We're featuring a number of artists from the western part of our state today, frankly, because the devastation of Hurricane Helene dramatically impacted the art scene in the mountains.

And they're gonna need your support in the recovery.

For instance, in Burnsville, the art flows as naturally and beautifully as the landscape.

And that is greatly due to a man named Harvey Littleton who many regard as the father of the Studio Glass Movement.

Let's join Theresa Litsky as she shows us his studio called Hearth.

[upbeat music] - I don't know the quantity, but I can tell you one thing, that we probably have the highest per capita number of artists hidden away in these hollows all over Yancey County and in Burnsville.

- Working studio artists, so folks who are making primarily most of their living off of the art that they're creating.

- [Theresa] That's Keikichi Littleton, granddaughter of Harvey Littleton, father of the Studio Glass Movement.

- [Keikichi] So essentially what that means is he is responsible for taking glass blowing out of the factory setting and putting it into a studio setting.

- [Theresa] Harvey made his home in Burnsville in the 1970s, a life that had been and would continue to be surrounded by those who shared his vision.

- He has worked with Dale Chihuly, Bill Brown, who went on to start the program at Penland School of Craft, all of these different movers and shakers in the Studio Glass Movement who actually got glass flowing started and kicked off across the country.

- [Theresa] Harvey passed away in 2013.

Given their grandfather's influence on glass blowing, Keikichi and other members of her family like her brother Tadayoshi felt the need to follow in his footsteps.

- [Keikichi] We opened our gallery in September of 2022 in order to honor my grandfather's legacy and be able to carry on and educate people in our community about the history of glass in western North Carolina.

- [Theresa] Harvey also left his mark on the raw material used by glassblowers when he started Spruce Pine Batch, today providing up to 90% of all US made raw glass for glassblowers nationwide.

- So Spruce Pine specifically, our neighboring community, has the highest purity quartz in the world.

What that means is that it has the lowest amount of iron content within the glass itself.

And typically when you look at something like a Coke bottle, right, it has that green tint on the exterior.

Our glass and specifically our Everclear formula, which is the EC, is the highest quality glass that we produce, it is almost completely crystal clear.

So it has more of a blue tint rather than a green tint.

- [Theresa] The quality of the raw glass combined with the talent of more than 24 artisans comes together beautifully at Hearth.

And it represents all skill levels, beginning with novice glassblowers.

- We also have some of the more well-known and prestigious glass artists in the community such as Billy Bernstein, Kenny Pieper, Shane Fero, and Pablo Soto, Rob Levin, who we also represent.

- [Theresa] You name it, they offer it in glass.

- We carry both functional and sculptural artworks, whether that's everything from drinking glass, custom lighting that we can produce for you, jewelry, you know, really anything that you can think about.

We also have functional glass pieces as well.

And if we don't carry it, we can always put you in contact with a local glass artist who may be able to make what you would like or would have that already on hand for you to purchase.

- Plus, they have classes where people like you off the street can come in and, you know, work through our fantasies of working with hot glass without touching it, right?

- They are basically individually based, so you will work one-on-one with an instructor.

Although we do offer group classes, couples classes, and private parties as well.

[energetic music] - [Theresa] Harvey Littleton helped pave the way for this art form to become what it is today.

Now, it's up to his family to make sure it continues.

- Our name is Hearth.

Traditionally, women are the caretakers of the hearth, so this is sort of my way of being able to carry on my grandfather's legacy, to tend to the flame, both figuratively and literally by, you know, owning a glassblowing studio, operating a furnace, and educating people across Western North Carolina.

[energetic music] - Hearth Glass and Gallery is at 410 West Main Street in Burnsville, and they're open Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information give them a call at [828] 678-1809, or visit them online at hearthglassnc.com.