JASON MCDONALD ARTIST TALK AND STUDIO DEMONSTRATION

April 13 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

$50.00

Join Waterfall Arts and guest artist Jason McDonald for a night you won’t forget! Jason will chat with participants about his career, how he found his way to glassblowing, and his residency at Waterfall and then he will do a live demonstration in our hot shop. Ticket price includes one hand-blown drinking glass. Get your tickets here.

ABOUT JASON MCDONALD

• Glass artist with a passion for Venetian furnace techniques

• Windgate Fellowship recipient

• Contestant on 'Blown Away' Season 2

• Awarded residencies at Pittsburgh Glass Center and Pilchuck Glass School

• Instructor at prestigious institutions, including Penland School of Craft, Pilchuck Glass School, and Pratt Fine Arts

Jason McDonald's identity as a working-class Black man in a predominantly privileged field adds depth to his art, turning each creation into a powerful statement about isolation, access, perseverance, and excellence. His enthusiasm for teaching stems from the belief that sharing knowledge is a duty. McDonald's dedication to being at the front of the classroom, especially as a Black man specializing in stemware, serves as a significant artistic and political gesture, emphasizing the importance of representation in the creative field.

“I have a real passion for teaching. I think of it in the same way that I think of glassblowing. It is a craft that I can improve on with every repetition. I firmly believe that everything I know, someone had to show me. It’s my duty to share what has been so generously shared with me. The whole field improves when people share what they know. I also think that as a Black man specializing in stemware in a field with so little diversity that my interest in being at the front of a classroom is a significant artistic and political gesture. Representation matters and being public with my passion, I hope, will inspire people into the field who might never have thought something like this was for them. —Jason McDonald

Thank you to Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. and Rest Assured Maine for sponsoring this event!