Rob Stern has been working with glass for over 30 years, and has studied and taught glass around the world. Stern has a BFA from San Francisco State University and an MFA from the University of Miami. Stern apprenticed for 5 years with John Lewis Glass (Oakland, CA) where he trained as a metal fabricator and expert glass caster and cold-worker. He then went on to train as a master in the Czech Republic in the Ajeto Glass Factory. Rob is known for his large-scale installations and site-specific sculpture. He was even a contestant on the third season of the hit Netflix show “Blown Away!” During his time at Belger Arts, Rob will make work, give a public artist talk, give a free glassblowing demo, and teach a four-day workshop.

Rob’s expertise and versatility make him an excellent instructor. His energy and showmanship make him a riveting artist to watch live. Rob’s workshop, “Finding Your Way,” will take students on a deep dive into the process of creating glass sculpture. With daily project-specific demos and one-on-one instruction, students will design, develop, and expedite personal projects taking their glass blowing skills to the next level. All programs will take place at the Belger Glass Annex (1219 East 19 th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108).

We are excited to welcome your attendance for our featured artist Celia Lamprecht. Her art features recycled items with floral patterns. We will be featuring a wonderful spread of appetizers and featured libations.

As a full time engineer, life can get busy. I use art as an escape. It is a great stress reliever and a wonderful way to brighten up my house. I’ve generally just painted for myself and for friends but recently more people have found interest in my paintings.

My love for flowers but lack of a green thumb has inspired me to create flower art that I can forget to water. The beer coasters are often my medium of choice due to my love of beer and a vast collection of coasters from my travels. I am still unsure how this idea came to me but I am passionate about the beautiful creations I have made. 

Paper scraps are a byproduct of my flower art. I collect the scraps and create my own paper to make even more flowers. Minimal waste and recycling!

Three things motivate and shape my work: pure pleasure, challenge, and the attempt to engage in a visual and critical dialogue with other painters, past and present. The pure pleasure I derive from painting is just that: complete and utter expressive gratification, akin to faith in its steadfastness. The challenge comes in many forms, particularly in not knowing exactly where a work is going to go. My conceptual dialogue may best be understood in the context of a child who may be structured and guided by his parents when he is young, then follows his own path, independent of his parents but still shaped by them as he grows I was shaped and guided by those before me (Motherwell, Diebenkorn, and Pollock, among others), giving me a solid foundation — studying, copying, experimenting, then working more independently. As this relationship grows, it allows me to follow my own path, all the while enjoying their continuing influence through an evolving dialogue with them, as well as with my contemporaries working in the same bent. My work is an expression of this dialogue, a spontaneous intuitive reaction that is itself a sort of conversation with my medium. I agree with Jackson Pollock when he said, “I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them.” My physical reaction comes from my intuition, both ordinary and esthetic. Clement Greenberg clarifies that distinction in his essay Intuition and The Esthetic Experience: “The intuition that gives you the color of the sky turns into an esthetic intuition when it stops telling you what the weather is like and becomes purely an experience of the color.” My work challenges viewers to use their own intuition to experience the essence of these essays of a silent medium.

Our Happy Hour Specials are good from Open-Close every First Friday. $2 off select draft pours, $2 off wines by-the-glass, and 1/2 price select pours of whiskey.