art glassblowing summer new york jamie harris

Glassblower Jamie Harris describes the grueling experience of working at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn during a New York summer, where temperatures reach the high 90s and he must wear four layers of Kevlar and a helmet while working with 2,000-degree glass furnaces. Harris, who sits on the board of UrbanGlass—the world's oldest artist-access glassblowing studio—shares his strategies for staying cool, including using Gatorade, fans, buckets of ice, and avoiding his largest pieces when possible. He is exclusively represented by Todd Merrill Studio and is known for his award-winning sculptures and Totem lights.