This class is designed for students who are considering pursuing glassblowing and want to take the first steps to making functional and art glass. It offers a longer class format than "Introduction to Glassblowing" and consists of 14 hours over four sessions. Students will concentrate on making foundational forms (eg a tumbler and/or small vase) to learn the following:

The properties and behavior of molten glass;
How to properly gather molten glass on a blowpipe;
The use of hand tools to shape the glass;
How to add color to the glass to jazz up your piece;
To consistently "pop" a bubble to start the blown piece;
How to use gravity to shape the glass;
How to shape a cylinder with a flat bottom;
How to transfer your piece from the blowpipe to a punty;
How to trim and shape the open the end of the vessel; and
How to finish the piece and prepare it for the annealer.

Students will make several pieces to take home.

Students will work in a 2-person team, alternating between the glass blower (gaffer) and the important role of assisting the gaffer.

This class will be conducted on two different days in two consecutive weeks (4 classes) for a total of 14 hours in the studio. This class posting is for the weekday sessions Mar 31 (Tuesday) and Apr 2 (Thursday) and Apr 7 (Tuesday) and Apr 9 (Thursday) from 5:30pm to 9pm each day.

Prior experience is not necessary, but is encouraged. See our "Introduction to Glassblowing" class. Students with prior experience can begin work on other vessel forms ((eg bottles or bowls) or explore color and surface decoration as time permits.

Blow pipes will be sterilized between each use.

Eye protection will be provided as needed . Also, students should not wear loose-fitting clothes nor clothes made of synthetic fabric (these melt easily).

Age Limit- 14 years old, minimum.

Required Minimum Class Size - 2 students

To practice what you learn, you can join "Open Studio" sessions Liberty Arts conducts on weekends and you can rent the glass studio on an hourly basis. You can also schedule private instruction with one of Liberty Arts’ instructors. See website for details

Beginner Glassblowing, a fundamentals class