May 24, 2010: Glass artist Josh Simpson

JOSH SIMPSON'S WORKING GLASS
REACHES FROM THE M.F.A., TO
THE SMITHSONIAN TO RUGGED
MOUNTAIN TOPS.
THE MASSACHUSETTS ARTIST IS
NOW BEING CELEBRATED AT THE
FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM WITH A
ROTE ROW SPEKT TIFF OF HIS
NEAR 40-YEAR CAREER.
AND THAT IS WHERE JARED BOWEN
HAS A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH
HIM.

>> Reporter: HERE IS THE FULL
EXPANSE OF ARTIST JOSH
SIMPSON'S CAREER THUS FAR.
HIS EXPLORATION AND
COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIPS WITH
GLASS.

>> SOMETIMES IT'S LOVE.
SOMETIMES IT'S FRUSTRATION.
ABJECT FRUSTRATION.
SOMETIMES IT'S HATRED.

>> Reporter: SIMPSON HAS
LICENSE TO SPEAK FREELY ABOUT
GLASS.
THE COMPLETELY SELF-TAUGHT
ARTIST HAS BEEN FIGHTING AND
WORKING WITH IT EVER SINCE THE
THEN COLLEGE STUDENT SPENT THE
NIGHT IN A GLASS STUDIO 35
YEARS AGO.

>> IN THE SUN JUST A SCRAP OF
GLASS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
ANY MEDIUM WHERE EVEN THE
WASTE IS BEAUTIFUL HAS TO BE A
FANTASTIC THING.

>> Reporter: FOR THE NEXT SIX
YEARS YOU BLEW GLASS EVERYDAY
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, WORK HE NOW
PERFORMS IN HIS STUDIO IN
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

>> IT GETS TO BE VERY HOT.
IT'S A LIQUID BUT WHEN IT'S
COOL IT'S SO DIFFERENT.
JUST THE CHALLENGE OF
MANIPULATING A MOLTEN LIQUID
WAS AT FIRST REALLY THE
BIGGEST THING FOR ME.

>> Reporter: HE BEGAN WITH
BASICS.
PLATTERS, VASES AND GOBLETS.

>> I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE PART OF
ANOTHER LIFE, ALMOST ANOTHER
PERSON.
I DON'T MAKE THESE THINGS
ANYMORE.
BUT IT'S FUN TO SEE THAT.
THINK BACK UPON THOSE DAYS.

>> Reporter: TODAY HIS MOST
ICONIC WORK HAS BEEN HIS
FEARS.
WORLDS, PLANETS AND LANDSCAPES
INFORMED LARGELY BY HIS
FASCINATION WITH SPACE
EXPLORATION.

>> THE IDEA IS TO TRY TO
CONVEY SOME OF THE COMPLEXITY
OF THE UNIVERSE AND OF OUR
WORLD IN THIS OBJECT.

>> Reporter: SIMPSON'S WORLDS
ARE LITERALLY EMBEDDED IN OUR
OWN.
IN THE '70s HE BEGAN HIDING
HIS PLANETS BOTH FOR PEOPLE TO
FIND AND FOR HIS OWN
ADVANCEMENT.

>> I DECIDED IF I REALLY
WANTED MY WORK TO BE IN MU...
MUSEUMS, I SHOULD REALLY HIDE
MY WORK IN MUSEUMS SO I
ACTUALLY HIT ONE, I DUG A
LITTLE HOLE ON A SUNDAY RIGHT
OUTSIDE THE DIRECTOR'S WINDOW
AT THE CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS
AND SURE ENOUGH THEY FOUND IT.
THEY UNEARTHED IT.
AND THEY ADDED IT TO THE
COLLECTION.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY
FUNNY.

>> Reporter: HIS EFFORTS ARE
NOW MORE FORMALLY KNOWN AS THE
INFINITEY PROJECT.
THROUGH HIS WENL SITE AND WITH
THE HELP OF ENTHUSIASTS, THE
ARTIST FACILITATES THE
PLANTING OF PLANETS ACROSS THE
GLOBE.

>> FROM THE NORTH POLE TO
ANTARCTICA THE CATACOMBS IN
PARIS TO VOLCANOS.

>> Reporter: EVEN INTO SPACE
SURT KEY OF HIS... COURTESY OF
HIS WIFE ASTRONAUT KATIE
COLEMAN.

>> THEY CAN BRING PERSONAL
ITEMS AND THEY CAN FIT IN A
ZIP LOCK BAG.
KATIE BROUGHT A COUPLE OF
PLANETS WITH HER ON BOTH HER
MISSIONS.
WE ARE BOTH INTERESTED IN
EXPLORATION AND THE BEAUTY AND
THE MAGNITUDE OF THE COSMOS.

>> Reporter: FROM SPACE TO
WORK TO A MESMERIZING
RETROSPECTIVE AT THE FULLER HE
HAS HAD A MOST VISIONARY
JOURNEY IN GLASS.

>> Rooney: JARED BOWEN IS
HERE.
I REMEMBER, GOSH, IT WAS
PROBABLY 12 YEARS AGO CHUCK
KRAEMER DID A PIECE ON HIM.
THAT WAS BACK WHEN HE HAD JUST
STARTED THE ORB PROJECT WHICH
IS JUST AN AMAZING THIN.
PROBABLY A LOT OF THEM HAVEN'T
BEEN FOUND YET.

>> Reporter: IT WAS SO
INTERESTING.
HE TOLD ME BECAUSE HE STARTED
IT WAY BACK IN THE '70s THAT
THERE'S ONE HE PLANTED VERY
EARLY ON THAT IS NEARBY WHERE
HE LIVES.
HE STILL SEES IT... I DON'T
KNOW HOW MUCH I CAN SAY.
HE STILL SEES IT.
I ASKED.
HE SAID IT'S PLAINLY VISIBLE
BUT SOMEWHERE NOBODY WOULD
EVER LOOK.
THEY'RE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
WHAT HE DOES THROUGH THE
WEBSITE IS YOU WRITE IN WITH
YOUR IDEAS.
IF HE LIKES THEM, HE'LL SEND
YOU TWO.
ONE TO KEEP FOR YOURSELF AND
ONE FOR YOU TO PLANT AND KEEP
FOREVER.

>> Rooney: WHAT IS HIS CURRENT
WORK?
HE DOESN'T DO THE VASES OR THE
GOBLETS.
WHAT IS HIS NEW WORK?

>> HE'S CONSTANTLY SPEFERMENT
HE TOLD ME THAT... HE'S
CONSTANTLY EXPERIMENTING.
I ASKED HIM HOW CAN YOU
MAINTAIN THAT SAME INTEREST 38
YEARS INTO YOUR CAREER?
HE SAID HE'S EXPERIMENTING
WITH SILVER AND TRYING TO
CREATE DIFFERENT COLORS
THROUGH SILVER OTHER THAN THE
TYPICAL BLUE YOU GET.
MAYBE REDS AND GREENS AND
VIBRANT PURPLES.
HE'S CONSTANTLY FINDING NEW
AVENUES AND NEW WAYS TO
EXPLORE.
I MEAN WHEN HE STARTED WITH
THE GLASS LIKE I HAD MENTIONED
IN THE PIECE HE WAS
SELF-TAUGHT.
HE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF
HIS CAREER HAS CREATED SOME OF
HIS OWN TECHNIQUES, HIS OWN
TOOLS, HIS OWN FURNITURE.

>> Rooney: I SHOULD THINK HE
WOULD BE BURNED UP AND DOWN
HIS ARMS.

>> I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY.
SO INTERESTING TO HEAR HIM
TALK ABOUT GLASS TOO BECAUSE
IT REALLY IS A TIGHT
RELATIONSHIP THAT HE HAS WITH
IT.

>> Rooney: BEAUTIFUL.
FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM.

>> THROUGH THE END OF
NOVEMBER.

>> Rooney: THANK YOU.
THAT IS IT FOR GREATER BOSTON.
CHECK OUT THE NEW 89.7 MY
RADIO SHOW AT NOON FOLLOWED BY
CALLIE CROSSLEY AT 1:00.
COMING UP A NEW EDITION OF
HIGH SCHOOL QUIZ SHOW.
TOMORROW NIGHT BOSTON
FIREFIGHTERS UNION PRESIDENT
ED KELLEY ON THE CONTROVERSIAL
19% PAY HIKE FOR HIS MEMBERS.
THAT AND MORE AT 7:00 TOMORROW
NIGHT.
I'M EMILY ROONEY.
GOOD NIGHT.