Firefest is a two-day celebration of incredible glass, ceramic, and metal art here at Starworks! April 4 & 5, 2025 the public is invited to attend fiery demonstrations, hands on workshops, tours, and artist talks with internationally recognized artists. Starworks will also host food trucks, live music, and a special exhibition during the event.

General Admission is $10 per day | Kids 12 and under receive general admission access at no cost!

Workshops are optional and require additional registration and payment.

Click here for tickets & workshops

Click here to preview the schedule of events

meet your 2025 firefest artists

Janina Myronowa

Janina Myronowa received her MFA at the Lviv National Academy of Fine Arts (Lviv, Ukraine) in 2012, an MFA at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Wroclaw, Poland) in 2013, and her PhD at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Wroclaw, Poland) in 2019. Continually developing her work and practice, she has attended numerous residencies including opportunities’ at The Clay Studio (Philadelphia, USA); Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, USA); Northern Clay Center (Minneapolis, USA); New Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum (New Taipei, Taiwan); Clayarch Gimhae Museum (Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea); Lefebvre and Fils (Paris, France); International Ceramic Research Center (Guldagergaard, Denmark); International Ceramics Studio (Kecskemet, Hungary).

Cedric Mitchell

Cedric Major Mitchell, a Los Angeles-based glass artist originally from Oklahoma, honed his skills while studying business at Tulsa Community College. Quickly transitioning from student to apprentice and instructor at The Tulsa Glassblowing School, he furthered his education under mentor Joe Cariati in Los Angeles.

Cedric’s glass practice is deeply influenced by the innovative spirit of Post-Modernism. Through vibrant colors and intricate arrangements, he creates visually captivating sculptures and objects that embody both beauty and meaning. Drawing inspiration from street art and cherished childhood memories, Cedric’s work transcends boundaries to offer a profound representation of the human experience.

Cedric founded "Cedric Mitchell Design" in 2018, a creative endeavor dedicated to crafting stunning blown glass for retailers nationwide. He was the first glassblowing parter of NIKE, and has held prestigious residencies such as with Corning Museum of Glass.

Cedric’s time at Starworks is being funded in part by a grant from the Artist Alliance for Contemporary Glass. Thank you AACG for the support!

Paul Spainhour

Paul Spainhour started blacksmithing while attending his first class in 2006. He studied at Penland School of Crafts, learning from blacksmiths, Jeffery Funk and Maria Christalli. Paul trained at John C. Campbell Folk School with Dale Morse and Paul Garette. Also, Paul has worked as an assistant instructor for Gary Roath at JCCFS. Paul is an active member of the local, state, and national chapters of ABANA, the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America. Paul has taught numerous blacksmithing workshops and given private lessons in the Winston-Salem area. His work has been exhibited in galleries across the state of North Carolina and the gallery at the ABANA national conference. His exhibited in May 2021 at Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, NC. After retirement as a mechanical contractor, Paul has taken his interest in blacksmithing to a fulltime business. He specializes in forged iron sculpture and architectural iron. He was recently involved in the reconstruction of an 1800’s iron gate for the Cooleemee Plantation entrance.

Tripp Jarvis

Tripp Jarvis is a resident artist at Liberty Arts Studio and Foundry in Durham, NC; as well as Program Director for Josh’s Hope Foundation, a non-profit that provides work readiness training for young adults with mental health diagnosis and/or substance use in industrial arts skills. He received his MFA from East Carolina University and studied abroad at the Estonian Academy of Art in Tallinn, Estonia.

His works have been exhibited in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and across the US. He has taught at East Carolina University, Craven Community College, and Durham Technical Community College. The Hope James Foundation produced the documentary “Temple of the Heart”, by filmmaker Ajit Anthony which features Tripp and the healing journey he discovered through art and strives to educate and inspire all those who are affected in any way by trauma and mental health issues.

Thompson’s artwork has been exhibited in prominent galleries and museums, including the Mindy Solomon Gallery, the Society for Contemporary Crafts, Baltimore Clayworks, and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Her work is in collections across the U.S., New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. She has completed public commissions and has been an artist-in-residence at Medalta Ceramic Center (Canada), Guldagergaard (Denmark), and the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences.

In addition to her artistic practice, Thompson has held leadership roles at Texas Tech University, Mississippi State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to shape the next generation of artists while maintaining her studio practice in Charlotte, NC.

Lydia Thompson

Lydia C. Thompson is a mixed media artist and professor in the Department of Art & Art History at UNC Charlotte. She earned her BFA from The Ohio State University and MFA from the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work spans ceramics and mixed media, and she has received numerous accolades, including a Fulbright Hays grant to study traditional architecture in Nigeria, a Windgate Distinguished Fellow for Innovation in Craft, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and South Arts.

Sean Kengla

Sean Kengla started making glass in 2005 in Cary, NC. His passion to create became a way to supply friends and family with unique works and eventually support himself through art. Customizing commissions from realistic sculptures to jewelry has kept the fire lit and the dream alive.

Also featuring demos, workshops, and/or work from:

Starworks Glass - Joe Grant, Megan Lange, Clayton Benefiel, Sarah Band, Yana Artemov, Aaron Muntner, Peter Tietbohl

Starworks Ceramics - Takuro Shibata, Ryan Osbourne, Nina Rominger, Sarah Dassouki, Reese Nguyen, David Kwak

Starworks Metal - Mac Metz

Special thanks to Eddie Bernard (Kid’s Draw It, We Make It Artist) & Dan Metz (Scratch Mold Supervisor)

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email communications@starworksnc.org

This project was supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.