Glass Craft and Bead Show has solid roots in Southern Nevada

By Las Vegas standards, the Glass Craft and Bead Show isn’t a big event, with just about 8,000 attendees, including 900 students.

But the 22nd edition of the combination trade show and educational conference, being staged this weekend at the South Point, is an international draw that is the nation’s largest glass industry trade show.

And, it has Southern Nevada roots.

The show, which opened Friday and continues through Sunday, has all forms of glass artistry on display. The show floor is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for all days of the show.

“On the floor show, we have the nation’s leading wholesalers that provide materials and equipment needed to do glass art,” said LeeAnne Short, the owner of show. “We’ll have 150 booths and 70 tabletops in the exhibition hall as well as several artists who will perform live demonstrations in flameworking and other glass art techniques.”

The entry to the show is a glass art showcase.

“Every year, we have an area where the first place you walk into is called the Gallery of Excellence,” Short said. “It’s a juried art competition for both amateur and professional artists, so it’s like going through a mini-museum of glass.”

Short said one of the great things about the Gallery of Excellence is that there are art displays from students — and that’s where the Southern Nevada connection comes in.

Students from two schools have works on display, including Green Valley High School in Henderson, guided by art teacher Erika Wright.

The other participant school is from Carl Junction, Missouri, and it, too, has a Southern Nevada connection. That school’s glass instructor is Jessica Sellers, who formerly taught at Coronado High School in Henderson.

Sellers collaborated with Short to start the show years ago, and when she moved out of state, she maintained her connection and annually participates with her students. Students from both schools participate in the show through scholarship programs that have been developed.

The top juried pieces are published on the event’s website and become a part of the catalog for the next show.

“It’s great exposure and publicity for our artists,” Short said.

Because the event is also an educational conference, a number of courses are taught before and during the event.

Short said during the event there are 250 classes taught by 68 instructors. Among the topics are stained-glass work, mosaics, cold working, sandblasting, grinding and lamp working.

Short has found that artists who specialize in a certain style of glass work will become interested in other areas when attending the show, and that expands interest among others interested in the craft.

The show has grown steadily since its first year in 1995, pausing slightly during the recession. When the event first opened, it was conducted at the Tropicana, then moved to Cashman Center, where it stayed for 10 years before it outgrew that facility and shifted to the South Point.

Short said she doesn’t think the show will ever leave Las Vegas because getting to the city from across the country and Canada keeps the event thriving.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta