• Overview
• Staff & Board
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Board of Directors:

Advisors to the Board

SGAA's Distinguished Staff:

Alexandra Berger, Assistant Director: Alex is SGAA's Assistant Director and has been working with most types of glass (hot, flame, and fused) starting in 2003. She is a self-taught lampworker and studied furnace glassblowing at Simon Pearce in Vermont. Alex worked for Philabaum Glass Studios before migrating to SGAA in 2006. Her personal glass work primarily focuses on fused glass plates and jewelry pieces; check out her work at openmoutharts.com.

Bill Chappell, Maintenance and Hot Shop Assistant: Bill was born in Yuma and raised in Tucson. He started taking classes at SGAA as a high school student in 2006. Bill quickly showed a high level of commitment and enthusiasm for the medium and came to the attention of our staff a few years later. Bill began working at SGAA in 2010 helping out around the studio both as a maintenance person and as a Hot Shop assistant.

Nan Charif, Flame Shop Instructor: Nan grew up in Wisconsin learning to sew, knit, crochet, and do other crafts. About 20 years ago, she started bead stringing and making jewelry.She has been at the torch for more than 5 years and has taken classes with such artists as: Margaret Zinser, Bandhu Dunham, Zack Jorgensen, and Kristen Frantzen Orr. See her work at designsbynanette.com.

Seth Fairweather, Kiln Casting Instructor: Seth began working with glass at Tulane University in New Orleans. After taking a two-year hiatus from school, he transferred to Alfred University where he graduated with honors with a concentration in sculpture and glass. He then worked for the American Museum of Natural History as an exhibition fabricator, a technician at the New Orleans School of Glassworks, and a glass equipment fabricator with Wet Dog Glass. After leaving Wet Dog, Seth went on to receive an MFA from the Tyler School of Art, and then went west where he fabricated kiln-cast sculpture for Susan Silver-Brown and recently build a studio near Phoenix.

Sam Hoffman, Hot Shop Instructor: A native of Tucson, Sam left to go to Oberlin College for a few years and returned in 2004. Sam started as a student at SGAA in 2008 and showed great promise since his first class. He continued to practice his skills taking lessons from our other instructors, focusing on multi-section goblets and complex color application. Sam now assists in our BYOB events and teaches beginner level Hot Shop classes.

Jillian Justiniano, Hot Shop Instructor: Jill is a native of Tucson and has worked at SGAA since 2004. Jill started at SGAA doing maintenance around our facilities and worked up to teaching our BYO events and beginner level Hot Shop classes. Jill is the lead instructor for all Women's Hot Shop classes. She has worked with our youth development groups teaching furnace glassblowing to at-risk area high school students. Jill also has ample experience building studio equipment including constructing annealers and working on metal fabrication. Her easy going manner makes her an excellent teacher.

William Justiniano, Facilities/Hot Shop Manager: William is SGAA's Hot Shop Manager, in addition to being one of our finest instructors. He began blowing glass in Seattle, where he worked under many great artists and was encouraged to pursue a career in glass instruction. William has been teaching for 12 years and has been an instructor at SGAA since its inception in 2001. His personal work can be found in private collections around the country. William's work varies greatly but he tends to focus on large scale custom lighting fixtures.

Elizabeth Lenell, Art Metal Clay Instructor: Elizabeth has been a metal worker since junior high school, when she was the first girl allowed in metal shop classes in Wyoming. She has a doctorate in educational psychology, is a local bead store owner, silversmith, and a certified instructor in Art Clay silver metal clay. Elizabeth has been teaching jewelry making classes for 12 years.

Jason Marstall, Hot Shop Instructor: Jason started working with glass as a student here at the Academy. His creative style brought him to the attention of the staff and in 2006 he became a Hot Shop instructor. Jason has continued his glass education by taking classes at Pilchuck Glass School and working with various Visiting Instructors. Jason is one of SGAA's leading instructors, specializing in complex techniques like murrini roll-ups, multi-component Venetian-style goblets, and sculptural work. Jason is also one of SGAA's lead tech guys, building furnaces, annealers, our first garage, and other metal fabrication projects.

Jane McClarren, Beading Instructor: Jane is the owner of JM Dzgnz artworks. She started working in glass and creating jewelry 6 years ago and has been teaching jewelry classes and giving private instruction for 4 years.Sheincorporates beads, wire, fibers, polymer and metal clay and Dichroic glass into her jewelry.Her work has been sold in shops in Arizona, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Michael Nicholas, Director: Michael is a glass artist, enthusiast, and collector who serves as the guiding force for the organization. He received a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1978 in Ceramics, and was a founding board member of the Tucson Visiting Artists Consortium, a group that sponsored symposiums, lectures and demonstrations by noteworthy visiting artists from all over the world.Michael owned Gekas/Nicholas Fine Arts Gallery and Artworks: Art Consulting & Fine Art Gallery during the 1980s and since 1990, he has been the owner of Nicholas Building Company: Custom Home Construction. He has served on the Board of Directors of SGAA since 2004.

Alysa Phiel, Warm Shop Manager: Alysa is a third generation glass artist and has over 20 years of experience in glass, teaching classes and creating custom work for homes and churches. In 1998, Alysa and her mom opened Creations in Glass, a retail and educational studio in northwest Tucson. After 10 years, they closed up shop and in 2009, Alysa came to SGAA. Her style is quite diverse, ranging from intricate Stained Glass forms to Southwest- and ocean-themed mosaics and fused pieces. Alysa teaches most of our beginner to advanced techniques in fusing, slumping, mosaics, and stained glass (including restoration).  

Tom Philabaum, Co-Founder, Adjunct Instructor: In 1973, Philabaum received an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin where he studied glass with Harvey Littleton, recognized as the father of the American studio glass movement. He started a cooperative glass studio in Tucson in 1975, earned his M.F.A. from UA in 1983, and helped orchestrate the first Glass Art Society (GAS) conference in Tucson that same year. He was co-chair for the GAS conference held in Tucson in 1997, and received the Arizona Artist of the Year award in 1998. He has served on the boards of GAS, the American Craft Council, the Tucson Visiting Artists Consortium, and SGAA. 

Susan Silverman, Development Director: Susan is a writer, educator, artist, community organizer, and organic gardener. She has worked as a Community Development Consultant for a variety of arts and education organizations in Tucson. Susan is the founder of the GREEN (Gardening, Recycling, Environmental Education and Nutrition) Project at Miles Exploratory Learning Center; the former Director of Arts & Culture at the Tucson Jewish Community Center; andserves on the board of directors of the Tucson Arts Brigade, Southern AZ Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, REAP, Inc, and Cultural Awareness Center.Susan has worked at SGAA since 2009.

Karl Taylor, Flame Shop Instructor: Karl began working with glass in 2001. Karl's style varies greatly, ranging from intricate implosions to large scale hollow work. He has enhanced his skills by working with instructors such as Shane Fero, Bandhu Dunham, and Loren Stump and collaborating with many glass artists from around the country. His expertise in running our Flame Off! has made him a leading figure within the flameworking community, as Karl has now set up countless competitions around the country. Karl has been with SGAA since 2006 and is our lead borosilicate lampworking instructor.

Renee Wiggins, Flame Shop Instructor: Renee has been working with glass since 1993 and is primarily a self-taught artist. She has studied many areas of glassworking, including stained glass, mosaics, alternative warm glass techniques and flameworking. Today, Renee owns JetAge Studio, a specialty glass supply online business for soft glass artists, and also creates original jewelry using her glass beads. She focuses on combining creative techniques in her art as a flameworker and fuser and continues to be a “glass student” herself.

Guest Instructors 2011-2012

Doug Baldwin (Scottsdale, AZ): Photography Workshop

Nick Davis (Seattle, WA): Hot Shop Workshop

Laura Donefer (Harrowsmith, Ontario): Hot Shop Workshop

Michael Dupille (Seattle, WA): Warm Shop Workshop

Kim Fields (Metamora, MI): Flame Shop Workshop

Eusheen Goines (Tucson, AZ): Flame Shop Workshop

Brent Graber (Newport, OR): Flame Shop Workshop

Henry Halem (Kent, OH): Warm Shop Workshop

Flo Perkins (Santa Fe, NM): Hot Shop Workshop

Jari Ann Sheese (Indianapolis, IN): Flame Shop Workshop