Lighting The Gaia Lamp - Background

I'm Parker Stafford and I am the owner of Stafford Art Glass, a studio that's been creating award-winning artglass designs since 1997. The hotshop, located in Newport, Virginia, is home  to a gallery and workshop space where customers get to "see it, make it, buy it."

The Gaia Lamp (pronounced "Guy-uh") is my newest creation built on collaboration and discovery with a customer who wanted to see this piece lit (and so did I!).  It is a fusion of lighting and art glass to create a stunning light feature.  In production since 2004, these pieces have only recently been transformed by making the vases into unique works of art glass lighting.  Glowing with a rich fire from within, these pieces bring a soothing welcoming warmth to any room.  Rich, sensual, and complex, this design innovation makes a room come alive with warmth and style!

The lamp is simple, stylish and elegant;  the shade is the vase, which means that its illumination sends a diffuse glow of white light onto the ceiling and a warm rich glow through the body of the vase, where the light kit is located.  The glass base is drilled for the light kit, the large lamp is illuminated with a 60 watt fluorescent bulb.  The switch is in the cord so that it is convenient when sitting on a bedside or on a table without getting in the way.  All wiring and hardware are heavy-duty and built to U.S. electrical codes. We can also build the light kit to conform to most international electrical requirements.

By becoming a supporter of the campaign you can take part in a host of exciting perks that I am excited to include here for you...

(Note: while all of my perks are for shipping within the Continental U.S.,  I am happy to ship anywhere in the world, BUT shipping costs will have to be added to your donation. Contact me via email for details!)

The Benefits

New E-Book published just in time for the campaign!

Donate $2.00 and get a copy of my guide entitled "The Care And Feeding Of Blown Glass." This book is a compilation of information I have provided my own customers over the years for how to not just care for blown glass, but how to display it expertly too!  At 27 pages, it includes information on glass composition in easy to read English explaining how blown glass is different from commercial glass.  In it I reveal something you already have in your kitchen that is better and cheaper than any of the commercial cleaners available for glass.  I explain how you can wash your glass tumblers in a dishwasher and what soap to use. I reveal an interesting way to clean glass that even uses NO cleaners AT ALL (and is one of the single best ways to keep glass clean, too!).  I have a chapter on how to display glass in the home using a range of different lighting techniques.  I  show you how you can determine the right amount of light for a glass piece without having to go to the expense of installing track lighting. This guide has 20 years of professional experience packed into it, the guide is sprinkled throughout with fun glass facts. The Care And Feeding Of Blown Glass is available in PDF format.  

Limited Edition Ornament! 

• Donate $26.00 and own your very own signed and numbered limited edition Christmas 2014 ornament!  Made with clear crystal and golden murine elements (an Italian cane technique), this design fuses old world sensibilities with a contemporary flair.  My cane design reacts with the atmosphere of the furnace to create a metallic effect that is elegant and stunning!  Great gift to give or keep!  Order multiples for family and friends!  Do you need it shipped? You are covered with our shipped option!  Ornament comes gift boxed with a note about the campaign and how the gift will help to launch the studio's newest design.  It is a gift that gives twice! 

• Donate $40.00 and  blow your own ornament/suncatcher at the studio after funding is complete (January 7th). Choose your colors, your design, and I show you how to make something amazing! Pick-up from the studio. (Image shown of student work, 2011). Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 
  

• Donate $45.00 and get your limited edition ornament (described in our first perk) shipped to you or to a friend within the Continental U.S. Signed, numbered and dated, the ornament comes in its own gift box with a note about the work and the campaign.  It is a gift that gives twice.

• Donate $95.00 and receive a small Gaia lamp, standing approximately 7" tall, this lamp is excellent as a night light.  At this price you can send them to your friends and family! Standing at approximately 7" tall, it is a scaled down version of the full sized example shown below. For pick up from the studio.  (See our shipping option below
  

• Donate $115.00 and have your small Gaia lamp, same as the perk above, but shipped anywhere within the Continental United States.  Standing at approximately 7" tall, it is a mini version of my larger lamp.  I call it a Gaia Night Light!
  

• Donate $185.00 and receive your own large Gaia lamp (above) shipped within the Continental U.S.!  Each piece is signed and dated by the artist with a card describing the campaign and a bio of the artist. These pieces are being offered at a special price through this campaign, which is 40% below retail. 
  

• Donate $500.00 and get your choice of a half-day glassblowing extravaganza with you and your friends:  I teach you how to blow as much glass as possible in a 5 hour period - ornaments, suncatchers, paperweights, or a bowl?  Its your choice!  Available during our production window between the second week of January to the third week of February 2015.  Can't make it personally to the studio?  Send me your design ideas and let's come up with stunning designs that will work for you!  All design work is guaranteed: I'm not happy unless you are. Either pick up from the studio or we can deduct enough from your donation total to include shipping! Free consultations are included to get you started when you choose to have designs made for you.
  

• Donate $1,000.00 and work with me to design your own collection of custom made creations for any number of objects that equal your donation amount.  A new glass sink?  Your very own tumblers, bowl, vase, and tea light?  The studio is your oyster!  You get to exercise your itch to create while you work with a glassblower in studio. Contact me about this option before donating to learn about the list of options possible so you can do everything you have been dreaming of. As with all work made through the studio, satisfaction is guaranteed:  I'm not happy until YOU are!  I am just a phone call away at (540)605-0034 on my mobile or email me any questions that you might have.  All consultations are free for this service.  

• Want to help with the campaign but  short on funds?  If you are local, I will need help on packing and shipping glass in January, and am happy to make fair trades!  Spreading the word is as easy as a mouse click! My campaign wont work without the help of many people sharing as much as they can in order to spread the word!  When you can bring me donors who saw your mention and acts on it, anyone who mentions your name in the comments section of the donation page, I will credit you with 15% of their donation, which is good towards any of the perks for the campaign!  If you were able to refer someone to me that wound up making a $1,000.00 donation, for example, that would mean that you would have a credit in your name in the amount of $150.00. Help this campaign go viral and you could benefit, too!
  

What Is Needed

• The project cost is $5,600.00. This is a fixed campaign which means that I HAVE to reach my goal in order to get my funding.  If I reach the final day of the campaign and fall short by even one dollar, I do not get my amount.  I AM NOT taking Flex funding for this campaign.  If I do not meet the goal, all money will be returned by Indiegogo. (Let's not let that happen, k?)
  
• Funding will be used to repair a furnace door, purchase propane,  electricity for the production period (December to January), colored glass supplies, shipping, base glass, freight, and production costs including printing, postage, packaging, and shipping. A production run of 20 works will be made during the production period for selling to galleries across the United States. However, all perks will be made first before the production begins for galleries. Getting donations above my budget will increase my reach and make a tight budget easier. 
  
• $200.00 is budgeted for a lamp lighting party scheduled for for donors on Saturday January 17  from 6:00-until? where I demonstrate the making of the pieces with food and beverages at the studio in Newport! Lamps will be set up for a dramatic reveal for this fun event!  Its a party, its some wintry fun in a hot glass studio! 
  

The Impact

• By donating, you will have helped a local business bring an innovative design to market while also opening the studio for others to enjoy our many other offerings during the holiday season.  Have you seen the many new works that have emerged over the last year?  Oh my goodness!  Check it out on our Facebook page under stafford art glass!  Every year I have dozens of people coming to blow their ornaments at the studio.  My winter events have spread by word of mouth and this program will help make sure that we have hot glass in the New River Valley! 
  

The Challenges

• The challenges of this campaign are to build a larger community of engaged enthusiasts who are ready to become a partner in the process of success!  Who knew word of mouth could be so much fun? I can't hope to achieve any of these things without your willingness to help, which is in getting the word out.  Simple!  This wont cost you a dime and you will be doing more than you know to help push the effort forward.  Share on facebook, send out an email to your friends which is a more personal way of sharing what's up in your life and in your community. 
  
• This means that in the following weeks  I will be motivating thousands of people to help in getting the word out, via social media platforms, television, radio, and our newspapers.  Two years ago I leveraged social media to get the word out about an exhibit of glass by my University students.  Within a two-hour period we had over 2,000 views of our announcement for the exhibit with many hundreds in the days that followed.  This led to our effort being featured in the Radford University Magazine.  Helping me is not all about just giving money, not by a long shot!   This leads me to the many ways you can help beyond just donating....

Other Ways You Can Help

• Want to help but can't donate?  No problem!  I can't tell you just how powerful having a core of devotees who are willing to keep my efforts shared and churning across the internet!  With just one simple click of the mouse, you can  have a big impact. just share my updates on your social media, twitter, instagram, and email! If you want to know how you can best do that, send me a note or a message and I can provide you with images for the campaign that you can use to your hearts content!  Find me on Facebook HERE! Feel free to grab any image of me and my work on Facebook for use in spreading the word!  Have a group you'd like for me to speak to? Sometimes people just need a simple introduction from you about a business that you like.  A "handshake" is as valuable as a donation! Anyone who mentions YOUR name when they donate, will land you a credit that is equal to $15% of their donation! (Some limitations apply, so drop me a note to find out details or go to Facebook to find out more about this option.   
  
• Don't forget; Indiegogo has some great tools that make sharing a snap! Share away and let's make this happen!

With Gratitude and Gusto,

~Parker Stafford - Owner Stafford Art Glass