Glass Classes at SGAA
SGAA features 3 studios spaces, each housing a distinct type of glassblowing. In our Hot Shop, we offer furnace glassblowing; students learn to make items like bowls, vases, ornaments, and paperweights. In our Flame Shop, students learn lampworking, also referred to as flameworking or torch working. This is how glass beads, marbles, pendants, and other small sculptural forms are made. Lastly, our Warm Shop is where we do glass fusing/slumping, mosaics, and stained glass. Fusing/slumping are done by cutting shapes out of sheet glass and creating a composition to be slumped into the mold of your choice. The Warm Shop typically utilizes ambient heat from a kiln, as opposed to in the Hot Shop and Flame Shop where you use direct fire or ovens to manipulate the glass while it is in a liquid state. Please note: our Hot Shop is open September through May. Our Flame Shop and Warm Shop are open year-round.
What to Wear/Bring to class
Please wear comfortable, cotton clothes to SGAA. Polyester, though fashionable, is flammable! Wear closed toed shoes, tie your hair back, and avoid wearing dangly jewelry or metals (watches). Bring a water bottle, sunglasses, and a snack. ***Every student who comes to participate in glass making classes is required to wear eye protection and closed toed shoes. No exceptions will be made!***
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Glass-ary, glass making terms defined:
Annealing: The slow cooling of glass to release stress that builds up during the creation of the object. Most glass must be annealed in a kiln. Because of this, most students must wait a few days before taking your glass art home.
Borosilicate: A type of glass used in torchworking. This COE 33 glass is stiff and perfect for making marbles, pendants, and hollow vessels.
Casting: Casting is a process in which glass takes the shape of a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of a desired shape. At SGAA, glass can be cast in the Hot Shop, by pouring or ladling liquid glass into a mold (sand casting); or in our Warm Shop where glass in a kiln drips from a vessel into a mold while it becomes a liquid (kiln casting).
Coefficient of Expansion (COE): The measure of the rate of expansion and contraction of glass as it is heated and cooled. Not all glass has the same COE so not all glass is compatible!! Mixing glass with various COEs can cause breakage or cracking, sometimes years after the object is created.
Cold Shop: In the Cold Shop, students learn coldworking: any process that changes glass in its natural or room temperature state. Processes include: sandblasting, grinding, sanding, drilling, cutting, engraving or polishing.
Crucible: A large pot that holds liquid glass. These are usually found in Hot Shops, but are gaining popularity in Flame Shops.
Dichroic Glass: Originally developed for aerospace technologies, this glass has a metallic finish, giving glass a sparkly look.
Effetre (aka Moretti, soda lime glass, or soft glass): A type of glass used in torchworking. This COE 104 glass is heats up quickly and stays soft for a long time. Most beadmakers use Effetre and it is also commonly used in Italian-style sculpture.
Enameling: The art of fusing glass powders onto metals or glass.
Flame Shop: In the Flame Shop, students learn lampworking, also referred to as flameworking or torch working. This is where beads, marbles, pendants, perfume bottles and other sculptural or hollow forms are created; the Flame Shop allows for very fine detailed work in glass.
Fusing: This process utilizes ambient heat from a kiln to combine many pieces of glass into one. A composition is made by cutting glass and creating a flat design; then, the composition is put into a kiln and fused together into one piece of glass.
Gather: A glob of liquid glass. "Gather" can also be used as a verb, to gather, as in to pull liquid glass out of a furnace or ball up glass on a punty.
Hot Shop: In the Hot Shop, students learn traditional Italian-style furnace glassblowing. This is where objects like bowls, vases, ornaments, and paperweights are created.
Marver: From the word "marble", this term refers to steel topped tables upon which one can shape liquid glass. "Marver" can also be used as a verb, to marver, meaning to shape by rolling upon a metal surface; or to refer to graphite paddles used for shaping flameworked glass.
Punty: A glass or metal rod used to transfer a piece from one tube/rod to another.
Slumping: A technical term for "sagging". This process is used to create final forms during which glass falls into a mold. If a kiln gets too hot, however, glass can slump too much and become a puddle!
Warm Shop: In the Warm Shop, students learn glass fusing, slumping, and kiln casting techniques. These processes utilize ambient heat from a kiln.
Registration Policies (abridged, click here for full document)
Cancelation/No Show Policies
We process all class tuitions before the class start date. Cancelations may be given verbally, but are subject to the following charges:
Cancelations:
For Classes/Workshops: Full tuition will be forfeited if cancelation notice is not given more than 30 days prior to class start date.
For any other appointments at SGAA: We charge a $25 administrative fee for ANY cancelations made less than 3 days before an appointment.
No Shows:
For BYOs/SYOs: We charge $20 per group.
For 1-1 Sessions: We charge one hour of 1-1 rate in that studio.
For Studio Rentals: We charge one hour of rental rate in that studio.
Call SGAA for current 1-1 and rental rates.
Student Safety Information
Some glass art classes we offer involve working around high heat environments. Students who have certain health considerations may not be eligible to take every class at SGAA. Inform our administrator about any health problems BEFORE registering for a class, especially if you have vision or mobility issues or are taking blood thinners. SGAA will issue a partial refund for remaining class sessions upon receipt of a doctor’s notice if it is determined you should not participate. Please note: every student at SGAA is required to wear closed toed shoes; no exceptions will be made and students will not receive a refund for the class!
Make-up Classes
In the event of a student's illness, we do allow for abridged make-up sessions, depending on the type of class missed. We will issue refunds for family emergencies, not for illness. Please call our office at 520-884-7814 with questions on specific circumstances. If for any reason a student needs to drop out of a class and has monetary credit with SGAA, this credit is only applicable for 12 months.
Personal Property
SGAA cannot be responsible for the security of property left at the Academy belonging to students, visiting instructors, or artists in residence. SGAA is not liable for student projects left on premises for more than 2 weeks.
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