Sociology Professor Erin O’Connor to Give International Lecture on Studio Glassblowing • Politics and Human Rights • Marymount Manhattan College
On October 7, Associate Professor of Sociology Erin O’Connor, Ph.D, will deliver a seminar called The Elemental Work of Studio Glassblowing.
This seminar is part of an ongoing series called Artistry@Work, organized by Maison des Sciences de l’Homme–Université Clermont Auvergne, in collaboration with the Royal Anthropological Institute. It explores the work of producing art and the broader career paths of artists and artisans.
From the Royal Anthropological Institute’s website:
Studio glassblowing is an art of collaborating bodies, both human and non-human, that makes objects, self and world. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork in a New York City glassblowing studio, where O’Connor learned to blow glass, this seminar will explore the elemental engagement of earth, water, air and fire and the human pursuit of the development and experience of craft among studio glassblowers. She asks, ‘What promise does glassblowing uniquely hold for the production of self and world?’ ‘How does research and writing about embodied knowledge, materiality and the transformative power of glassmaking cultivate attention, produce narratives, and bear new research questions?’ Toward these queries, O’Connor delves into the material-semiotics of studio glassblowing, following the glass from its appearance as a studio art medium to the mines and minerals of its making.
Dr. O’Connor will present virtually on October 7 at 11 AM EST. It is free to attend, but registration is required. For more information, check out RAI’s website by clicking here.
Though Dr. O’Connor’s primary teaching focus is within the field of sociology, she is a globally recognized expert in craft studies and received the Rakow Grant to study glassblowing in 2023. As an associate professor at MMC, Dr. O’Connor has spent years teaching courses such as EcoCulture and Sustainability, Anthropology at Museums in NYC, Radical Labor and Artisan Movements, and Great Social Thinkers. Earlier this year, she published her first book, Fire Craft.
Published: September 16, 2025
