus of her piece. Kerstyn won 3rd place in the student category for her mosaic piece “Great Blue Morpho” a blue butterfly. She won an award for another mosaic piece that she submitted to the state art competition.

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