Henderson to add live demonstrations to art festival offerings
Working a glass tube through the flame, Robert Shield can mold a simple piece of Pyrex into a swan, a heart and many other designs.
He works as a hand-blown glass artist creating masterpieces of many shapes and sizes.
Shield is slated to put on a glass demonstration at the Art Festival of Henderson.
Just in time for Mother’s Day weekend, the festival is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 10 and 11 at the Henderson Convention Center and Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St. Admission is free. The annual event includes art vendors featuring painters, potters, jewelers and sculptors.
Shield’s demonstration is among new elements the city plans to offer this year.
“We’ve been doing this for years,” said Nicole Johnson, a spokeswoman with the city of Henderson. “We wanted to change things up a little bit and show people how some of the artists create their art.”
Escape Artscape plans to feature a variety of demonstrations from pottery throwing to painting with watercolors and wool spinning.
Shield, one of the selected artists, has been crafting in glass for about 30 years.
Originally from Australia, he started working for a company as a glass artist. For the past 10 years, he has been creating his own work.
Since 1994, he has traveled from the U.S. to Australia teaching glass art and selling merchandise.
Shield had a store inside Circus Circus for eight years. He has a studio in Henderson — Studio Royal in Weld Rite Services, 648 Joey Lane — where he teaches glass blowing and sells his art.
Shield has participated in art festivals before, but this is his first time with the Art Festival of Henderson.
“I’m excited to be a part of it,” he said.
For more information, visit studioroyal.com.
Along with the demonstration, Johnson said the city plans to set up a paint-by-numbers class to allow people to make their own creation.
Johnson added that the city is expanding its Imagination Station, the children’s arts and crafts area.
“There is going to be a puppet play,” she said. “It’s supposed to be ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon.’ ”
The city is also planning its Chalk Art Competition, inviting artists to create a scene or drawing using chalk pastels on a designated piece of concrete.
The event is also slated to include two stages of entertainment with the arts and crafts vendors.
“We have local vendors and regional vendors from Arizona, California and Utah,” Johnson said.
This year, the city has invited a variety of food trucks to set up in the events plaza.
For more information, visit hendersonlive.com.
Contact Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.
