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Holland Center to host Glass Pumpkin Patch in north Scottsdale

Posted 9/7/20

The Holland Center in north Scottsdale will celebrate the Halloween season with its inaugural Glass Pumpkin Patch from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 16-18.

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Arts

Holland Center to host Glass Pumpkin Patch in north Scottsdale

Posted

The Holland Center in north Scottsdale will celebrate the Halloween season with its inaugural Glass Pumpkin Patch from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 16-18.

The event will feature more than 1,000 glass pumpkins handmade by Gregory Tomb, a local glass artist. The pumpkins will be available for purchase, and attendees will have the opportunity to gain hands-on insight into the craft by participating in glassblowing classes.

Proceeds from the Glass Pumpkin Patch will benefit the Desert Foothills Theater. The Holland Center, a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing arts, education and community in the Desert Foothills region, is seeking volunteers and sponsors for this event.

Mr. Tomb says glass art has fascinated him since his childhood. On frequent road trips, his family would include visits to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.

After studying glassblowing as an art student at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, he explored a variety of personal and professional interests — but glass art always remained his passion, according to a press release.

After occasionally renting glass studio time over the years, Mr. Tomb began honing his craft as a production glassblower in a factory for world-renowned glass maker Simon Pearce. In 2014, he started participating in juried art shows nationwide.

He’s won “best in glass” and served as the featured artist at the Nassau County Museum of Art, the Hampton Fine Art Festival, the Stuart Art Festival and the Scottsdale Artfest.

In his work, Mr. Tomb incorporates classic techniques of furnace, fused, flame-worked and cold-worked glass, while also exploring new processes and ways to use glass and light.

Since 2013, he has taught glassblowing at the Bay Area Glass Institute, as well as through lessons from his own mobile studio. His glass pumpkins have been featured in museums and magazines around the country. 

As an artist-in-residence at the Holland Center, Mr. Tomb says he is excited to share the joy and beauty of glass art with the Desert Foothills community.

Formerly named the Foothills Community Foundation, the Holland Center, 34250 N. 60th St., provides an array of programs, including classes, fine arts exhibits and performing arts through the Desert Foothills Theater, the beneficiary of the Glass Pumpkin Patch.

As a community theater, the Desert Foothills Theater invites participation from people of all ages — from budding young artists cultivating their talents to senior citizens seeking a creative outlet in retirement.

The Holland Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and doesn’t receive any government funding. Rather, theater officials say they rely exclusively on the generosity of donors.