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Paul J. Stankard: Flower & Flame

An artist inspired by his rural childhood memories captures nature's exquisite beauty in molten glass, battling dyslexia and defying critics on his way to international fame.

This stunning new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Daniel R. Collins paints an intimate portrait of New Jersey-based glass artist Paul Stankard, exploring his work, his wit, and his wisdom.

As a boy, he wanders the New England woods, inspired by the beauty that surrounds him. Fascinated by the dew on the Lady Slipper Orchid, the honeybees dancing among the daisies, the lowbush blueberries surrounding the summer marshes. He struggles through school with undiagnosed dyslexia, desperate to please his parents, and searching for life’s meaning. Then, suddenly, he discovers it: his path, his profession, his purpose.

Glass. A magical medium. Neither solid nor liquid. Within its molten core Paul J. Stankard pries open a window – revealing his memories, his faith, and his future. He trains in the craft of Scientific glass, and embarks on a fruitful career, only to find something is missing…he has a deep unsatisfied need to create. He makes a leap of faith, abandoning his chosen profession to pursue a clearer vision: to live the life of an artist, to encase nature’s wonder in crystal, and to achieve excellence and acclaim the world over.

Today, Paul Stankard is an internationally acclaimed artist and pioneer in the studio glass movement. He is considered a living master in the art of the medium, and his work is represented in more than 70 museums around the world.

  • Daniel R Collins
    Director
    Degenerate Art: The Art and Culture of Glass Pipes (SXSW 2012), From War To Wisdom (Skyline Independent Film Festival 2017)
  • David Graeber
    Producer
  • Paul J Stankard
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    documentary, art, biography
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K UHD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Jersey Shore Film Festival
    Asbury Park
    United States
    June 28, 2024
    North American Premiere
    Best Jersey Feature Documentary
  • GAS Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    May 16, 2024
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Collective Eye Films | Educational/Non-Theatrical
    Distributor
    Country: United States
Director Biography - Daniel R Collins

Daniel R. Collins has spent more than 20 years directing award-winning documentary films that examine the untold stories of innovative artists, unsung activists, and underground subcultures. He has strong roots in the glass-art community, producing work that focuses on both the American Studio Glass Movement and the often-misunderstood borosilicate pipe movement.

His work has won many awards, including a Mid-Atlantic regional EMMY Award in 2003 for Outstanding Cultural Documentary. Dan is a published poet, musician, and faculty member at the traditional-arts nonprofit organization Common Ground on the Hill (McDaniel College, Westminster, MD). He is the co-founder of the Common Ground Veterans Initiative, a program that promotes healing through the arts for combat veterans.

Recent Filmography

Paul Stankard: Flower & Flame (2024)
An intimate portrait of a living master of glass art, Paul J. Stankard.

Slinger (2023)
Documentary | 73 Minutes
Best Documentary, Carpe Diem Film Festival
A short, strange trip through the life of the influential glass artist known as Slinger.

Art That Gives Back: The Michigan Glass Project (2023)
Documentary | 89 Minutes
A dedicated crew of outsider glass artists fund art classes for children in Detroit.

Fuego: Growing a Glass Movement in Cuba
Documentary | In Production
An epic journey in search of a reclusive glassblower in the outskirts of Havana, with intentions to help start a studio glass movement in Cuba.

Project 33: An Alternative is Possible (2017)
Documentary | 80 Minutes
Oregon artist Marcel Braun, a pioneer in the glass pipe movement, creates an alternative currency with glass coins.

Degenerate Art: The Art and Culture of Glass Pipes (2012)
World Premiere SXSW Film Festival 2012
Director, Marble Slinger | Editor: Daniel Collins | Distributor: Cinetic/Filmbuff
Groundbreaking documentary about the glass pipe movement.

From War To Wisdom (2017)
Official Selection, Skyline Independent Film Festival 2019
Director/Producer/Editor: Daniel Collins / Distributor: Vision Films
When the War Ends, the Real Battle Begins. Combat veterans search for new missions and meaning after returning from the war in Iraq.

My Friend Ed: Activist and Artist Ed Asner (2014)
Best Short Documentary, NYC Indie Film Festival 2014
Producers: Hearts and Minds Film/TELEDUCTION
Director, Sharon Baker; Producer/Editor, Daniel Collins

Why I Write: The Twin Poets (2011)
2011 Silver Chris Award, Columbus International Film and Video Festival
Producers: Hearts and Minds Film/TELEDUCTION
Director, Sharon Baker; Producer/Editor, Daniel Collins
Estamos Aqui: We Are Here (2006)
Producer: TELEDUCTION
Director, Sharon Baker; Producer/Editor, Daniel Collins

With All Deliberate Speed: The Legacy of Brown v. Board (2005)
Gold Special Jury Award, Worldfest Houston
Producer: TELEDUCTION
Director, Sharon Baker; Producer/Editor, Daniel Collins

His Master's Voice: The Marvelous Talking Machine (2004)
2004 Mid-Atlantic EMMY Award
Producer: TELEDUCTION
Director, Sharon Baker; Producer/Editor, Daniel Collins

Whispers of Angels: A Story of the Underground Railroad (2002)
2002 World Gold Medal for History Programming, New York International Independent Film and Video Festival; 2002 Silver Chris Award, Columbus International Film Festival
2002 Mid-Atlantic EMMY Award Nominee
Producer: TELEDUCTION / Director, Sharon Baker; Writer, Daniel Collins

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Paul Stankard’s contributions to the American Studio Glass Movement are widely known, his achievements and accolades well documented. As he continues to innovate, create new “illusions”, and deliver some of his most monumental artwork to the world, I’m turning my lens toward Paul as a man: a father, a teacher, and a poet, as well as a celebrated glass artist.

As Paul celebrates his 80th birthday, what will his legacy be? How will his work be received by new generations of glass collectors, artists, and historians? What, in the end, matters most to this unique soul who so many look up to and love?

I have had the great honor of capturing Paul in all his authentic charm – his artistic grace, his quintessential wit and sometimes uncouth humor, his celebrations and frustrations, his existential human condition. This film is an impressionistic ode to his life’s journey, featuring intimate interviews with friends, and fellow artists. It showcases stunning scenery of Paul’s artwork, and archival imagery of his journey from a child in New England to a celebrated artist with international acclaim. More importantly, it gives this great American artist an opportunity to pass on his wisdom, and celebrate a life well lived.