The BARN Glass Studio is a regional center for fused glass, stained glass, torchworking, coldworking, and glass mosaics. We’re a community of glass artisans, a learning center, and a fully-equipped shop for warm and cold glass work.
Learn: Beginner and advanced classes
Ready to learn? All classes are open to members and non-members alike. Many are beginner friendly, while others help experienced glass artisans master new techniques. Enroll in an upcoming class.
Make: Open studio access
Want to work on your own projects? The Glass Studio is available for members and non-members to use during Open Studio times. To gain access to Open Studios first register for a free Glass Studio Orientation.
Meet: Tour the studio
Just curious? We love new faces! Come say hi and see what’s going on at the Glass Studio with a short studio tour.
Fused Glass
Forming and fusing glass in a kiln lets you play with light, color, and heat to fabricate gorgeous pieces of art. Whether it’s functional pieces like a plates, bowls, vases, and tiles or decorative items like garden art, sculpture, and wall hangings, kiln-formed glass gives you the power to create your own unique work.
The Glass Studio has seven kilns available. An expansive Paragon Pearl 4426 with a 42″ x 24″ shelf, taller Paragon GL24 and Paragon CS-26 kilns great for drop vases and 3-D pieces, two Paragon Bluebird XL kilns for smaller pieces and two Paragon Calderas vitrigraph kilns for pulling your own stringer, rod, and other decorative elements. Use our collection of over one hundred slumping moulds to form your work.
Studio members can reserve a kiln for personal use. Members, non-members, and students in a fused glass class can leave ready-to-fire pieces with the studio to be fired by a studio kiln monitor.
Stained Glass
With ancient roots and a tradition refined in the middle ages, stained glass is a beautiful way to express your artistic and engineering skills. Conceive your own designs or assemble a stunning piece from an inspiring pattern.
Bring your own glass or peruse the studio’s collection to find exactly the right piece. Spread out under the ventilation hood on our eight-person work table to solder and use our grinders and ring saws to get your pieces into shape.
Beginner and advanced stained glass classes are open to members and non-members alike. Bring your own projects to work on during open studio once you’ve completed a Glass Studio Orientation, or schedule a studio tour to check things out.
Torchworking
Use the 4,000 degree flame of your liquid oxygen / propane torch to collect a gather of molten glass. Shape it into a bead, pendant, marble, or sculpture. Blow it to create ornaments, decorations, or functional pieces. Play with fire to melt, combine, shape, blow, and twist your work into shape.
The Glass Studio has eight Bethlehem Alpha torch stations at the main work table. Fed by liquid oxygen and propane, they’re perfect for working small, medium, or large works of soft glass or small to medium works of borosilicate glass. Our two Paragon Bluebird XL kilns stand by for garaging in-process work and annealing finished pieces. Torch stations include tools like marvers, paddles, tweezers, picks, and didymium safety glasses.
Torchworking classes are open to members and non-members alike. Those who have completed a Glass Studio Orientation and passed our torch safety and use evaluation may use the torches during open studio. Just curious about flameworking at the Glass Studio? Schedule a studio tour.
Coldworking
Heat is great, but it can’t do everything. Coldworking tools and techniques let us cut, grind, sand, and polish our work to a professional finish.
The Glass Studio’s coldworking room includes a Husqvarna 14″ masonry saw, an HIS Glassworks 4″ x 106″ wet belt sander, a Covington Engineering 24″ lap grinder, as well as smaller grinders and ring saws.
Coldworking classes are open to members and non-members alike. Those who have completed a Glass Studio Orientation and passed our coldworking safety and use evaluation may use the heavy coldworking equipment at an open studio. Just curious about the equipment? Schedule a studio tour.
Glass Mosaics
Humans have used colored glass, ceramic, or stone to create mosaic art for over 4,000 years. Today’s artists cover practical and decorative surfaces as small as an erring or as large as a house.
We have a wide variety of mosaic tools, equipment, and supplies, including scrap glass available for making mosaics.
Mosaic classes are open to members and non-members alike. Those who have completed a Glass Studio Orientation and passed our mosaic safety and use evaluation may use the mosaic tools and equipment at an open studio. Just curious? Schedule a studio tour.
Studio Equipment
Kilns:
- Paragon Pearl 4426, 42″ wide x 24″ long x 13″ deep
- Paragon GL24, 24″ wide x 22.5″ long x 15″ deep
- Paragon CS-26, 26″ wide x 26″ long x 13.5″ deep
- 2x Paragon Bluebird XL, 20″ wide x 8″ long x 4.5″ deep
- 2x Paragon Caldera vitrigraphs
Torches:
- 8x Bethlehem Alpha oxygen/propane torches
- 2x Bethlehem Bravo oxygen/propane torches
Coldworking equipment
- Husqvarna 14″ masonry saw
- HIS Glassworks 4″ x 106″ wet belt sander
- Covington Engineering 24″ lap grinder
- 2x Inland grinders
- 2x Taurus ring saws
Other equipment
- 100+ Slumping moulds
- Ventilated 10-bench central work table
- Cutting table & mats, beetle cutters, Delphi strip cutter, circle cutters, hand cutters
- Large selection of hand and tools and safety equipment
Contact the Glass Studio
Email the studio at [email protected], leave a voicemail at 206-842-4475, ext. 212, or schedule a free studio tour to swing by.
