ADVERTISEMENT

    Columbus Makes Art Presents: Najette Kanoun on Glassquerade, Civil Engineering and Glassblowing

    In honor of its 30th anniversary, Glass Axis is giving its annual fundraiser, Glassquerade, an 80s-style makeover. Boasting a glass fashion show, a performance from The Reaganomics and two cash bars. The fun begins in Glass Axis’ Franklinton location at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Najette Kanoun – engineer, visual artist and Glassquerade Planning Committee Member – spared a moment on the evening of a Glass Axis open workshop to discuss her hopes for Glassquerade, her personal experience with glass art and the intersection between art and engineering.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    glassqueradeHannah Benson: Did you have a hand in choosing Glassquerade’s theme of “Back to the 80s?” Would you return to the 80s, if you could?
    Najette Kanoun:
    I think it’s a great prompt, and there are lots of things that can be done. I want to create something wearable with LEDs, something very colorful that reflects and refracts the light, but I haven’t figured out how to do that without killing the person on the runway.

    Would I return to the 80s? I was born in the 80s, so my memory of the 80s is limited. But yes, I would return to the 80s because it’s always fun to be a kid. I do like the music. Not so much the crimped hairstyle.

    Hannah: What are some of your fondest memories at Glass Axis?
    Najette:
    The camaraderie in the classes. They’re small enough that you form relationships with the other people in the class. Everyone that participates plays a big role. There’s a lot of working off everyone’s ideas. Everyone’s growing and learning through collaborative interactions. I love people, and I love seeing the world how other people see it and figuring out what they find beautiful and letting that influence my artwork.

    Hannah: As a civil engineer for The Ohio State University, what motivated you to pursue visual art? How does your other life as an engineer come into play while blowing glass?
    Najette:
    There’s a balance between science and art, and I find beauty in that. There is an artistic component to engineering and math and the analytical side. I bring an analytical side to my artwork, and find beauty in the numbers and the patterns in the numbers that then lead to the patterns in nature. It all meshes together.

    While I was in school, I always used to take art classes to balance out being forced to think inside of a box and look at problems with a trained eye. Those art classes gave me an edge to solve problems differently and creatively. As an engineer for Ohio State, I strive to solve the problems and issues creatively.

    Join Glass Axis for a totally tubular night of live music, food truck fare and glass fashion at Glassquerade on Saturday, March 4 at 610 W. Town St. For more information, visit glassaxis.org or call 614-291-4250.

    glassquerade-1

    Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting art and advancing culture in Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art. Each column will be written by a different local arts organization to give you an insiders look at how #artmakescbus.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Hannah Benson
    Hannah Benson
    Hannah Benson is an intern at Glass Axis.
    ADVERTISEMENT