Robert Panepinto (p0ng)

Robert Panepinto (aka p0ng) is a multidisciplinary artist, fabricator, and educator exploring the idea of Futurecraft—his personal philosophy on where traditional, physical-craft, and digital ecosystems meet. With 30 years of experience in glassmaking, teaching, equipment fabrication, and repairs, Panepinto serves as the Studio Director at GlassRoots, an organization whose mission of community empowerment through fire and craft sits at the heart of his practice. For Panepinto, the shared experience of creation and mentorship—working alongside everyone from first-time students to master craftspeople—takes precedence over the final physical form. His digital practice remains directly tethered to his physical hands-on work. Using photos and 3D scans of his own glass sculptures and paintings, Panepinto builds digital models and artworks that retain the visceral textures, light, and history of his physical creations. Much like his past practices in glassmaking, he has found a new collaborator in working with Ai.