Gudenrath will conduct a demonstration on November 7 at 4:30 p.m. and will be involving the audience in a workshop on November 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Come see the glass art as it’s being made and participate in auctions off-the-pipe at selected demonstrations.
Local artists and Glass Axis instructors will be on hand to showcase the variety of classes available at our new location.
Classes on November 7 are first-come, first-served. No pre-registration is required, and no reservations are accepted. If you would like to take a class at another time, visit our website for more information. Gift certificates are also available.
History
In 1987, ten students and graduates of The Ohio State University Glass Program came together under the name Glass Axis. The group built a portable glass blowing studio and traveled all over Central Ohio teaching glass art, with a focus on the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools Program. Five years later, the organization (by then, 20 members strong) established a more rooted glassmaking studio in what is now Columbus’ Arena District. Since then, Glass Axis has grown to over 120 members and includes amateur and professional artists. In the summer of 2001, Glass Axis made yet another move to a larger space in the Grandview area. This space is a comprehensive glass-making facility, encompassing molten glass, casting, fusing, neon, stained glass, cold working, and torch working. The space offers first-class facilities to glass artists in all stages of development, hundreds of classes and public programs each year, exhibition and retail space, high school and college internship programs, and a work credit program to help keep artists in the studio. Glass Axis has become a civic hub for art creation and learning and is a place of cultural equity that continues to adapt and grow.
Mission: Glass Axis is a vibrant non-profit glass center dedicated to making and learning.
Vision
Glass Axis is a 10,000 sq. ft. nonprofit art center providing artists, students, and community members the tools necessary to passionately create innovative works in glass while learning, sharing, and teaching. Member artists have access to affordable glass blowing, glass fusing, torch working, cold working, stained glass and neon facilities, plus studio, exhibition, education, outreach, and income-producing opportunities all under one roof. By linking artists to the thousands of patrons that visit the art center each year for courses, demonstrations, exhibitions, and special events, Glass Axis becomes a vibrant civic hub of art production and community participation, bolstering sustainable cultural equity throughout Ohio and beyond.
Community Engagement and Cultural Equity
The Glass Axis community begins with artists that work in glass, whether professional, emerging, hobbyist, student or first-timer, and extends out into the Ohio community in general with a special focus on people with disabilities, low-income youth, and recent or soon-to-be graduates. These communities intersect and interact though public classes (over 130 annually), special events including Pumpkin Patch, preview parties, exhibitions, college and high school internships, outreach programs including the Columbus Arts Festival, partnerships with Columbus City Schools, Goodwill, Race for the Cure, and an extensive volunteer program. These interactions create an exciting community hub where all ages and classes can interact with a shared interest in art, leading to greater cultural equity. Imagine a group of seven lawyers, one of which is on our Board of Directors, attending a private glass blowing demonstration in the hot shop, while eight adults with disabilities are working together to create a stained glass sculpture. At the same time, six four-year-olds are learning about glass beads, while two professional artists are working with teams of assistants (two of which serve on our Board of Directors) to create fine art. Meanwhile, a couple is looking at glass jewelry in the gift shop, and several women who work for a domestic violence counseling center are discussing custom commission options with our facility engineer, and our Executive Director is working with a Columbus College of Art and Design intern on marketing. This is our vibrant community!
Organization Infrastructure
Over the life of our organization, our leadership and administrative infrastructure have changed, but Glass Axis is still characterized by the relationship between artist and community. In 2008, the Board of Directors began its search for an Executive Director with a strong history of art making as well as leadership. Prior to this, Glass Axis operated with a Studio Director, always someone with an exemplary art practice, but with limited leadership experience.
Currently, our Executive Director works closely with the Board of Directors to plan the actions necessary to fulfill long-term initiatives outlined in the Board-approved strategic plan. The Board meets monthly to discuss and vote on actions and expenditures within budgeted constraints. These approved actions are then distributed to appropriate committee or staff to supervise and complete, often with the help of volunteers and always with the support of the Executive Director. Committees include: Governance, Relocation, Fiscal, Education, Facilities, Public Events, and Communications. Committees report progress and take recommendations from the Board. The Board has historically been comprised primarily of emerging, amateur, and professional glass artists; however, the Board has been diversified to include educators, non-profit administrators, and pre-development professionals. Member artists are always invited to attend board meetings or meet with one of two designated ombudsmen.
Glass Axis
610 W. Town Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
+1 (614) 291-4250
hello@glassaxis.org
http://glassaxis.org
