Using powder glass and the power of the kitchen freezer, you'll mold glass elements (blossoms, leaves, and stems one day and during the second session you'll compose them onto a base sheet of glass for a second firing. Hang it in a window or frame it on a wall.

• All tools, materials, and heat (Two-kiln-firings included) provided.

Doug Ostroff will introduce you to his mobile glass studio and will demonstrate the basic process of glass blowing and sculpting of this wonderful material that will be around 2100 F degrees. Students will have the opportunity to make a cup and a chile pepper with an instructor. All materials are included with the class. Doug has 25 years of glass blowing experience and has been teaching glass blowing for 10 years to kids 12 to 85 years old.

Join us for a FREE artist talk from acclaimed glass artist Dori Settles and hear about her work and artistic journey. We will also see the work from the students in Dori’s Pate de Verre class exhibited and celebrated

A glass tapestry is a, primarily decorative, fused glass art form that mimics the texture of woven fabric, created by layering, cutting, and kiln-firing hundreds or thousands of, thin glass threads (stringers)

Some experience in cutting glass is required for this class.

These little fused glass bowls trap light and color. You'll make two 6” x 6” bowl overs. So fun to compose the colored shards on a clear base sheet. They'll be fired twice: fused and then draped in the kiln.

• All tools, materials, and heat (Two-kiln-firings included) provided.

Join us for the free artist talk from internationally renowned glass artist Lucy Lyon, who will discuss her work and her artistic journey.

Decorative Glass Art Tour

Glass has been decorated since it was first formed.  An ABQ resident in the Northeast Heights has collected over 2000 pieces of art glass from the Victorian era to today in preparation for an upcoming book, "Glass Decorative Techniques: A Historical Perspective."  The tour will focus on how artists have decorated glass through different time periods and how the use of glass techniques changed because of new discoveries and societal expectations.

Tim Carey is a talented, yet unknown Los Angeles-based artist. He is also a bit of a jackass, who uses wit and humor to charm you into forgiving his flaws. As a Hail Mary, Tim and the company he works for, Judson Studios, bluff their way into winning the commission to make the world’s largest stained-glass window of its kind, beating out 60 companies from around the globe. The problem is, Tim has no idea how to make his wild and complicated design.

After a desperate search, Tim comes to learn about someone who might have the answer… a world-famous, Italian glass maestro named Narcissus Quagliata, who has a special way of making glass do things Tim didn’t know were possible. From the moment Narcissus arrives, Tim quickly learns that his personal talent and humor can only take him so far. If he has any chance of making it to the end of the project and potentially achieve greatness, he must confront his laziness, passive artistic aspirations, limited business instincts and spiritual insecurities. He must drop his ego and submit to the life and artistic lessons of a complicated master, who has long preceded him in greatness.

As this documentary unfolds, the clash of two big personalities slowly transforms into the forging of a lasting friendship. Both mentor and protégé́ come to realize it will take their combined focus to overcome the 3-year race-against-time, the complications of a $1.2 billion class-action lawsuit, and the many obstacles that emerge when attempting a masterpiece.

 Even though the story takes place within the niche world of an ancient art-form, it gives a universally fun, heartfelt, and comedic look into the drama of any human endeavor that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The first session will take place at Mitch Berg’s south valley Fuego studio, selecting, designing and welding metal scrap to form a sculptural base for your work. Session 2 takes place at The Groove, where we’ll fuse glass to fit your sculptural vision!

Join us for this free “Make & Take” mosaic activity, in conjuction with the NM Glass Arts Festival.

Whether you’re an experienced glass artist or just beginning your journey, this is the class for you! Modeling Glass has been quietly revoluFonizing fused glass for several years. You’ll learn about the incredible creative potential of this product from the artist who developed it, Lois Manno. She will demonstrate how to properly mix a batch of Modeling Glass and use it to make dimensional shapes without a ring saw. Each student will mix their own batches of Modeling Glass to create a dynamic blue jay design (template provided, but students will be able to customize their piece). Students will also learn how to work with silicone molds and MG. The second project will utilize Modeling Glass to make colorful plant imprints using fresh foliage and flowers. Perfect for the glass artist at any skill level who is curious about learning new techniques that will help them achieve effects that currently require either complex mold-making or expensive equipment. Project sheets with firing schedule and other materials will be provided. Lois will have a table full of fired samples demonstrating the many ways Modeling Glass can be used to make unique works of glass art and will discuss how they were made. These are always a source of lively Q&A. The possibilities of Modeling Glass are endless…see for yourself!

Learn how glass artists pull murrini and cane for use in glass projects, including mosaic and fusing.

Learn the historical art of creating intricate jewelry using tiny tesserae of multiple kinds.  This hands-on course will teach you how to cut materials, use them effectively in a design, and set them into metal bezels. You will leave with two finished, wearable artpieces of your own design.

Class topics:

* The history of the micro mosaic

* How to design a graphic micro mosaic using paper and colored pencils.  

* How to cut micro mosaic materials: smalti, filati, millefiori, beads, and mini tiles.  

* How to use specialized adhesives to attractively set your tesserae

No prior experience is necessary, and all tools and materials are provided.

Tweezers are necessary for this method and will be provided.  If you have a favorite pair (like I do!) it would be good to bring it to class. 

Also, there will be close up work so if you need visual assistance tools these would be helpful as well.