Spotlight on Cindi Brunell
This month’s spotlight is on Cindi Brunell of Livonia, Michigan. Cindi is an entrepreneur, business professional, wife, mom to Zac and a glass artist. She also works full time as a real estate appraiser.
Glass and lampworking are an important part of Cindi’s daily routine, as lampworking and the creativity it brings is a de-stressor from the demands of a high-pressure career. The skills she’s learned in fusing, enameling and metalsmithing have allowed Cindi to produce beautiful, wearable art in both boro and soft glass. She loves the challenge of making something beautiful in the flame that retains its beauty after cooling.
A home teaching studio with eight torches has seen a flurry of activity over the years, and Cindi has introduced dozens of old friends and new, to the craft of lampworking – something that has changed little over the centuries. Today, many find themselves working in glass as a hobby or social activity, but Cindi seeks to inspire and enable those with interest in the craft, to perpetuate the flame with future generations.
Cindi was selected as the glass artist to create the 2020 Commemorative glass bead for the final year of Bead and Button. Currently, she is the Board President of the ISGB’s Detroit chapter known as GlassAct. In her leadership role with GlassAct, (officially known as SMGBG – the Southeastern Michigan Glass Beadmaker’s Guild), Cindi works with other talented and very capable artists to showcase incredible talent, celebrate lampworking, education and the love of the craft.
She has participated in numerous guilds and ISGB activities over the years and is currently leading an effort to organize the “Great Detroit Marble Hunt” to welcome the Glass Art Society to Detroit in June 2023.
“Spotlight On” is an area where we highlight one of our own. Members are encouraged to share a personal story or an adventure. To see past Spotlight articles, visit our website.
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