Cold furnace means end of Arkansas' Bluebirds of Happiness

DURHAM -- The Bluebirds of Happiness from Terra Studios have found perches in the hearts and homes of people throughout the world, but creation of the iconic glass keepsake will soon end, at least for a while.

Leo Ward first created the small glass figurine at Terra Studios near Durham, in Washington County. Ward died in October 2017.

More than 8 million of the handmade birds have been sold since the early 1980s, according to Terra Studios. The tourist attraction site offers art classes, glass-blowing demonstrations, and a gallery that features arts and crafts from area artists.

Using Art to Create a Better World, the nonprofit that owns Terra Studios, is suspending production of the bluebirds in January when it turns off its gas furnace in an act of environmental responsibility, according to James Ulick, president of the nonprofit.

Each bluebird is a rich, translucent blue and is individually created by the studio's glass blowers, Ulick said. Every figurine has a unique appearance and characteristics.

The gas furnace runs 24 hours a day for up to a year at a time as part of the manufacturing process, Ulick said. The furnace burns about 1 million cubic feet of natural gas annually, he said.

"Once you turn a glass furnace on, you don't turn it off until the 300-pound pot inside it cracks," Ulick said of the crucible, in which glass can be melted or exposed to high temperatures.

The idea of turning off the furnace was raised about a year ago when the nonprofit created the Better World mural on the property, Ulick said. The mural features images by 19 artists highlighting sustainable development practices.

"We realized we were being rather hypocritical," he said regarding the mural's message in light of the amount of gas the furnace burns.

It was then that he and his wife, Val Gonzalez, the nonprofit's executive director, decided to reduce Terra Studios' energy footprint.

The studio produces 100-125 bluebirds a day, Gonzalez said. The furnace runs at 2,000 degrees at all times and is used to make all of the studio's glass products, including the Pink Bird of Hope and dragon's egg figurines.

The bluebirds cost from $11 to $26 each, she said.

Production of all glass products will stop when the furnace is turned off, Gonzalez said.

"We realized there's nothing else we can do that has that kind of impact," Ulick said regarding turning off the furnace.

Mark Gross of West Fork visited Terra Studios with his wife, Carol, recently to buy a basketful of the bluebirds while they still can.

"We'd like to give them as gifts," he said. "They're sort of a Northwest Arkansas icon."

The studio has enough inventory to sell bluebirds through 2020, Ulick said.

He said that since their creation, the bluebirds have been popular as gifts.

"They went to presidents. They went to heads of state. They are still the go-to gift," he said.

Bruce Welsh of Silver City, N.M., stops by Terra Studios when he travels to Northwest Arkansas several times a year. He said he understands the decision to stop production of the bluebirds to decrease the nonprofit's energy footprint.

"I can agree with what they're doing, but the bluebirds are such a tradition," he said, noting that he's seen them displayed in galleries in his home state.

A vast majority of the bluebirds are sold online through Terra Studios' website and Amazon.com, Ulick said. A small number are sold through distributors with which Terra Studios has had a long-standing relationship, he said.

Ulick said production of the bluebirds may resume sometime in the future, but it could take five to 10 years to find an energy-responsible alternative to the gas furnace.

Electricity is a readily accessible option that isn't practical for producing the bluebirds, he said. And "it would take too large of a solar field to run something as energy-intensive" as the furnace.

Terra Studios' next steps toward sustainability will include putting a more energy-efficient roof on the studio, upgrading the building's insulation and improving the furnaces that heat the building, Ulick said.

Glass-blowing demonstrations have always been popular at Terra Studios, he said, and will be replaced with alternatives.

Demonstrations for painting, and making pottery and jewelry are under consideration, Ulick said.

Creating artist work spaces where the public can view the creative process are also possibilities.

The bluebirds will be made through the end of the year, and Ulick encouraged people to stop by Terra Studios to see the process.

"There's going to be a lot of anxiety about us stopping producing them," he said. "We wanted to give people as much of an opportunity as possible to come and see them."

SundayMonday on 11/24/2019