Kenny Nguyen Learns New Skills Interning at Master Craftsman Studios

from FSU Art BFA ’20 Kenny Nguyen:

Interning at Master Craftsman Studio has been an increasingly exciting environment that I would to love to carry over into my next semester in the spring. Being apart of MCS has helped mature my time management; for having to actively manage my professional practice with BFA program priorities. The responsibilities that are expected from the interns is to participate on jobs for customers, to actively have the desire to learn know technique and methods alongside retaining the knowledge. The end of the day, cleaning and tidying up is a courtesy that I like to practice, not only at MCS but also in my own studio place. One new skill that Master Craftsman has undoubtedly is to work with glass. They have taught me the process of fusing and slumping glass and the chemistry the is involve with melting glass. Another way is to copper foils the perimeter of the glass parts and to solder the copper foil to capture the stain glass image. I think learning how to program a electric kiln was my greatest highlight, because this in return increased my credibility with programming on the electric kiln in the ceramic lab on FAB and CAB. There weren’t many memorable challenges that I faced working with MCS due to being around by the incredible talented minds of Phil Gleason, Chris Horne, Juan Comas, and Karen Pritzl. We were able to tackle any problem the surfaced in the studio. Mold-making is also apart most of the projects we had this semester, which continuously sharpen my previous mold-making practice before MCS. One of the memorable experience was when my intern partner Natalie and I greeted for the 20th MCS anniversary, getting the meet President Thrasher and his wife, some of FSU’s important patrons, and three lovely women from the first class from when Florida State went from a Women College to Florida State University. The environment and the program for the anniversary was completely invoked the best of me to come forth. But yes returning to my most memorable experience was cutting glass and building stain glass. I absolutely recommend this internship to anyone that is interested in making FSU’s campus beautiful and to be involve in team building and community. This was a wholesome internship and I would love to return.