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Let us tell you a bit about ourselves

Where we are:

Mountain Lake Glassworks is situated on the old Camp Mountain Lake grounds. Camp
Mountain Lake was founded by Sewanee (The University of the South) football coach 
Horace Moore in 1946, and ran every summer until 1987 under his supervision. It 
drew children from all over the country, especially from the Southeast. Coach 
Moore's approach at the camp created a lasting affection among the campers and 
their families for both its director and the grounds of the camp. Ed Russell 
attended Camp Mountain Lake from 1972, when he was 9 years old, until 1978. He 
would return to the camp as a councelor and as the cook for Sewanee football team 
during their training at Camp Mountain Lake. Ed, his mother Esther, and many former
campers speak of the sense of community and family that was fostered here. It's a
tradition we try to maintain.

Ed's Return:

In 1994, Ed had decided it was time to set up his own studio, and began to look for
an appropriate location. In his search, he learned that Camp Mountain Lake was for
sale, and contacted Coach Moore about purchasing his old stomping grounds. 
  Coach Moore allowed his former camper to purchase the grounds with best wishes
for the future.

On July 3, 1994, Ed moved from Los Angeles to Tracy City, Tennessee, and began to 
set up shop. His glass studio was built in the old dining hall of the camp, and he 
began to produce the unique creations showcased on this site. 

Ed's Approach:

Coach Moore and Ed's mother Esther had profound effects on how Ed approached his
fledgling business, and this influence continues to be felt at the end of its
first decade of operation. Ed is a great proponent of experiential learning, and
has opened his shop and his home over the years to apprentices and struggling
artists. He gives them training in craft and business skills, the opportunity
to develop their own skills and interests, and a sheltered place to find their 
footing in this difficult arena of trying to make a living creating art. He calls 
this practice "incubation."

Of course, Coach Moore and Esther are not the only influences on Ed's philosophy 
and modus operandi. He draws from a very eclectic range of sources. William
Morris's work and philosophy provide part of his foundation, as does Icelandic 
culture and history. Kurt Vonnegut's writing has had a profound influence on Ed,
particularly Vonnegut's idea of karrass (created family). The educational 
experiment of Black Mountain College in North Carolina, which opened in 1933 and 
closed its doors in 1956, has given guidance in his approach to education, both in 
its successes and in its failures. George Ohr, the Mad Potter of Biloxi,resonates 
strongly with Ed in the innovativeness of his work and his sense of play. The 
Vorticists Movement in pre-WWI England, with its insistance upon connection of art 
to the real world, also enters into the mix. Sometimes being around Ed is like 
watching a selective jackdaw gathering shiny bits into the nest, and then suddenly 
the bits meld and you see how the disparate parts fit together in perfect unity.

The Players:

 As with any long-term project, the cast shifts a bit at the Glassworks. Ed is, and
has always been, the director and key player. His mother Esther has also been a 
constant, making several long visits a year from her home out of state. Esther has 
lived in just about every building the camp boasts over the years, and has been 
more help than she will ever know. The shop assistants are always present, but 
their faces change.

There are currently three shop assistants at Camp Mountain Lake. Jimmy 
joined us in March, and has taken to blowing glass like a fish to water. Chris is 
a talented painter, and comes out to the shop to play whenever his 
"real" job releases him. Amelia signed on in May and has found that the quality 
teaching  at the Glassworks far exceeds the instruction she received in art school 
(and Ed says he told her so). Other friends drop by almost every day to help in 
the shop or  one  of the other projects Ed has his fingers in.