All posts by ah

Landscape Architecture Research Team Investigates Louisiana Park

Research, Landscape Architecture, Community Outreach, Faculty, , , , ,
Gretna park with path by water

Gretna Park. Image courtesy of Waggonner & Ball.

Assistant professors of landscape architecture Dr. Fabiana Trindade da Silva and Dr. Yao Wang led a case study investigation of Gretna City Park, a project of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)’s Case Study Investigation program. Master of landscape architecture students Catherine Frampton and Laura Ramos Ramirez assisted the research project, and LSU BLA alumna Amy Norval, CARBO Landscape Architecture, served as the firm liaison.

LAF CSI

LAF’s Case Study Investigation (CSI) program is a research and training collaboration for faculty, students, and design practitioners. Faculty and students work with the firm that designed a built project to document its environmental, social, and economic benefits, and the results are published as case study briefs in LAF’s Landscape Performance Series. The series now includes more than 200 case study briefs and serves designers, students, researchers, journalists, and policymakers. Gretna City Park is the second Louisiana project documented through CSI.

“It is an honor to represent LSU and the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture in LAF’s Case Study Investigation program and to add Gretna City Park to the Landscape Performance Series,” Trindade da Silva said.

“CSI places faculty and students alongside the designers who made a project, so the research holds design intent and measured results together. That connection matters because landscape performance gives communities, designers, and public agencies evidence of what well designed landscapes deliver.

“In Gretna, a park that once included a capped city waste site now stores stormwater, supports dozens of bird species, and gives residents a place to gather. Our student researchers took part in every stage, and they leave with field research, data analysis, and communication skills they will carry into practice.”

A Transformed City Park
Gretna City Park Phase 1 retrofitted an underused city park, part of which was a capped former city waste site, into a stormwater and recreation landscape. It is part of the Gretna Resilience District and was funded through Louisiana’s LA SAFE program. The LSU team quantified its performance, including about 20-acre feet (roughly 6.5 million gallons) of stormwater storage and 71 bird species recorded on site, along with social benefits drawn from 255 park visitor survey responses.

Gretna park

Gretna Park. Image courtesy of Waggonner & Ball.

The Research Approach
“Our research began with a reflection on Goodhart’s law, which observes that once a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure. Numbers alone can drift away from the reason they were measured. Showing that a place performs well is one task, and showing what that performance means to the people who live with it is another,” Trindade da Silva said.

“Our research approach pairs rigor, which tells us a number is correct, with narrative, which tells us a number is true to the place it came from. The goals tell us what the project set out to do, and the people tell us what it became.”

“The most meaningful part of the work was bridging the technical side of landscape architecture with the lived experience of a place,” Frampton said. “Data tells us how a landscape performs but the people who use it tell us why that performance matters.”

Watch the team present their findings https://www.lafoundation.org/resources/2026/09/2026-csi-finale-webinar-part-2

From Sketches to Pastries: LSU Alumna’s Unexpected Journey to Louis Vuitton  

Art & Design, Interior Design, Alumni, Alumni Profiles

An Unexpected Canvas: LSU Alumna Brings Design to Louis Vuitton  

Amelia Aleman in chef hat and coat

Amelia Aleman, pastry cook.

Before LSU College of Art & Design alumna Amelia Aleman begins creating a dessert, she reaches for the same tools she once used as an interior design student: an ink pen and vellum paper. What begins as a sketch eventually transforms into a detailed, delicious creation that brings together different textures, flavors and emotions. Today, Aleman applies the design techniques she learned at LSU to a different and unexpected canvas: pastries at Le Café Louis Vuitton in New York City. 

Although Aleman’s career now revolves around pastry rather than interior design, her creative process remains much the same, rooted in the techniques she learned years earlier as a College of Art & Design student. 

Born in El Salvador and raised in Baton Rouge, Aleman attended LSU from 2016 to 2021, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. After receiving the Gates Millennium Scholarship, which allowed her to attend any college on a full scholarship, Aleman chose LSU. For her, the decision was a no-brainer. 

She entered LSU studying history, but an interior design course she took to fulfill an art credit during her sophomore year changed the direction of her college experience. It was there that she met Professor John Campbell, whose passion for interior design inspired Aleman to reconsider her path. 

“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Aleman said. “But the professor who taught that class, John Campbell, was so passionate and inspiring.” 

Along with Campbell’s influence, professor Andrew Baqué’s Developmental Sketching course further shaped Aleman’s approach to design. In this class, Aleman learned how to interpret abstract concepts and bring their meanings to life through sketches. 

The process began with hearing a word, sketching her first interpretation, researching its meaning and translating the abstract concept into the built environment. These techniques continue to influence how Aleman designs her pastries today. 

For Aleman, this class “breathed life back into my imagination. It helped me build the creative muscles needed to take an abstract idea and bring it to life in the concrete world.” 

These creative exercises, originally intended for interior design, would eventually shape an entirely different career for Aleman, one she never expected. 

Amelia in LSU graduation cap and gown with diploma by LSU stadium

Aleman, BID 2021

After studying abroad in Paris during her junior year, Aleman realized she wanted to become a pastry chef and began taking baking more seriously. Following graduation in 2021, she began working at an architecture firm in Baton Rouge, spending her evenings baking after work. 

During this time, she also worked weekends at Rêve Coffee Lab, a local coffee shop in Baton Rouge, eventually leaving her architecture firm position to pursue baking full time. As her passion grew, Aleman began selling cakes and pastries at local pop-up events. However, it wasn’t until a 2023 trip to France that she realized she wanted to become a professionally trained pastry chef and attend pastry school. 

Determined to turn her passion into a career, Aleman returned to France, but this time as a pastry student. 

“The biggest challenge was overcoming my self-doubt and mustering the courage to step into the unknown and hope that I had made the right decision,” Aleman said. 

After being accepted into École Ducasse in France in 2024, Aleman completed an eight-month pastry program specifically designed for career changers. During the program, she began to recognize how closely connected design and pastry were, ultimately earning her diploma and gaining a clearer sense of direction. 

In spring 2025, Aleman moved to Washington, D.C., where she began working at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. While working there, she discovered an opening in the pastry department at Le Café Louis Vuitton in New York City and applied. Aleman received an offer for the role of pastry cook at Le Café Louis Vuitton in New York City and began her role in spring of 2026. 

Although Aleman’s career had taken her from Baton Rouge to France and eventually New York City, the design principles she learned at LSU remained central to her work. 

Despite her unexpected career path, Aleman never truly left design behind. 

“I would say my design education is the lens through which I see pastry,” Aleman said. 

The creative approach she learned in Baqué’s Developmental Sketching course continues to influence her work today, and aligns with the high standards of Louis Vuitton, where every element of the dining experience is intentional. 

Amelia by Louis Vuitton windowFor Aleman, the most meaningful part of creating desserts isn’t simply how they look or taste, but the memories and emotions they leave behind. 

“Recipes are love letters you can pass down from one generation to the next,” Aleman said. 

By creating pastries that remind people of meaningful places, people or experiences, Aleman hopes her desserts leave lasting memories for those who enjoy them. 

Looking back on her journey, Aleman now recognizes that the education she once thought she had left behind played an important role in bringing her to New York City. Her experience has also shaped the advice she offers to students who may be uncertain about their own career paths. 

 

“Your degree is a passport. Just because your diploma says ‘interior design’ doesn’t mean you have to be an interior designer. It’s okay to change your mind. It’s okay to explore different paths. Your degree is not a life sentence. It is a ticket to an exciting adventure.”

 

By: Emma Hess

MArch Students Awarded AIA Graduate Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design

Art & Design, Students, Research, Architecture

MArch students

Master of Architecture students Fransis Lopez Bustillo, Dorna Jokar, and Mehrnaz Pasokhi were awarded the 2026–2027 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Arthur N. Tuttle, Jr. Graduate Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design. 

Theor proposal “Spatial Strategies for Integrating Nursing Homes and Foster Care Environments: Enhancing Interaction, Safety, and Mental and Physical Wellbeing in Intergenerational Care” focuses on developing an Intergenerational Care Design Toolkit for residential childcare facilities and nursing homes. It explores how shared and transitional spaces can be designed to encourage intergenerational interaction while also addressing the distinct needs of both groups.

An important aspect of the research is that intergenerational design involves more than bringing older adults and children into the same building, Bustillo said. It also requires spaces that encourage interaction while also preserving choice, safety, privacy, and independence.

Fellowship for Health Design

The fellowship will allow the research group to dedicate focused time to investigating the topic, strengthening the research process, and expanding our work beyond the initial concept, Jokar said.

“The fellowship provides an important opportunity to expand my graduate studies and engage in a more in-depth research process. It will support our research, case study investigations, and participation in professional conferences, where we can learn from healthcare design professionals and researchers,” Pasokhi said.

“Receiving the Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Graduate Fellowship is very meaningful to me because it recognizes the potential of our research to address real social and architectural challenges,” she said. “I am especially grateful for the opportunity to work on a project that connects architectural design with human well-being and the needs of vulnerable populations. The fellowship also gives me the opportunity to grow as a researcher and connect academic research with professional practice.”

“Being a graduate student at the LSU School of Architecture has given me the opportunity to explore architecture from both design and research perspectives,” Pasokhi said. “I especially value the support and mentorship I have received from faculty and the opportunities to work on projects addressing real environmental and social challenges.”

“My experience at LSU has encouraged me to think about architecture as a way to improve people’s everyday experiences and quality of life.”

“I see this fellowship as an opportunity to apply what I have learned in my graduate courses to a year-long research project,” said Bustillo, MArch ‘27. She is also a graduate assistant in the LSU Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio (CEDS). “My studio experience has taught me that strong design decisions are grounded in thoughtful research, while my current Research Methods course is helping me approach that process more systematically. The fellowship allows me to strengthen the connection between research and design which supports my long-term interest in academia.”

“This award is especially meaningful to me because it supports my first formal research experience in architecture while reconnecting me with a field in which I previously worked,” she said. “During my time in healthcare settings, I witnessed firsthand the way architecture and interior design influence the experiences and therefore behaviors of patients, families, and staff. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to revisit those observations from the perspective of an architectural designer and researcher.”

“This award is a significant milestone for me because it demonstrates that my strengths extend beyond the design studio into research. It reassures me that my academic inquiries are valued, giving me the encouragement and resources to develop further as both a designer and a researcher,” Jokar said.

LSU School of Architecture Experience

“My experience as a graduate student at the LSU School of Architecture has introduced me to new ways of thinking about architecture, research, and design. Working with my professors and classmates on different projects has helped me deepen my understanding of my areas of interest while also building connections that encourage me to continue pursuing research and collaboration,” Jokar said.

“I entered the LSU School of Architecture from a very different academic and professional background, but I have always felt welcomed and encouraged to push beyond what I thought I was capable of,” Bustillo said.

“One thing I especially value is that I have learned to translate those previous experiences into a design perspective that gives my work a personal point of view. This supportive environment has encouraged me to continue developing within the field and has sparked my interest in pursuing a future in academia.”

Printelligence Conference at LSU

Art & Design, Visiting Artists, Events, Art, Printmaking, Alumni Events, Exhibitions,

The LSU School of Art will host the 2026 Mid America Print Council (MAPC) Conference Printelligence October 7-10, 2026 at LSU. Led by printmaking faculty organizers Leslie Koptcho and Lauren Cardenas, the national annual conference will bring printmakers from around the country to Baton Rouge.

“How can print media operate intelligently and with empathy in many spheres? The unique properties of printmaking offer not just tools and prescriptive processes, but a vital and physical way of understanding the world. Since its inception, printmakers have been utilizing a matrix as a form of “generative intelligence,” a process by which the totality of the artist’s intellect, experiences, and skills is employed to interact with materials and technologies to create something heretofore unseen or unexpected. We welcome hearing about innovative, cross-disciplinary collaborations, especially those between art and science,” the MAPC wrote.

The conference will bring together artists and art educators to Louisiana, presenting a range of learning opportunities for LSU students.

Exhibitions

LSU College of Art & Design Galleries with LSU School of Art and the MAPC are pleased to announce a series of exhibitions in conjunction with Printelligence:

Dario Robleto: Love, Before There Was Love

Glassell Gallery; September 5–October 11, 2026 

Reception: Thursday, October 8, 6–8 p.m. 

On view at Glassell Gallery in downtown Baton Rouge, Dario Robleto’s work merges poetic and scientific, material and immaterial, heart and mind. 

Intelligent Worlds: Celebrating LSU Printmaking Alumni 

The Gallery at Manship Theatre; August 24–October 18, 2026 

Reception: Thursday, October 8, 6–8 p.m. 

Intelligent Worlds highlights Louisiana State University’s vital role in training fine artists who push the boundaries of printmaking. Curated by Professor Leslie Koptcho, this exhibition features ten exceptional LSU alumni with robust creative practices and national or international influence. Coinciding with Printelligence, the exhibition is meant to showcase the printmaking program’s enduring legacy while elevating the visibility of the LSU School of Art. 
 
This exhibition is partially funded by the LSU Provost’s Fund for Innovation in Research and hosted in collaboration with LSU College of Art & Design, LSU School of Art, and Manship Theatre.  

The Mid America Print Council is an educational and community-based organization that focuses on all print related arts. Embracing both time-honored and innovative approaches, MAPC promotes awareness and appreciation of traditional and contemporary forms of printmaking. 

Mid America Print Council Members Juried Exhibition 

The Clark and Laura Boyce Gallery; September 11–October 10, 2026 

Reception: Friday, October 9, 7:15–8:45 p.m. 

The Mid America Print Council (MAPC) and Louisiana State University (LSU) are pleased to announce the 2026 Annual Juried Members’ Exhibition at the Clark and Laura Boyce Gallery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The exhibition features 52 artworks in a range of printmaking media by 51 artists from around the nation. With 516 entries from 185 artists, this year’s exhibition was especially competitive.  

The exhibition was juried by Brandon V. Lewis, Director of the Helis Foundation John Scott Center and Louisiana–based visual artist whose work serves as a living archive of memory, heritage, and Southern Black life. Mr. Lewis thoughtfully selected works to create an exhibition that highlights the adaptable and expressive qualities of the printmaking medium. 

Collaborating with Ghosts: Recent Works by Jenny Schmid 

The Gallery at Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex; September 17–October 14, 2026 

On view in The Gallery at Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex, Mid America Print Conference Outstanding Printmaker Jenny’ Schmid will present her recent work, including works from Disembodied Reembodied.

Transforming Inspiration into Experience: Willow Cook’s Internship at Fallingwater  

Students, Landscape Architecture,

By: Emma Hess

Willow in front of waterfall house

Willow Cook at Fallingwater

What began as a case study in an LSU classroom eventually became a summer-long, hands-on learning experience at one of the most recognizable architectural sites in the world. 

Willow Cook, a Master of Landscape Architecture graduate student and 2024 LSU interior design graduate with a minor in geography, recently completed a summer landscape internship at Fallingwater with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 

Cook was first introduced to Fallingwater in a history of architecture course, where she became captivated by Frank Lloyd Wright’s approach to design. His work soon became an inspiration for her own perspective as a designer, particularly his ability to connect architecture with its surrounding landscape. 

That same philosophy continues to influence Cook’s work today as she explores “blending the built and natural environments, which is something that Frank Lloyd Wright and Fallingwater accomplish beautifully.” 

After seeing the internship flyer shared by an LSU RRSLA administrator, Cook submitted her resume and two letters of recommendation, which led to an interview with the horticulturist at Fallingwater. During the interview, Cook discussed her portfolio and learned more about the responsibilities of the internship. Within a couple of weeks, she received an offer to become one of two landscape interns selected nationally for the summer. 

Once arriving at Fallingwater, Cook’s responsibilities included groundskeeping tasks such as weeding and maintaining the gardens, pruning rhododendrons, watering flowers and creating flower arrangements. Along with these daily responsibilities, Cook and her fellow intern were given two larger projects to complete, a pathway project for the front entrance and a circulation project. 

The projects included designing and constructing a pathway, as well as creating a break area for Fallingwater tour guides. Cook and her fellow intern were able to take the projects from the initial concept and design stages through construction and implementation. 

“Having the opportunity to work on a project from the initial concept all the way through implementation was an extremely informative and rewarding experience,” Cook said. 

Hands-on experience, such as the tasks Cook completed, is hard to replicate in the classroom and is work Cook struggled with at first. Although with her existing design and digital representation skills, she was able to collaborate with her fellow intern and staff, using her strengths to better understand and address her weaknesses. Through this collaboration, Cook was able to grasp plant knowledge, hands-on construction implementation, project management and how landscapes change over time. 

The internship assisted Cook in gaining hands-on landscape experience and knowledge in a career she is passionate about and provided her with an experience she will never forget. From sitting on the porch of her cozy home located in rural Pennsylvania, listening to the forest buzz, driving down to Ohiopyle to jump in the Youghiogheny River with her friends and having campfires to close out each workday, Cook described this experience as “all-encompassing, relaxing and a magical experience.” 

From participating in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in 2024, to interning at Fallingwater, Cook’s desire to work amongst a tourist destination was confirmed, as she loves designing for visitors. Fallingwater provided Cook with the interest in working with one site over time to see how the landscape changes in response to her design and groundskeeping. Cook wants to design visitor experiences, not just the place itself. 

sketch of Fallingwater“Fallingwater, specifically, made me realize that I love getting to work within a set site, getting to really know the grounds and see how it changes over time, and then designing and performing groundskeeping tasks in response to it,” Cook said. 

Through Cook’s education at the College of Art & Design, she was able to provide her design experience to Fallingwater and identify areas she’d like to grow. Through this experience, she was able to understand that the willingness to learn matters more than pretending to know everything. 

“Trust yourself and understand your strengths and weaknesses,” Cook said. 

For Cook, Fallingwater transformed into a place she studied as an undergraduate, to a site she admired deeply, to somewhere she lived, worked and designed. Her journey from studying Fallingwater in an LSU College of Art & Design classroom to gaining hands-on experience on its grounds, showcases her growth as a designer and the experiences that continue to shape her career.  

 

Kurt Culbertson Winner of ASLA Design Medal 2026

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Honors & Awards, Events, Alumni, Faculty,
Kurt Culbertson with ASLA award

Kurt Culbertson receives ASLA Design Medal at the ASLA 2026 Fellows and Honors Gala. Image courtesy of ASLA, by Nobile-Morris Photography.

 

Kurt Culbertson, FASLA, Director of the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, has been awarded the ASLA Design Medal from American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Culbertson is a landscape architect, planner, educator, and former Chair and CEO of Design Workshop, the international landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm he led for thirty-three years. He is a Fulbright Scholar and a Fellow of ASLA, AICP, and CELA. Over a fifty-year career, Culbertson has completed projects in forty-six states and twenty-three countries. In 2016, he received the ASLA Medal, the Society’s highest honor. A graduate of LSU, he holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from LSU, an MBA from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD from Edinburgh College of Art.

“It comes as no surprise to anyone that Kurt Culbertson was awarded the ASLA Design Medal. My biggest concern is he will soon need larger furniture to hold all his accolades,” wryly commented Dr. Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design.  

ASLA is proud to announce its 2026 Honors recipients, highlighting some of the most noteworthy landscape architecture practitioners and firms nationwide. Selected by ASLA’s board of trustees, the honors represent the highest recognition ASLA bestows each year.

These awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership across the field of landscape architecture—recognizing projects and individuals that shape more resilient, inclusive, and beautiful communities. The important recognition reflects the values of equity, climate action, and design excellence.

Dr. Culbertson joined the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, his alma mater, as Director in July 2026. Read more.

Culbertson received the Design Medal at the ASLA 2026 annual conference September 16, 2026, in San Francisco. See more event photos.

James Turner Sketch Bootcamp 2026

Students, Landscape Architecture, Events, Alumni Events

The LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture held the first James Turner Sketch Bootcamp in August 2026, to launch the fall 2026 semester.

A new annual tradition honoring Professor James Turner’s legacy of observation, creativity, and design communication, the workshop brought design experts to LSU campus to mentor landscape architecture students.

Open to students of all skill levels, the workshop featured hands-on sketching instruction, guest artists and designers, and field exercises that demonstrate how drawing serves as a fundamental tool for seeing, thinking, and designing. Students learned observational sketching techniques while exploring how drawing supports the design process, communication, and creative problem-solving.

The bootcamp introduced students to expressive drawing and on-location sketching, Brian Goad, professional-in-residence said.

sketches

“Drawing is a way of thinking, observing, and analyzing what makes a space successful,” Goad said. “It was incredible to see the students’ enthusiasm throughout the workshop, especially their excitement about meeting James Turner and learning from the incredibly talented artists, Jim and Chris.”

“Drawing has been a cornerstone of my 40-year landscape architecture career, and I’ve been very involved in the global urban sketching phenomenon for the last 15 years. There’s a lot each can learn from the other. To see the RRSLA step out and take a leadership role in this renaissance of freehand sketching as a powerful creative tool is exciting,” said James Richards, FASLA.

“To return to LSU is always a distinct pleasure, but to see the evolution of today’s landscape architectural students creates a feeling of excitement for our profession’s future.  Their willingness to engage with us as we share our passion for drawing, its importance in the design thought process and the exhibition of their talent, was overwhelming. To assist with inaugurating this Sketch Bootcamp in the name of James Turner, a true artist, mentor, friend, was a career highlight for me,” said Christopher Flagg, FASLA, Vice-President, A&E Group Operations Principal, Haskell.

student holding sketch“The workshop helped students to understand the language of drawing, to incorporate sketching as an integral part of the design process, and to use quick gesture sketching as a catalyst for ideation and form generation. They learned to draw confidently to capture the spirit of place and to convey a sense of life and authenticity to their sketches,” Goad said.

Equipped: Glass Arts with Kat Wang

Students, Research, Publications, Alumni, Architecture, Faculty,

By: Katharina Wang, MArch 2026

Katharina Beliveau Wang completed a Master of Architecture in LSU School of Architecture in 2026. She is now an assistant professor of practice at the LSU School of Interior Design with five years of prior experience working in the field of commercial architecture and interior design. She earned her Bachelor of Interior Design at Louisiana State University in 2017. She is NCIDQ Certified and is a registered interior designer in the state of Louisiana. Her research explores the intersections of art, design, and technology, exploring how digital fabrication can support traditional glass forming.

tools for glass arts

  1. RespiratorKat with tools

    Small particles of glass can be very harmful to breathe in and can even lead to a condition known as Silicosis. Anytime I handle glass frit or even powdered plaster silica, I always make sure to protect my lungs.

  2. Metal Bowls

Metal bowls are great! You can never really have too many. They are great for breaking, sorting, or washing glass and you don’t have to worry about small plastic particles contaminating your material.

  1. Vintage GlassKat with glass

    I like to find ways to give old glass new purpose. I go to a lot of estate sales and often come across old vintage glass that is scratched or chipped. Those sets often don’t sell and end up in the trash, so when I see vintage glass left over on the last day of a sale, I make sure to get it.

  2. Nitrile Gloves

Hand oils can create impurities in your glass. Gloves are great for preventing this!

  1. Strainer

All of my glass gets washed before I put it in the kiln. This is to remove any small contaminants that might lead to impurities in the glass. Even small contaminants can leave visible marks.

  1. Welding Gloves

These come in handy when the parts inside the kiln are not fully cooled after the firing ends. Even when a kiln is off, it can take hours (or even days) to cool to room temperature. You never want to take glass out of a kiln if it is still too hot, because you don’t want to cause thermal stress in the glass. Once the kiln gets down to 200°F I often go ahead and open it.  You don’t need gloves to be as long as these ones are, but I often have to reach far into our kiln and don’t want to risk burning myself.

  1. Face Shield

When you break a lot of glass you quickly learn that tiny shards can fly up at your face and be quite a nuisance. I like to wear this face shield when I break or grind glass, just to be sure not to get little cuts or splinters on my face.

  1. Scrap Fabric

Fabric scraps from old clothing help a lot anytime you have to break a glass bottle. I like to wrap my bottles in fabric before I break them so the shards stay contained. I also use fabric scraps to protect my skin when I break a glass billet in my hand.

  1. Safety Glasses

student with eye goggles working with toolsAlmost every stage of glasswork calls for eye protection! When I’m not worried about tiny shards hitting my face (or when I am wearing my respirator) I wear these safety glasses to protect my eyes.

  1. Torch Lighter

    A very concentrated flame can help make a clean break in a scored glass bottle. This technique is called Hot Popping!

  2. Claw Hammer

I use this hammer anytime I need to carefully break a mold away from a glass piece. (I usually use this in combination with a flat metal pottery tool – similar to a hammer and chisel!) Or just for general smashing.

  1. Ball-peen Hammer

This hammer has a rounded side that is essential for getting a nice break along a score mark in a glass billet. The rounded shape allows for more force in a concentrated spot as compared to the flat side.

  1. Water Level

Anytime I put a mold in the kiln, I like to make sure that the mold is level. This ensures that the bottom of the cast object is level.

  1. Paintbrushes

These are helpful for placing and shaping glass frit. They can also be helpful in retrieving tiny pieces of glass that may fall into a hard to reach part of a mold. And they also help clean plaster silica off of little nooks of cast glass objects.

  1. Glass Cutter

These allow you to make a scored line in the glass. The score mark may just look like a scratch, but it actually helps to guide the breaking of a piece of glass.

  1. Pistol Grip Glass Cutter

These do the same thing as the previous – they are just a bit more comfortable and help keep a steady hand on longer cuts.

  1. Abrasive Disk

These go on a lapidary wheel and allow me to grind down my pieces to have flat sides. By working my way from a rough grit to a fine grit, I smooth the glass to prepare it for polishing.

  1. Post-consumer Bottle Glass

This has been my biggest obsession – and research topic – of late. So much glass material does not get recycled and ends up being wasted, but I see so much potential for reuse. I work together with a local bar – they save certain bottle types for me, and I pick up the glass to use for my research.

  1. Glass Frit

Glass Frit is essentially crushed glass. It comes in different sizes ranging from coarse (the size of pea gravel) to powder (the size of flour) and in many different colors.

  1. Metal Pottery/Sculpting Tools

These are the multi-tool of my studio. I use them to shape my clay positives, arrange voids within frit designs, and for chiseling off stubborn pieces of plaster silica. They do so many different things – far beyond what they were originally intended for.

  1. Grozing Pliers

    These are used for snapping/breaking off small pieces of glass after cutting. Sometimes the actual break may not follow your score exactly, so you may need to use these pliers to clean up the shape a bit.

  2. Running Pliers

    These are used to make a controlled break along a score in a sheet of glass. They gently bend the glass to encourage it to break, and if all goes well, that break will follow the path of your score mark and leave you with a nice clean cut piece of glass.

  3. Metal Angle Ruler

This tool is really useful when you are grinding your glass down and want to make sure that different planes stay square. (Or – to make sure the planes stay crooked!)

  1. Metal Measuring Spoons

I use these to help me place frit, or to measure quantities for my research experiments. Metal tools are best for working with glass because they greatly reduce the number of contaminants in your material – and unlike plastic, if you’re worried you might have metal contaminants, you can always pass a magnet over your material to be sure!

  1. Sheet Glass

This is COE 96 sheet glass. Most people recognize sheet glass as a material for stained glass, but some sheet glass can also be used in the kiln. Because this glass has a specified COE (coefficient of expansion) it can be fused to any other glass with a matching COE number.

  1. Glass Billet

A glass billet is essentially is an ingot, or brick, of glass. This manufactured glass is great for kiln casting and can be combined with other billet glass for multi-color designs without devitrification (aka cloudy streaks) occurring between colors. Its shape is sturdy, sometimes withstanding several hammer strikes without breaking. This makes it more resistant to breaking during shipping, but can make it a challenge to break for projects. With a clean score and a carefully placed hammer strike, you can get an incredibly clean break and a satisfying *tink* sound.

 

redhead holding up glass to light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LSU Art History Professor Darius Spieth Edits New Grove Guide to the Art Market

Research, Publications, Art History, Art, Faculty, Publicity, Doctor of Design

Professor Darius Spieth. Image Credit: Jean-Claude Figenwald

LSU Professor of Art History Darius Spieth edited the newly published Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, a comprehensive exploration of the institutions, practices and economic forces that shape the global art world.

Published by Oxford University Press in 2026, the volume brings together 69 essays examining the art market from its historical foundations through developments in the 21st century. Designed as both a scholarly reference and an accessible introduction to the field, the guide addresses subjects including collecting, connoisseurship, appraisal and valuation, auctions, art law, cultural heritage and the economics of art.

The publication represents the culmination of Spieth’s longstanding work as subject editor for Art Markets, Law and Economics for the Grove Dictionary of Art, one of the field’s most authoritative reference resources.

By approaching art not only as a form of cultural expression but also as an object that is collected, exchanged, regulated and assigned value, the guide provides readers with a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the art market. Its essays connect art history with economics, law, museum studies and cultural policy, offering insight into the complex systems through which works of art circulate.

Grove Art Guide to the Art Market book cover

The volume also traces the development of art markets across periods and regions, examining the roles played by artists, collectors, dealers, auction houses, museums and other institutions. Alongside its historical scope, the book considers forces reshaping the contemporary art world, including globalization, evolving legal and ethical questions and new approaches to determining artistic and financial value.

Spieth is the San Diego Alumni Association Chapter Alumni Professor in the LSU School of Art. A specialist in modernism, Darius A. Spieth focuses his scholarship on the interrelationships between art, intellectual history, and economics. His research focuses on the history of art markets, particularly the relationship between art, economics and society in 18th- and 19th-century Europe.

His previous publications include Revolutionary Paris and the Market for Netherlandish Art, published by Brill in 2017. Spieth has also written and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogues and scholarly publications on topics ranging from European prints and historical art dealing to art-market valuation.

Through The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, Spieth extends that expertise to a resource intended for students, scholars and professionals as well as readers seeking a deeper understanding of how the art world operates.

“Professor Spieth’s publication reflects the LSU College of Art & Design’s commitment to scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries and connects the study of art with broader cultural, historical and economic questions,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design. “It also offers an invaluable resource to students, connoisseurs, collectors and aficionados, at LSU and across the globe, for exploring the many systems that shape how art is created, disseminated, interpreted, valued, and preserved.”

The Grove Guide to the Art Market has already resonated internationally, as the most recent issue of La Grande Galerie, the official periodical of the Louvre Museum’s Friends Group (les Amis du Louvre), ran an interview by Sébastien Fumaroli with Professor Spieth, discussing the civilizational importance of art markets.

The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market is available through Oxford University Press and booksellers worldwide.

Read more about Spieth’s recent scholarship.

Read more about art history at LSU.

Read more about the LSU School of Art.