Flying first glass

Smith was approached by a Sri Lankan businessman earlier this year about creating a studio in Colombo, the nation’s capital. This is not a permanent move — Smith has no intention of abandoning his Lansing headquarters — but more of an exploratory move, testing the viability of a long-term satellite studio.

As part of the agreement, Smith is not yet able to share the name of his benefactor, but he said that it is not a name most Americans would recognize. (“Can you name any businessmen from Sri Lanka?” he asked me, with a laugh.)

The businessman first encountered Smith’s work at Disney World’s Epcot Center, where Smith’s work was part of its International Flower and Garden Festival.

The businessman was deeply impressed by the work and reached out to Smith.

“He said he had never seen anything like it,” Smith said.

As the conversation progressed, the businessman offered to foot the bill for a Sri Lankan glass studio. The new studio will include all of the same equipment as Smith’s Lansing studio; the businessman is purchasing kilns and glass-making tools from Bullseye Glass Co. in Portland, Ore., and having them shipped to Sri Lanka.

Smith and two of his employees will spend three weeks in Sri Lanka in October — he calls it an “introductory trip” — and he has contracted to make a number of pieces. A few of the pieces will be reproductions of pieces he has already made, and at least one will be a new creation in spired by the flora and fauna of Sri Lanka. Beyond that, much of the trip is still up in the air.

“We’re going to figure out the details when we get there,” Smith said.

Sri Lanka only recently emerged from a 26-year-long civil war, but it has since become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This influx of money has created a new opportunities for Western businesses — and artists like Smith — to get an economic foothold in the region.

Smith is hoping that this develops into a long-term relationship and that the Sri Lanka location can become a satellite studio for his work. At his Lansing studio, Smith already has two employees who handle much of the day-to-day creation of pieces, while Smith develops new ideas and techniques.

“It’s complicated, but I know it is possible to train others to do this,” Smith said. “I would like to be research and development instead of making the glass itself. I’m happiest when I’m making something new.”

Using this approach, Smith said, he could train artisans in Sri Lanka to create his signature style of glass art, and then he could oversee the work from a distance.

“My goal is to develop lines of work that can be produced there,” Smith said. “I have a lot of ideas.”

If this collaboration goes well, Smith believes it could be a model for future satellite studios. He is excited about the possibility of overseeing multiple glass studios, each with its own team of trained artisans. For now, however, Smith is looking forward to his Sri Lankan trip and a chance to share his art on the other side of the globe.

“My career has given me opportunities I never could have imagined,” said Smith. “I get to bring my art to a whole new part of the world.”