Glass

CHILDREN AT Fulton Elementary School have spent the past month learning about balance, symmetry, colors and white space. Sounds like a typical art curriculum, except that no paints, pastels or markers were involved. Instead, these lucky pupils learned visual art concepts through a quite different medium: stained glass. Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders worked under the tutelage of glass artisan Mark Carson, a resident of Jessup and owner of Timeless Stained Glass Studio in Columbia. He teamed up with art teacher Jeff Dombek as part of the school's Artist in Residence program, organized through the PTA's Cultural Arts Committee.

Love the pattern. Love the colors. Really love the guy. With a personality as pitchable as his product line, Michael Weems, a gregarious stemware designer from Baltimore, is a branding strategist's dream. Despite no formal artistic training, Weems, 38, has transformed himself in little more than 10 years from a downsized financial manager to a rising star in an industry ruled by a "you are what you sell" philosophy. Today, Weems' collection of festive crystal and glassware, blown in Europe and etched here in a pattern inspired by 16th century Italian tapestry, can be found in Neiman Marcus, Geary's of Beverly Hills and hundreds of other retailers.

There's good news for summertime antiquers left high and dry in hot collecting fields. Collectors thirsting for good values and available merchandise are licking their lips over vintage drinking glasses and toasting an extraordinary new exhibit at the Corning (N.Y.) Museum of Glass, "Liquid Refreshment: 2,000 Years of Drinks and Drinking Glasses," which helps make crystal clear the sometimes cloudy history of cups, tumblers, pilsners, cordials and flutes. From rare ancient Roman glass drinking "horns" suitable for a bacchanalian feast, to the millions of comic character glasses given away by fast-food chains or gas stations, there are collectible glasses to suit any taste.

The mosaic and glass artwork and jewelry created by Anne Arundel Community College students and instructors, on exhibit on the Arnold campus, are well beyond any ordinary arts and crafts categorization. They are eye-popping revelations of the life-enhancing possibilities available through art studies at the college. Linda Elliott, who produced the remarkable mosaic art "Etruscan Urn," has been taking art classes at the college for years. She is contemplating retirement as an educational therapist and hopes to "devote more time to arty endeavors."

Some children sought advice, others worked quickly, confident of their designs and color choices. Peihao Yu, 10, of Woodstock did not speak to his classmates, as he was too busy gluing dozens of light-brown tiles to form the base of snow-capped mountains. A bald eagle flew over them. "Don't rush. We have plenty of time," art teacher Mark Carson said, noticing that Peihao was plowing through his assignment. Peihao and his classmates, ages 9 to 11, were part of the two-week art glass studio class at Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City.

Charles Lee Whittington, a retired treasurer of the old Maryland Glass Corp,, died of congestive heart failure Tuesday at Broadmead retirement community in Cockeysville. The longtime Stoneleigh resident was 94. Born in Marion Station in Somerset County, he earned a degree at what is now McDaniel College. He worked near Paw Paw, W.Va., in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He was later a newspaper carrier for The Sun. Mr. Whittington attended the Johns Hopkins University and became a certified public accountant in 1954.

A glass window ornament that fire officials believe reflected sunlight so strongly that it ignited curtains and started a house fire is the subject of a $728,000 lawsuit filed in Howard County Circuit Court.The 1988 fire, which started in a Columbia condominium, spread to two neighboring units and caused $664,000 in damage.The residents of the fire-damaged homes, two insurance companies,and the Woodford Condominium Association have filed suit against themanufacturer and merchant who sold the ornament.

On radio, This American Life is a treasure - a brilliantly conceived form of quirky, true-life storytelling that has spawned a host of imitators and stands with the finest work the medium has delivered. But on TV last year, not so brilliant. While the first season on Showtime was promising, mistakes were made - even host and executive producer Ira Glass says so. Information This American Life begins its second season at 10 p.m. Sunday on Showtime. Tonight's live event starts at 8. For ticket information, contact Bel Air Cinema Stadium 14 at 410-569-8276 or Snowden Square Stadium 14 at 410-872-0670, or go to fathomevents.

Inaugural balls weren't the only action last night in Washington. A good-sized crowd turned out at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for something different - the world premiere of Symphony No. 7 by Philip Glass and a collection of German folk poetry set to music by Gustav Mahler. Full of strongly evocative sounds, yet firmly rooted in the minimalist principles that propel all of his works, the new 35-minute, three-movement Glass piece aims high. The subtitle, A Toltec Symphony, refers to the ancient culture that thrived in the area from Texas and New Mexico down to Central America.

I'm planning a trip to Italy to visit Venice and Florence with my daughter. She is a glass blower and would like to take a factory tour and a class or workshop. Can you help us with ideas? You and your daughter will enjoy Venice and the island of Murano, famous for its glass-blowing artisans. Neither we nor the Italian Tourist Office were able to find classes for your daughter, but she'll get to watch craftsmen at work on Murano. Many factories are connected to glassware shops and are open to the public.