
Hottest ticket in our mountain world of craft
A glass furnace has to reach such high temperatures that glass blowers run their furnaces day and night. The fire never goes out at Asheville’s North Carolina Glass Center where visitors can observe artists working in glass seven days a week, take a short class, or shop in the Center’s gallery. The NC Glass Center is a non-profit public access glass studio in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District surrounded by studios and restaurants.
Visitors can observe artists working seven days a week, take a short class, or shop in the Center’s gallery.
North Carolina Glass Center maintains a gallery that represents the work of 30 western North Carolina artists. The gallery is adjacent to the glass blowing studio, a stage for daily demonstrations, directly connecting visitors with both the material and the artists who use it.
Western North Carolina’s place in the art glass movement reaches back to the 1970s and counts Mark Peiser, Harvey Littleton, Richard Ritter, Billy Bernstein, Gary Beecham, Rick Beck, Kate Vogel, John Littleton, and Rob Levin among the talented and innovative artists who have called the region home. In 2018, the Center sponsored the Summer of Glass, a celebration of the creativity and beauty of the medium.
The mission of the Glass Center is to educate artists and the public about glass art and the history of glass art through classes, exhibitions, lectures, and daily demonstrations. Classes in all aspects of the creation of glass art are taught, including glass blowing, flame working, and cold working. The Center believes in the power of creativity, the transforming strength of education, and the exponential effects of a collaborative community. 30-minute “make-your-own” classes let residents and visitors alike can try their hand at making a cup, ornament, or glass beads.
You can even make your own marbles.
For hours and details, go to www.ncglasscenter.org.