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Benzaiten Showdown

December 13, 2025

Benzaiten is the Japanese goddess of arts and learning and her influence was clearly felt on December 12th at the creative arts center named in her honor in Lake Worth Beach. WMODA was proud to sponsor the South Florida Showdown at the Benzaiten Center for the Arts, starring George Kennard from the Corning Glass Studio. Guests enjoyed a spectacular evening of glass blowing, sculpting and live music among fellow lovers of the Fired Arts.

JoAnne Berkow, the founder of Benzaiten, regularly invites leading international glass artists to demonstrate in Florida, and at this event, George Kennard was supported by several local talents, whose work is on display at WMODA. Rob Stern, Brenna Baker and Josh Fradis contributed to the massive sea life vessel blown by the Showdown team. Grace Chepenik, Benzaiten’s hot shop manager, kept everyone engaged with her expert commentary throughout the evening.

George Kennard has been teaching and demonstrating glass blowing at Corning since 2001 and is famous for his life-size snow family and the world’s largest glass pumpkin. He specializes in the Murano incalmo technique, in which two blown glass bubbles are joined to create distinct bands of color. At Benzaiten, George blew a massive vessel assisted by Chadd Lacy, Benzaiten Director of Operations, who specializes in flameworked glass.

While they enthralled the audience with the sheer scale of the covered vessel, Rob Stern, renowned for glass shells and coral formations, was creating a habitat for the sea creatures being sculpted by the other team members. To adorn the lid of the piece, Brenna Baker made one of her Reef Racer fish, Josh Fradis made a stingray, and Charlyn Reynolds made a stunning blue crab. It all came together in one incredible piece of art, bringing to life the vibrant underwater world that is Florida’s backyard. We can’t wait to see the finished work of art created at the South Florida Showdown.

Among the VIP guests who were captivated by the expertly choreographed glass performance were Ken Evans, President of the WMODA board; Bruce Helander, distinguished artist, author and art critic; Sergio Gnesin, Murano glass specialist; and Jennifer Adams, interior designer of the new WMODA museum being built in Lake Worth Beach.

Our Executive Director & Curator, Louise Irvine, introduced the audience to WMODA, and invited Benzaiten fans to visit the museum in Hollywood, just 45 minutes south of the creative arts center. She also announced that WMODA is proud to host Benzaiten members and supporters on May 2, 2026, for an art field trip to view the world-class display of Chihuly and other modern masters in the museum’s Hot Glass Gallery.

The sea theme is always popular in Florida, and WMODA is currently preparing for our very own Splash exhibition, featuring highlights from the museum’s collection, opening in February 2026. The show will include Rob Stern’s giant glass shells, Josh Fradis’ jellyfish, turtles, and waves (which are best sellers in the Museum Shop), and Brenna Baker’s tropical fish, which she creates at her Hollywood Hot Glass studio, just ten minutes from WMODA.

The creative sparks are flying, and we look forward to the next WMODA-sponsored event with our friends at Benzaiten, on February 19th and 20th, when Jason Christian from the Chihuly studio in Seattle comes to town for a meet-the-artist dinner and blowout. This is just the beginning of a beautiful partnership, and we look forward to many more amazing opportunities to work with our friends at the Benzaiten Center for the Arts.