Asteady flow of visitors wove in and out the various open studios Sunday to marvel at the handcrafted work at a seconds sale at Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program.
Sonja Larson of Haydenville, a regular attendee at the sale, stocks up on unique gifts each year. The prices, she said, are quite reasonable for such high quality pieces.
The fundraiser sale featured work from nearly 150 artists — some local, and some not.
While it is a seconds sale, Snow farm marketing and communications director Lisa Oram said that definition is broad, and includes older inventory and work that has been discontinued.
John Valentine of Shutesbury said he was struck by the “energy of the collection of art,” calling it “refreshing” as he browsed the display shelves. “It’s marvelous. There’s so much life to it,” he said.
For visitors intrigued by the process, Snow Farm offered an opportunity for them to engage in art-making themselves. Guests were invited to create their own hollow glass ornaments by inflating liquid glass with a blowpipe.
Justin Fermann, a University of Massachusetts Amherst chemistry professor and Snow Farm volunteer, described the process as comparable to “blowing bubble gum, except at 2,000 degrees.”
After the ornaments spent eight hours incrementally cooling in an annealing oven, their creators had a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift, he said.
“It’s their breath inflating it, their hands controlling the pipe,” Fermann said. “The outcome depends on their idea.”