48 | APRIL 7 • 2022
time between personal projects and teach-
ing at the college level, has won many
awards, written for artistic publications and
appeared on the Netflix glassmaking series
Blown Away.
In West Bloomfield, he
is showcasing two proj-
ects that depart from the
intended use of functional
glassware.
“Much of my work is
in conversation with the
history of science and the
role of glass in measuring,
encapsulating and observ-
ing the natural world,
” said
Rosenberg, glass studio
director at Wheaton Arts in
New Jersey.
“One object [on display] is called ‘looking
glass,
’ a goblet-like object used to examine
a distant landscape in miniature. The other,
titled ‘orb,
’ comes from a design derived
from an orrery, a mechanical model of the
solar system.
”
Rosenberg, whose undergraduate studies
were at the Rhode Island School of Design
and whose graduate accomplishments
were at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, does not use molds. Instead,
he prefers glass that is gathered out of a fur-
nace and shaped with hand tools.
Josh Bernbaum develops
more functional pieces.
“I’ve made drinking
glasses since I started work-
ing with hot glass, and it’s
kind of a touchstone for
me,
” Bernbaum said. “
A
lot of what I do involves
techniques or processes in
blown glass which allow
me to explore the use and
placement of various colors.
“I employ processes that
allow different layers of
coloration throughout the wall thickness of
each piece.
”
Bernbaum melts his own glass colors
from scratch, which means he is mixing the
raw materials together and melting them
in a furnace instead of incorporating pre-
made glass colors. When the piece is cooled
off, he carves through the exterior with
diamond carving tools to reveal other layers
of color.
“I have a pair of black goblets in the
show,
” Bernbaum said. “Even though you
can source black glass to incorporate, it is
never going to be the same look as if you
melt that black glass in a furnace and gather
it out of the furnace when it’s in a molten
state.
”
Bernbaum, who knew he wanted to
be an artist in high school, entered the
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
in Boston thinking he would specialize in
graphic or industrial design. That changed
after he studied glassblowing.
Through early employment with a
designer-builder of glassblowing equip-
ment, he learned techniques to construct
his own equipment.
“The nice thing about making my
own is that it’s all customized to me,
” said
Bernbaum, whose wife, Marta, is a glass art-
ist specializing in jewelry. “I know how to
fix pretty much everything I build.
”
Predominantly marketing through social
media stands out as one approach the three
artists have in common.
Details
Complementary glass
exhibits will be on
display through May 18
by the Janice Charach
Gallery at the Jewish
Community Center
in West Bloomfield.
(248) 432-5579.
Charachgallery.org.
ARTS&LIFE
ART
continued from page 47
According to the Coalition
Against Childhood Cancer,
the average cost of battling
childhood cancer for just
one family starts at $833,000,
including medical costs and
lost parental wages.
Northwestern Mutual,
through its Foundation, is
committed to making a dif-
ference in the lives of those
children and their loved ones,
including providing needed
financial support.
As part of these efforts,
local Huntington Woods
resident Shayna Lopatin has
been recognized as one of the
company’s 2021 Childhood
Cancer Sibling Scholarship
recipients.
Northwestern Mutual’s
Childhood Cancer
Scholarship Program was
created in an effort to ease the
financial burden on families
affected by childhood cancer
by helping to fund school tui-
tion and fees. This year’s pro-
gram marks the largest group
of scholars to date, with 50
students nationwide receiving
a $5,000 renewable scholar-
ship (for a total of $10,000).
When Shayna Lopatin was
just 9 years old, her sister
Cara was battling cancer.
Because of the various can-
cer treatments, including
inpatient chemo, six weeks
of radiation and a stem cell
transplant, Shayna’s sister and
mother were gone for weeks
at a time.
Shayna found positivity
through the kindness from
friends and family who wrote
letters, made sure her family
had plenty to eat and helped
with household chores. This
inspired Shayna to support
other families and children
going through cancer by cre-
ating the Better by Letter Club
where letters were written to
those facing challenges.
Additionally, Shayna has
completed three half-mara-
thons to raise money for Chai
Lifeline, an organization that
helps families with life-threat-
ening illnesses, and has partic-
ipated in panels discussing the
impact of cancer on siblings.
Shayna is currently attend-
ing the University of Michigan
to find a career based on her
passions of communication,
theater, social activism and
politics.
“Helping siblings of those
going through cancer has also
helped me in processing what
I went through,” said Shayna
Lopatin.
“I aspire to create and sup-
port organizations that pro-
vide sibling support. My sis-
ter’s cancer has given me the
tools to support other families
who are affected by childhood
cancer.”
Huntington Woods Student Wins Scholarship
Shayna Lopatin