john pomp

last week i hopped a subway up to williamsburg to speak with one of the city's most celebrated glass artists, john pomp. i've been a fan of john's work for some time now- the way he works with color and form always brings to mind a certain sensuality that is often missing from glass these days. john has devoted his time not just to creating beautiful glass, but to creating a place where people can explore and produce their own glass. behind the pomp storefront is 160 glass, a studio that is open to anyone in the area that would like to take classes and learn more about the art of glass blowing. and this february, john is offering a special valentine's day glass blowing class where couples can come and do something different together. so, to hear more about 160 glass' classes and hear john's podcast simply click "play" below. you can hear all that john has to say about glass, the tempermental nature of contemporary design and of course, some words of wisdom (not to be missed) for design students and those looking to start their own design-based companies. enjoy!

[if you would like download the file and listen later just click here. you can also subscribe to the d*s podcast feed by signing up at itunes. just search for "design*sponge"]

[photo above from the nytimes.com and photos below from johnpomp.com]

alyssa ettinger

kristina and i often brainstorm projects together and a few weeks ago she came up with a great one: women to watch in 2007. we both decided it would be great to team up and combine our knowledge of both european and american design (she's the european, i'm the american) to create a "list" of women we feel are important to acknowledge within the design industry. this will include designers, writers, people in film, etc and even those who do more untraditional jobs within the business. we'll be interviewing each woman via email or podcast to give you a better introduction and will be sharing them on both sites. today we launch with one of my favorite designers, alyssa ettinger. based in brooklyn, alyssa creates some of the most beautiful pottery in the industry. she was kind enough to join me for lunch in park slope on saturday and let me pick her brain about running a business and finding a way to make a living doing what you love. [click here] to listen to alyssa's full podcast and here to visit the site of the women to watch in 2007 section on d*s. i'll be including links to all pieces written by kristina as well. [photos of alyssa ettinger by jennifer lévy and pottery by naheed choudhry]

[just a note: the women featured won't be only european or american, we'll of course include anyone anywhere that we feel should be acknowledged]