Young artisan is a glass act

DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Merritt Henggeler fires up his torch before doing some “lampworking” to create a Christmas tree ornament. Henggeler was recently accepted into a prestigious glass education program at Salem Community College in New Jersey.

Thanks to his self-taught skills, a 19-year-old Maryville man is headed for the East Coast to chase his dreams.

Merritt Henggeler, a 2013 graduate from Maryville High School, has been accepted to the prestigious glass education program at Salem Community College in New Jersey — no mean feat for a novice glassblower, since the program is one of the most selective of its kind in the country.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Henggeler said. “It’s almost like an entry point — an initiation almost — for most glassblowers. The majority of people that are in the scientific industry started through Salem.”

Salem only accepts around 30 students a year into its two-year program, which trains novice artisans in glass art and glass-making glass technology. Henggeler dreams of turning both those pursuits into a career.

According to the school, the scientific glass technology offering is the only associate’s degree program of its kind in the nation, and that’s the curriculum Henggeler has chosen, though he hopes to take some glass art classes as well.

“They basically show you all the principles and steps of making and fabricating the glassware that would be used in medical research labs and chemistry labs and stuff like that,” Henggeler said. “A lot of the intricate glasswork has to be done by people, whereas the simpler stuff is done with machines. The more you progress in the science field, the more intricate glasswork you need to work with.”

Although a desire to make art is what initially turned the young craftsman’s attention toward glassblowing, he believes that learning the science of glassmaking will lay foundation for a satisfying career.

“I always loved glass and loved the art side of it, but I wanted something a little more full-time,” Henggeler said. “Something I’ll always get paid for; not just a hobby. Sometimes artists can get in ruts where they’re doing awful work, where the scientific part is actually kind of contributing to society a little more.”

A couple years ago, Henggeler began teaching himself how to blow glass, an ancient art that goes back to the early days of the Roman Empire. It is a craft that required incredible precision and discipline. With no instructor, Henggeler simply started from scratch, purchasing a kit consisting of a few basic tools.

“Glass had always amazed me; I didn’t know anything about it,” Henggeler said. “It was just this mysterious, magical thing out there that I didn’t know anything about.”

The process of glassblowing consists of heating glass to a point where it melts and can be manipulated using a variety of techniques.

Henggeler’s style of glassblowing is called lampworking, in which he uses a torch to melt glass into a workable state.

Another technique, perhaps more familiar, is called offhand glassblowing, which consists of inserting glass attached to the end of a hollow tube into a furnace. The artist then blows into the tube to shape and mold the glass.

“Lampworking is a little more intricate and a lot cheaper,” Henggeler said. “This is a $500 barebones minimum setup. Even if I had the money, I would still choose lampworking because it’s more intricate and a lot less physically painstaking.”

When he first started, Henggeler outfitted a small building on East First Street that used to belong to his grandfather into a workshop. The recent high school grad works construction during the day, but ducks into his shop to practice his craft as often as possible.

“I just bought a torch and some glass and started,” Henggeler said. “It’s really difficult to just figure out on your own. … It took me a while to build up the tools and everything like that. Any day I’ll blow glass anywhere from an hour to some days eight hours.”

Henggeler isn’t sure what he plans to do after graduation. He just knows he wants to learn the fundamentals of his craft before making any decisions.

“I’ve always been into the arts. I knew that was my calling but didn’t know which direction to take it,” Henggeler said. “I’ve tried most mediums of art, and the ones that stuck with me are the ones you hold in your hand. … If someone comes up to me and offers me an awesome job, either way, I’m bound to take it. No matter what I’m doing I’m going to have so much fun with it.”