Glass Workshops
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2020 Workshop Season Update, In light of the uncertainty stemming from the novel Coronavirus pandemic, Touchstone Center for Crafts has made the difficult decision to cancel all scheduled programming for our 2020 season. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus again when it is safe to do so! For facts surrounding this decision and to read the announcement from our Executive Director and Board President, Click here.
2020 Schedule
New in 2020!
Sampler Weekend | JUN 6-7 (SAT-SUN) 
This weekend was designed to give participants the opportunity to try their hand at a variety of media without a lengthy commitment. Choose from blacksmithing, ceramics, glass, or metals & jewelry. Take just one half-day workshop or mix and match several to create your own 1-Day or weekend experience!
Look for additional Sampler workshops in Blacksmithing, Ceramics, or Metals & Jewelry
JUN 6 | 9AM-12PM (SAT)
Glass Sampler: Beads
Instructor: Michael Mangiafico
No Experience Necessary (Ages 14-Adult)
$75 Member | $90 Non-Member
$10 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Have you ever wanted to explore the possibilities of creating beautiful works of art out of glass? In this half-day introductory workshop, you will gain a basic understanding of the glass medium. Through the creation of one-of-a-kind works you will gain new skills while learning various processes and techniques. At the end of the session you will walk away with your very own handmade beads.
JUN 6 | 2PM-5PM (SAT)
Glass Sampler: Pendants
Instructor: Michael Mangiafico
No Experience Necessary (Ages 14-Adult)
$75 Member | $90 Non-Member
$10 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Come and learn what’s possible using glass as a medium. In this half day workshop, you will learn some of the basic skills necessary for creating beautiful works of art. Through making different pieces you will gain an understanding flameworking processes and techniques. At the end of this class you will walk away with your very own handmade glass pendants.
Michael is a glass artist and educator living and working in Pittsburgh PA. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and has continued to bolster his education by attending and teaching glass art seminars at notable institutions such as the Pilchuck Glass School, the Penland School of Crafts, The Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Touchstone Center for Crafts. Michael owns and operates Fig Studios- Forms in Glass where he designs and creates sculptures and craft items from glass.
Instructor website: figstudios.com
Instagram: @deedleweed
JUL 13-17 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI) 
Lost Wax Glass Casting
Instructor: Dean Allison
All Levels
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$240-$290 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Explore various materials and methods to achieve a form in cast glass. Demonstrations will cover the lost wax process, rubber molds, and strategies for constructing plaster-based mold compositions for kiln casting. Learn to duplicate positive forms, use wax, make mold recipes, understand kiln set-up, and ultimately how to capture detail, anneal, and finish work in the cold shop. You will be guided through thinking about reproducing forms in glass and become more thoughtful and efficient mold makers. Bring sketches, found objects, and forms that you would like to learn how to cast in glass.
Dean is an artist in Pittsburgh, PA. Resident Artist (2015-2018), Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC. Master of Art, Visual Arts in Glass, Australian National University, 2010. B.S. in Studio Arts, Illinois State University, 2001. Selected teaching: The Glass Furnace in Istanbul, Turkey; Bullseye Glass Co in Portland, Oregon; Studio @Corning, Pittsburgh Glass Center. Selected exhibitions: SOFA Chicago, Scope Miami, Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum. Collections include Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI; The Julie Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn, AL; Hinson Art Museum, Wingate, NC; Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, FL. Asheville Art Museum NC.
Instructor website: deanallison.net
Instagram: @deanallisonstudios
JUL 19-24 | TEEN WEEK | 6-DAY (SUN-FRI) 
The Colorful World of Glass Beads
Instructor: Joy Knepp
All Levels (Ages 14-17)
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$75 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Download Teen Week Application*
Explore the world of glass bead making and see why it can be so addictive. From the time you light the torch and melt the glass, you will be guided through a variety of techniques for creating many different shapes, sizes and designs for your beads. You will learn to decorate your beads with stringers and dots and will use tools to manipulate the shapes and designs with raking, twisting and altering the surface of the glass. We will experiment with different effects that can be achieved in glass such as adding metals, dichroic glass, and metallic frits.
Joy has been working as a glass artist for more than 15 years and is a retired art educator. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art and Education from Pennsylvania State University and also studied at Pittsburgh Glass Center, Goggleworks in Reading, PA and various workshops sponsored by the International Society of Glass beadmakers. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries throughout the U.S. Joy is a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, the Three Rivers Glass Beadmakers, PA Art Education Association and the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh.
Instructor website: joybeadzglass.etsy.com
Instagram: @joyknepp
Teen Week applications must be submitted by May 1st for consideration. ALL TEENS INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN TEEN WEEK MUST FILL OUT A TEEN WEEK APPLICATION REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
JUL 27–31 | EDUCATORS’ RETREAT | 5-DAY (MON-FRI) 
Glass Beadmaking Basics
Instructor: Joy Knepp
Beginner – Intermediate
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$105-$135 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Learn techniques for creating beautiful one-of-a kind glass beads using glass rods and a torch. From lighting the torch and melting the glass, Joy will guide you through methods for achieving the desired shapes and patterns in your designs and show you how colors of glass can be layered to build depth and luminescence. Create a painting in glass from the inside out with a floral bead or an implosion bead. You will leave with lampworking skills to add to your toolbox of creativity!
Joy has been working as a glass artist for more than 15 years and is a retired art educator. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art and Education from Pennsylvania State University and also studied at Pittsburgh Glass Center, Goggleworks in Reading, PA and various workshops sponsored by the International Society of Glass beadmakers. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries throughout the U.S. Joy is a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, the Three Rivers Glass Beadmakers, PA Art Education Association and the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh.
Instructor website: joybeadzglass.etsy.com
Instagram: @joyknepp
AUG 3-7 | NATURE WEEK | 5-DAY (MON-FRI) 
Reflecting Nature in Stained Glass
Instructor: Neile Cooper
Experienced Beginner – Intermediate
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$100-$140 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Interpret the inspiration you find in nature in stained glass. Explore the array of colors in a sunset or the natural geometry of a pinecone, as you learn the specific rules of designing for stained glass and create your own pattern for a nature themed panel. Learn every step of creating a small panel including special techniques for incorporating natural materials like crystals, pressed flowers, or butterfly wings. Only a basic understanding of the tools and techniques of copper foil technique is required. Those early in their stained glass adventures are welcome to attend this class. Environmental Educators from Powdermill Nature Reserve will be on hand to enhance your exploration of the Touchstone campus.
Neile has been working in stained glass for over 20 years. Her passion for stained glass inspired her to create The Glass Cabin, a small cabin covered entirely in her stained glass windows. The Glass Cabin has been featured on Colossal, Martha Stewart and Elle Décor. From her New Jersey studio, she creates windows in her unique, illustrative, nature-inspired style for homes all around the country.
Instagram: @neilecooper
AUG 10-14 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI) 
Screen Printed Glass Jewelry
Instructor: Meredith Edmondson
All Levels
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$130-$160 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Learn the basics of applying imagery to glass through screen printing with jewelry making in mind. Learn how to set up and burn screens, use nontraditional printing methods, powder printing, and use enamels to transfer imagery and patterns to glass. Meredith will also discuss ways to finish the glass in anticipation of turning it into wearable art!
Meredith began working with glass in 2005, having first fallen in love with the material during a chance visit to the Appalachian Center for Craft, from which she later received her BFA in 2009. While Edmondson’s work incorporates a variety of techniques, it is in the lost wax casting process that she is most prolific, transforming the state of objects often ephemeral, to that of permanence. Central to her work is the extraordinary ability of glass to look like what it is not; each object is as beautiful as it is deceptive, and the illusion is the craft.
Instructor website: meredithedmondson.com
Instagram: @glassgal85
SEP 19-20 | 2-DAY (SAT-SUN) 
Introduction to Flameworking:
Beads, Marbles, and Pendants
Instructor: Michael Mangiafico
Beginner
$300 Member | $330 Non-Member
$55-$80 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Delve into the fundamentals of creating beads, marbles, and pendants from glass with expert guidance. No experience – no problem! By the end of the weekend you will be comfortable with operating a torch and creating small objects. Enjoy two days of exploring the colorful world of glass and the many techniques and processes that can be used to achieve a variety of interesting effects.
Michael is a glass artist and educator living and working in Pittsburgh PA. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and has continued to bolster his education by attending and teaching glass art seminars at notable institutions such as the Pilchuck Glass School, the Penland School of Crafts, The Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Touchstone Center for Crafts. Michael owns and operates Fig Studios- Forms in Glass where he designs and creates sculptures and craft items from glass.
Instructor website: figstudios.com
Instagram: @deedleweed
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Workshops are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Many fill quickly. Please register at least 15 days ahead of the start of any workshop so that we can count you in! Touchstone makes the determination of whether a workshop will run 14 days in advance of all workshops’ scheduled start date, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time. A processing fee of $15 will be added to 1-5 day workshops.
To view a full listing of the Terms and Conditions as part of your enrollment, click here.
Touchstone Center for Crafts prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or association preference. Touchstone Center for Crafts also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to its facilities and programming.