A typical high school art class consists of learning how to draw circles, painting fruit and making ceramic bowls. Ceramics teacher Ian Fullmer, however, is striving to move away from those basic forms of art and explore the field of 3-D design — with a focus on glass-making.

“If you look at the 3-D design portfolios submitted to the board across the country, the students are very rarely primarily using ceramics,” Fullmer said.

But with new ideas come new problems. Oak Park only has two kilns made specifically for firing ceramic creations, and firing glass takes twice as long as ceramics.

On top of that, the classroom may be too small for this ambitious dream. Having materials for ceramics in the same area as the glass may allow for small particles of plastic, wood or clay to get mixed into the glass, thus causing impurities.

To solve this problem, Fullmer proposed that the school build an outdoor studio, which will open space up for glass-making; this space would also create opportunities to incorporate mediums such as plaster and metal into the sculptures.

Along with making the cool creations, the students who take this class will learn about the chemistry of glass (mineral content and thermal expansion).

“Different glasses have different coefficients. They have different silica and lead content and don’t mix together,” Fullmer said.

Learning about the chemistry allows the students to have a full understanding of the material they are working with and it may help in their science classes.

“I am looking forward to expanding my artistic abilities through this blending of art and science that Mr. Fullmer wants to bring to Oak Park,” senior Malika Khamidova said.

Fullmer began making stained glass when he was 17 years old. He then went on to receive degrees in sculpture and glass design and worked with kids in camps, daycares and studios before becoming a teacher.

“Glass is a passion of mine, and I want to share that with other people,” Fullmer said. “I want to have a unique program here that no other school has in the country, and I believe I can do that, but it’s going to take some time.”