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About Us DC Glassworks and Sculpture studios is a public access educational and studio facility that offers classes in glassblowing, glass casting, metal casting, and sculpture as well as access to the equipment necessary for artists to make work in blown or cast glass, aluminum, bronze, and steel. Our community consists of people from the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area and beyond. They are a diverse population whose common goal is to explore glass and the creative process. From professional artists to beginning student, traditional glassblower to mixed media artist, DC Glassworks offers a professional, safe, and well-equipped environment to explore, learn, and create.
mission At DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios, we want to inspire imagination and creativity through the practice of glassblowing. Our vision is to build a world-class glassblowing facility that will help provide opportunities for creative exploration for all persons from our diverse community. Our students are encouraged to be skilled, knowledgeable, innovative and resourceful in their work. Our belief is that art is a necessary expression that creates dialogue, empowers individuals, and promotes a greater understanding of our common experiences. DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios is committed to providing area artists and the public a place to enjoy, discover, and realize their dreams.
history DC Glassworks started from a simple idea that artists in DC needed a place to realize their work in hot glass. From the start, DC Glassworks was built to be a well maintained studio with professional equipment that was open to all persons in the dc metro area. Our original studio was located in a small garage on Capitol Hill in Northeast Washington DC. This space was just large enough to work in, but too small to realize our goal of a public access studio. In 2001, the studio was moved to Hyattsville, Maryland where a group of artists built a large glassblowing and sculpture facility. In 2002, DC Glassworks LLC was founded as an educational and public access facility. Since that time, DC Glassworks and Sculpture studios has grown to be one of the dc areas leading glassblowing and sculpture studios.
teaching philosophy Artistic exploration We view ourselves and our students as engaged in a collaborative exploration of the medium of glass. In order to produce artworks, there is a certain body of knowledge that the teacher must help the student master. But, once the student has achieved a basic level of mastery of the mechanics of glass, the processes of mold making and metal casting, or the skill of welding and fabrication, students should be free to explore, experiment, and work independently on their own
artistic vision. We believe that the most engaging and rewarding approach to the study of these materials involves viewing the material and process with a questioning mind, and to use those questions to take it somewhere else, into a place previously unknown. Whether students are interested in traditional glassblowing or contemporary sculpture, our goal is to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to be successful.
Technical skills We believe that students should have the basic technical skills to be able to explore the materials they are working with. The basic skills are gained through practice and observing the processes involved in making work from glass. Repetition, with a focus on consistency, is the best way to learn these processes. Through individualized instruction,
students learn in accordance with their own readiness and skill set. With each piece that a student creates, a greater knowledge of the material is gained. Our approach has been to provide students with a strong foundation of technical skills and information that will allow them to explore glass as a material.
Teambuilding and Group Events Whether it is a project kickoff, an executive retreat, birthday, or bachelorette party, a DC GlassWorks event offers a unique and exciting experience. The creative and friendly environment of DC Glassworks succeeds in providing both an enjoyable event and a hands-on learning experience. Working with the DC GlassWorks staff, your group is guided through a hands-on glass workshops aimed at sparking their creative energy. For corporate events, glassblowing offers a new perspective on teamwork and encourages group members to collaborate in new and different ways.
Glass Interactives It is our goal to unleash your inner artist and help you design and make your own glass art works today. Working collaboratively with an instructor, you can design and create a unique glass art piece of your own in glass. Whether you make a paperweight, drinking glass, or bowl, you will be guided through the tools, material, and process and learn firsthand what it is like to take molten glass and create your own art piece.
hot shop equipment Furnace Type: HUB MU500 free standing crucible. Capacity: 600 lb Burner: 750,000 BTU Eclipse Thermjet Controls: Watlow 981 and Protectall Safety System Door: 12”w x 10”h Batch: Spruce Pine 86
Annealers size small medium large color box
number 1 1 1 1
(w x h x d) 24” x 14” x 24” 36” x 19.5” x 22” 33.5” x 53” x 26” 17.5” x 17.5” x 9”
door(s) top front front top
Glory Holes size small medium large
number 1 3 1
deep/opening 18” / 8” 33” / 13.25” 33” / 19.75”
door(s) 1 @ 5” dia. 1 @ 6.5” dia. 1 @ 7.25” dia. / 1 @ 14.25” dia.
Other Equipment type garage pipe warmer marvers
number 1 1 3
(w x h x d) 18” x 30” 31” long various
other info 12” door n/a n/a
Metal Studio
sculpture studio
Our metal fabrication studio is available to our sculptural studio artists, students, and qualified outside artists. The facility has MIG and ARC welding equipment for steel and aluminum as well as plasma cutting and a variety of drilling, cutting, and finishing tools. The metal working studio is available for rent by the hour, day, or week depending on availability.
Mold Studio DC Glassworks and Sculpture Studios maintains a well equipped mold studio available for students and renters. Mold making and casting in many mediums is possible in the studio. Found objects, or objects prepared by artists, can be moulded and cast in a material of the artists choosing. We primarily cast in glass, aluminum, bronze, and cast iron. Our mold making studio is set up to do resin bonded sand and plaster investment molds for glass and metal. The mold studio has a wax working station with wax tools, heat sources and a various wax melters. Our largest wax melter is capable of holding approximately 60 lbs of wax. This station supports our sculpture studios and classes, but may also be rented by artists wanting to prepare waxes for casting at another facility. See our rental rates page for prices and restrictions.
Foundry DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios maintains a basic foundry for classes in casting bronze, aluminum, and iron. Our foundry classes cover furnace operation, burnout procedures, investment procedures, fluxing and pouring of molten metal, finish and treatment of metal casting. Most work done in the casting classes are made fom patterns in foundry wax or styrofoam and our classes teach the processes of, burnout, casting in metal, and finishing. Our foundry is also used by our sculptural studio artists, select outside sculptural projects, and qualified outside artists. Please contact us for more information or to join in on one of our pours.
Glory Holes Our glory holes are built with 2800 degree firebrick backed with fiberfrax blanket. The doors are cast refractory and are manually operated. We use ribbon burners to provide even heating as well as quiet and safe operation. Each glory hole is equipped with an adjustable heat shield. These glory holes are not equipped to perform reduction on glass. Out burner setup does not allow for these adjustments in any way.
small: $27.50/hr (3 hour min)
medium: $38.50/hr(3 hour min)
large: $49.50/hr (3 hour min)
Please Note: we do offer discounts for renters who sign up and pay for multiple blow slots in advance. These discounts vary depending on the number of slots rented. Please call us for more information.
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We supply Jim Moore hand tools and Blockhead/Walter Evans blocks for rental. The blow pipes available for rental were manufactured by either Spiral Arts or Steinart.
Basic Tools
Hand Tools: $8.00/session Blocks: $8.00/session Hand Tools and Blocks: $15.00/session Pipes & Punties: $8.00/session All Tools listed above: $23.00/session Flex Shaft grinders w/ Diamond bits.
Specialty Tools Garage: Propane torches: Oxy/Propane torches: Extra bench:
$15.00/session $10.00/session* $15.00/session* $10.00/session
Cold Working Equipment Fees $5.00 per Own belts/discs: $20.00 per DCGW belts/discs: $5.00 per Sandblaster - Own Gun: $30.00 per Sandblaster (hourly): Sandblaster (increment): $10.00 per Âź
hour hour hour hour hour
Metal Studio Rental Rates Studio Fee Your own tools: Our tools:
$10.00 per hour (8 hours for $40.00) $20.00 per hour (8 hours for $80.00)
Equipment Fee Arc Welder: Mig/plasma setup: Oxy-Acetylene: Forge:
$5.00/hr $25.00/hr $25.00/per ½ hour $25.00/hr
Basic Glassblowing Curriculum Beginning Glassblowing I: Intro to Hot Glass Every session, Tuesday nights 6:30-9:30 Students will learn the basic techniques of gathering, marvering, blocking, and blowing molten glass. This class will emphasize individual instruction and cover the use of traditional hand tools. The use of color will be introduced, but students will primarily work with clear glass. Beginning glassblowing I is designed for the glass student with little or no experience.
Basic Shapes Every session, Wednesday nights 6:30-9:30 Students will build on the basic skills gained in the previous class and continue working on the technical aspects of creating basic forms. The focus of this class is to reinforce basic glassblowing technique. Students will work in teams where they will learn to both blow their own forms and how to assist another glassblower. New tools and techniques such as handles and wraps are introduced. This class will give the student a higher level of comfort with the glass blowing process and allow them to realize better forms. (6 Sessions)
Color Applications Most sessions, Monday or Thursday nights 6:30-9:30
The emphasis of the color applications class is to familiarize students with different ways to apply color to blown vessels. We will be working with powders, frits & color bar for the six-week session. The instructors will demonstrate the different application procedures at the start of each class. Students will then practice these techniques on simple blown vessels, such as a cylinder or cone shape.
Cane and Murinne Periodically, Monday or Thursday nights 6:30-9:30
During this six week class students will learn the basic techniques for making and pulling colored cane and murrine. We will start by pulling individual colored canes on the proper steps and techniques for picking up the cane. We will be using cand and solid color to assemble and pull murrine cane. Both cane and murrine will then be picked up and used in finished blown pieces.
Vases with handles, bits, and prunts Periodically, Monday or Thursday nights 6:30-9:30
This class is designed to teach fundamental basics in the applying handles, bits, and prunts to vessels. Students will work on vessels of their own design from drawings or sketches. Solid and blown handles, bits and prunts will be presented and students will be encouraged to incorporate these into their original designs. When needed, the use of color will be presented and demonstrated. Students with coursework in cane/murinne can continue practicing cane roll-ups, but pulling cane/murinne will not be done during class time. Students will be encouraged to keep a sketchpad or drawing journal to document their ideas, the techniques presented and any color applications they used.
Introduction to Mold Blowing Periodically, Monday or Thursday nights 6:30-9:30
This class will be a basic overview of mold blowing processes. Students will blow into wood and metal molds and will also explore more blowing into non-traditional molds, molds that they build, or found objects that they would like to try blowing glass into. Basic mold theory and materials will be covered. The emphasis of this class is on teamwork and experimentation. Students are encouraged to explore new techniques and materials.
Bowls Periodically, Monday or Thursday nights 6:30-9:30
Low Bowls, Swedish Style Bowls, Fluted Bowls and much more!! Students will concentrate on the bowl form while pushing their skill level. With demonstrations, discussions, and hands on work time, students will learn to refine this form while exploring issues of design and color application.
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