Downers Grove native creating Christmas tree with donated glass
Looking for a unique way to make Christmas shine this year? You can help Central Illinois artist Jason Mack build the world's largest glass Christmas tree by donating clear and green bottles, jars and vases. Between Dec. 5-20, you can bring your donations to 502 N. Neil St. in Champaign. Please do not bring any window glass. There will be a bin on-site to collect your donations.
Starting Dec. 5, Mack will build the tree at 502 N. Neil St. He will work every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Dec. 20, to get the tree ready for Christmas. The public is invited to watch Mack build the tree. It is a perfect backdrop for taking family photos.
Mack's goal is to build a 31-ft. tall tree with a 52-ft. circumference at the bottom, weighing about 4 tons. The current world record for the tallest glass tree is 27.5 ft in Italy. He will be using his mobile glass furnace to melt the clear and green class at a temperature of 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then ladle the glass on a metal frame and spin it to build the branches and needles.
"We'll take the glass bottles and jars that are donated to us, break them up and shovel them into the furnace. The labels, caps, spaghetti sauce, baby food, or whatever remains of the contents gets burned away and out comes a crystal-like substance. The community helps build the work and becomes a part of the work. That's what makes the tree event so exciting; it's about building something together."
A gift shop will be open on-site on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. where Mack will be selling hand-blown glass ornaments and mini-tree sculptures. This is your opportunity to support a local business as well as the environment. Items made and sold in the gift shop and studio are created from post-consumer glass. Mack is raising money to build the world's first glass forest using all recycled glass.
Mack, a Downers Grove native and an Illinois State University graduate, has been creating hand-blown and other types of glass projects since 2000. From 2008-2010, he built community glass Christmas trees in Bloomington, Ill. He currently lives and works in Champaign where he creates a varied body of work and teaches classes through Parkland Community College.
For more information about Mack's work, you can find him on Facebook at Mack Glass, email him at jason@mackglass.com or visit www.mackglass.com.