Nourot Glass Invited to Oscars 2009

Benicia's Nourot Glass Studio may be off to Hollywood next month. The studio has been asked to participate in the VIP Suite at the annual Oscar celebration.
Celebrity watchers are aware of the famed gift bags nominees and other stars are given in the parties that run up to the awards ceremony.
The Nourot family of glass artists is being asked to give away their works to the nominees and other movie stars who attend the Oscars.
Catch 22 is there is a huge fee to participate. Since participation will certainly bring new nationwide notoriety for Nourot Glass and the whole Benicia artist community the artists are hatching a plan.
GBK Productions, charges between $5000 and $10,000 to participate in the Oscar Suite. This year's suite will be February 19--21 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Past guests to the GBK Oscars Suites last year included Debra Messing, Geena Davis, Paula Abdul, Teri Hatcher, Kathy Griffin, Mario Lopez, Kevin Dillon, Seth Green, Tim Daly, and Kim Kardashian.
"We didn't intend to meet this expense so early in the year", says Micheal Nourot, "and considering how slow businesses right now, truthfully, I initially said no way can we make it work. But after considering the amount of attraction an A-list celebrity endorsement could bring, we are going to try to find some sponsors."
Small Hollywood glass stars engraved with the studio name will be sold for $10 each to anyone who would like to help sponsor the Nourot studio at the Oscars. The studio invites service groups to request a speaker from the studio. Valentine's Day perfume bottle in the "Optic" style will also be sold at the Nourot Studio with proceeds going to fund the Hollywood trip.
The Nourot studio will have to be creating a special small piece that can be a "take away" free gift for the Oscar nominees and other celebrities. "It would be great to give away a glass heart or a perfume bottle or a mini vase that would fit in the gift bags," says Ann Corcoran, wife of the famed glassmaker. The studio deliberated over whether free giveaways were a good idea during these difficult times. But glass artists who have previously exhibited in the VIP guest suite at the Oscars have come away with large commissions of many thousands of dollars for other large works. It is just this plum that the Nourot studio, wishes is to pull out of the Oscar pie.
A wealthy patron has already put up a large initial deposit in a special Nourot Oscar bank account at Wells Fargo Bank in the Raley's supermarket. Benicians who would like to help send Nourot studio to the Oscars can make a donation there or purchase a small blue heart of glass for $10 each at the shop at 675 East H Street. Every person who donates will be commemorated on a special Oscar glass award that will be on permanent display in the studio's vault later in the year.
Oscar Suite weekend is February19 to 21st. The ceremony itself, the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be held at on Sunday February 22nd.