BEREA, Ky. (January 21, 2005) -- On Saturday, January 29, Stacy Street of Richmond, will use a diamond saw to cut glass – and an electric kiln to fuse it – at  the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea from 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

As a native of Ft. Thomas, Stacy Street grew up with a father who was fascinated with blown and architectural glass and passed that interest on to his daughter. Graduating from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in psychology, Stacy went to the Naval Medical Center, University of Health Sciences, in Bethesda, MD for a graduate degree in medical psychology.

Having always been inclined to the arts, Stacy has spent a great deal of time doing photography alongside her career in psychology. She turned to glass about six years ago, and when she couldn’t fit glass blowing classes into her career schedule, she began to research fused glass. Purchasing an annealing kiln, she began to gather equipment to set up a studio. She has been marketing her work for the past five years as a member of the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program and the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.

For her fused works, Stacy uses Bull’s-Eye glass, chosen for its variety of available colors, and for the stability of the glass. After making a fused glass guitar for her musical husband, she began creating other fused glass musical instruments. She now produces a whole line of instruments in glass, as well as functional forms. After cutting the glass, Stacy fuses or softens the glass over or into a mold in a kiln at approximately 1500° F. The piece is slowly cooling down in an annealing kiln, taking the glass to about 960 °F and holding it there for a length of time. This annealing process eliminates the stress in the glass caused by heating and keeps the finished piece from cracking.

Stacy Street’s fused glass instruments are regularly available at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea. The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located just off Interstate 75 at exit 77 (Berea). The Center’s exhibits, shopping, and travel information areas are all open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the café from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The Center currently features works by more than 470 artisans from all across the Commonwealth. For more information call 859-985-5448 or visit the Center’s web site at www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Commerce Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.