Renowned glass artists Richard Jolley and Martin Blank will be demonstrating their glassblowing skills in Palm Beach County for the first time. In two separate events, each being held at the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts, residents will have the opportunity to see them up close and personal.
Benzaiten is a nonprofit organization located in an Historic FEC Train Depot building in Lake Worth. In just four years, it has become a major art hub and tourist attraction. Within the 14,000-square-foot complex there is a glass hot shop, a glass fusing and flameworking studio, and a gallery and gift shop.
Jolley will conduct a four-hour live demo on Friday, Jan. 18 from 6 to 10 p.m. He will be accompanied by a live band, and for only $15 at the door, attendees will receive two drinks and appetizers.
The second event will take place during the center’s fifth annual casual gala, and will feature Blank on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 6 to 10 p.m. The cost per ticket is $275 and includes Blank’s two-hour live demo, plus dinner and dancing, as well as silent and live auctions.
This is the center’s main fundraiser of the year, and all proceeds go toward its extensive children’s and scholarship programs. This past summer, 783 children and teens took free glassblowing, fusing and sand-casting classes. Since Benzaiten opened in 2015, more than 2,200 children and teens have experienced the wonders of glass art.
For more info., contact J.B. Berkow at (561) 310-9371 or jbberkow65@gmail.com, or visit www.benzaitencenter.org.
