Yesterday, we visited an art school in the Southern Tier. After the pre-planned morning info sessions, lunch, and the art tour we spent three hours in the glass blowing studio. We watched some demos - an older more experienced teacher or grad student with the help of undergrads.
As two visiting artists returned from lunch, the workshop filled up with students and grad students and professors and about 10 of these people all at different levels began working (as helpers) with these master glass-blowers. They worked for about 2 1/2 hours, each one seeming to know exactly what they were doing and when to do it.
It wasn't the actual work, though that was impressive. It was the way they all worked together to make something. No yelling, no screaming, no condescension. A few tense moments but nothing too bizarre. The experts came to do their work and share their expertise. The learners came to work, help and learn. All in all, they needed to work together (it wasn't a one person job) and do the work together (it wasn't a lecture) in order to do what they were doing.
Very informal, but so alive! An amazing thing to see.
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