Glass Artist Ed Pennebaker Next Guest of Arkansas Folklife Web Series

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Chandelier made by glass artist Ed Pennebaker

The Arkansas Folklife Web Series will continue to focus on traditional arts from the Ozarks in May and June as the Smithsonian's 2023 Folklife Festival draws near. For its next installment, host Lauren Willette will conduct a live interview with glass artist Ed Pennebaker of Clinton, Arkansas, at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 17. Pennebaker has been working as a glass artist since 1985 and will discuss his history of working with glass, his techniques and the inspiration for his art. This series is free and open to the public. Registration is required. 

Pennebaker founded Red Fern Glass in Salem, Arkansas, in 1985 and has been working as a glass artist ever since. His work includes chandeliers, sconces and sculpture. Pennebaker built his own furnace and many other tools used in glassmaking.  

He notes on his webpage, "My chandeliers and lighting belong to a contemporary line of the 'decorative arts' that developed from the arts and crafts movement where craftsmanship is of the utmost importance." He also includes details about how he is inspired by the natural environment, writing, "I derive much on my inspiration from the environment, especially the garden and the woods surrounding my home and studio. My sculptures relate to the environmental concerns and nature of our planet."  

Keep an eye out for these upcoming webinars in the 2023 Arkansas Folklife Web Series: 

• June 21 — Freda Cruse Hardison, author — Cherokee Nation History and Culture 

• July 19 — Angela Wilburn, St. Francis County Historical Society and Arkansas Preservation Society — Preservation Efforts in Forrest City 

• Sept. 20 — Janis Kearney, Celebrate! Maya Project — Community Activism 

• Oct. 18 — Eric Maynard, Arkansas Game and Fish — Hunting and Fishing Traditions 

• Nov. 18 – Kat Robinson, Arkansas author – Arkansas Food Traditions 

Questions about the 2023 Arkansas Folklife Web Series may be directed to Lauren Willette at willette@uark.edu. Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas' living traditional arts and cultural heritage.