Holton glass artist talks about her work and upcoming film
April Lemon began her glass art in 2010 at the age of 41 and shortly thereafter founded “More Than Lemons” with her husband John.
It’s never too late to rethink your life and start over.
April Lemon was in her early 40s working in the kitchen at the Washburn Institute of Technology. That wasn’t what she wanted to do.
So in 2010, Lemon took the plunge and pursued a career as a glassblower.
Now, 14 years later, she will appear in a new film that builds on her expertise as a glassblower.
“It’s scary, but you have to move forward and not let fear stop you from growing,” Lemon said. “You know, when you stop growing, you stop learning. When you stop growing, you die. So it’s always good to always be learning, and whether you’re doing that as an actual career change or just to better yourself, that’s great.”
“You really have to be comfortable with failing at something long enough to become good at it.”
Lemon was approached earlier this year and asked to go to St. Joseph, Missouri to star in a Joshua Brandon comedy called “25 Miles to Normal.”
Immerse yourself in the world of glassblowing
Lemon was 41 years old and had five children at home when she began her career as a glassblower at Emporia State University, and her commute to her classes took nearly two hours.
“There’s a lot to learn,” Lemon said. “I had to take all the courses because it was a regular degree, and suddenly I’m 44 and trying to do algebra. I graduated magna cum laude, but it was a lot of work. It was a big sacrifice and not just me, but my whole family, because it costs a lot of money to go to school.”
“It takes up a lot of time and there were no family holidays. That meant we didn’t go out to eat because I was investing all that time and money in an education.”
Roberta Eichenberg, a professor at Emporia State University in Lemon, said she was excited to have a non-traditional student, especially one who is so dedicated to learning.
“I just love her to death,” Eichenberg said. “I don’t see her as a student. I see her as a peer and I have a lot of respect for her and everything she’s been through and accomplished. I will continue to support her forever.”
Eichenberg also said she was very proud of Lemon’s latest film performance.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” she said. “It’s just amazing. I’m so happy for her. She was so determined to be a glassblower and they did something. They set up a mobile unit, which is nothing special. A lot of places have mobile units, but she’s on the road and that’s difficult.”
Building her company “More Than Lemons”
Shortly before Lemon graduated, she and her husband, John, purchased a building on the square to convert into a glassblowing studio. Their studio and gallery, More Than Lemons, is located at 424 Pennsylvania Ave. in Holton.
While many glassblowers have mobile studios and can thus do without the constant use of a kiln, Lemon rarely uses her studio.
“I’m one of the few people who actually travel around the country with a mobile glassblowing unit,” Lemon said. “I’ve been told I’m one of six who actually travel with such a unit.”
Over the years, the Lemons built a studio and gallery that reflected their vision. Now they teach classes, host people in an Airbnb, and host events in the gallery. They also have a second-floor loft for living.
How did a glassblower end up on a film set for Holton-Frau?
Lemon was approached by the St. Joseph Arts Organization to work on “25 Miles to Normal” because she had previously worked there with her mobile studio.
She said she felt honored to be considered for the film.
“It was really exciting just knowing that I was considered, I don’t know, fancy enough,” Lemon said. “You know what I mean? (I was) coveted for the position. It’s exciting to know that a lot of the artwork that was shown, that they filmed, was actually my artwork.”
The film requires a glassblowing studio and a glassblowing art gallery.
After Lemon expressed her interest to the arts organization, she heard from the director a month later and final plans were made. John and April Lemon traveled to St. Joseph in mid-July to work on the set.
Lemon taught glassblowing to actors, including Michelle Hurd. She also provided the studio and art gallery for the set – and even played her own role in the film.
“I played myself in the film blowing glass, which is pretty cool,” Lemon said. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very often. If you do a little research, you’ll find that there aren’t very many proper films, there are very few where people blow glass. There are documentaries and stuff, but as far as films go, there was like a James Bond film and ‘The Glassblower,’ an independent film from Europe or wherever.
“But there are very few films that actually feature people who blow glass. That’s pretty cool because the community is so small. Knowing that I’m one of the people on the shortlist is pretty awesome.”
“25 Miles to Normal” will also feature works by local artists.
Since the store was built by John Lemon, he is mentioned in the film’s credits. He was also involved in the design of the set.
While most of the glassblowing artwork used in the art galleries is Lemon’s, some of the artwork she brought with her was by other Northeast Kansas artists whose work is in her collection. Among them were Eichenberg, Lemon’s Emporia State professor, Kale Stewart, Janusz Pozniak, Annie Honn and Nic Dikin.
“It feels great,” Stewart said of her inclusion. “The glassblowing community is such a tight-knit little community that we’re constantly sharing and relying on each other. It’s great that she reached out to me and included me in her own endeavors, like the filmmaking process. I think that’s just great.”
Lemon spent five days on set working with the crew, and director Joshua Brandon gave her a big moment at the end of production by recognizing her in front of the entire crew because it was her first film.
“April is incredible,” Brandon said in a written statement. “I knew we needed the best to make our glassblowing scene work, and that’s exactly what we found in April. We all felt incredibly safe and inspired in her hands.”
“She was a real joy to work with. Not only did she set up all the equipment, make sure everything looked amazing in the film, and show actress Michelle Hurd how to work with molten glass, but April also brought us the most phenomenal pieces of glass art (some of which she had created herself, some by world-renowned artists) to decorate our set. The whole experience was a triumph. We couldn’t have made our film without her.”
“25 Miles to Normal” is expected to be released in late 2025 or early 2026.
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