GR Glassblowing
Grand Rapids Glassblowing Studio is the private studio of John Riepma and Scott Haebich. The studio is located on the west side of Grand Rapids, about 10 minutes from downtown. In addition to creating our own work here at the studio, we also offer occasional workshops, classes and other events in the Spring and Fall.
For more about John and Scott,
CLICK HERE.
Latest News
The 2013 Spring season is winding down. Here's what's happening:
- Workshops: We offer several BYO ("blow your own") workshops in the Spring and Fall. You can get inside the studio and assist one of our glassblowers in creating an ornament, a paperweight, a flower or some other piece of art glass.
- Classes: We occasionally offer Beginners Classes at the studio. This class allows you to get more "hands on" than our workshops. You learn the basics of glassblowing and create 2 or 3 projects in this class. We'll schedule one or two of these this Spring but we may not have any openings due to a lengthy waiting list.
- Open House: We generally hold an Open House in the Spring and another (or two) in the fall. It's a great chance to get inside a working glassblowing studio, watch some demos and have some fun. Details below.
Details on all events are below.
Contact Us
If you'd like to join our email list for news about upcoming events (workshops, classes, Open Houses, shows), just send Scott an email.
The best way to reach Scott or John is usually by email:
Phone numbers:
Another way to keep up-to-date is to "like" our Facebook page.
Mailing address:
Grand Rapids Glassblowing Studio
PO Box 310
Ada, MI 49301
Workshop Details
Unless otherwise noted, workshops last one hour. You will usually share the hour with 1 or 2 other participants, taking turns creating a project.
This workshop assumes that you have no experience with glassblowing so beginners are welcome.
Because your finished project needs to cool slowly overnight to prevent cracking, you won't be able to take it with you the day of the workshop. You can pick it up at a later date or make arrangements for us to ship it to you.
To reserve a spot, you can email us with:
1) which workshop you'd like to attend
2) your top 3 preferred times (choose 3 different hours between the times listed)
3) how many projects (or pairs of flowers) you'd like to make
4) phone numbers (day and evening) where we can reach you
Or you can give Scott a call at 616.676.3801.
Spring 2013 Workshops
GLASS PAPERWEIGHT WORKSHOPS
1-hour time slots available
from 10am to 3pm
NOTE: These will be our last workshops before we shut down the studio for the summer so don't miss out. All of our workshops have been filling up quickly so respond right away if you're interested in attending. Slots are filled on a "first come, first served" basis.
• There's no actual glass blowing involved in creating paperweights. I guess it should be called glass sculpting. Regardless, it's a lot of fun! You'll get a chance to work with one of our glassblowers – sorry, glass sculptors! – and create a magical, glass orb (or other shape). You'll pick your favorite colors (including sparkling dichroic glass, if you like) and decide how to mix them to create a work of art, unique to your taste. As with all of our workshops, we'll do the steps that require more experience but you'll get to assist and "oversee" the process!
• Paperweights require coldworking (grinding and polishing) so it may be a few days before we have them all ready to pick up or ship.
Then you can give it as a gift… or can keep it for yourself. Or make one to keep, and one to give away!
• This workshop assumes that you have no experience with glassblowing so beginners are welcome.
• Cost for the workshop is $58. Creating additional paperweights costs $52 each.
Class Details
Classes are held at our studio on the west side of Grand Rapids, about 10 minutes from downtown. Each class consists of 4 students who will work with 2 instructors for about 5 hours, with a snack/lunch break. Class fee is $225 and includes instruction, use of tools and all glass, materials and supplies.
To reserve a spot, you can email us with phone numbers (day and evening) where we can reach you. Or you can give Scott a call at 616.676.3801. Payment in advance is required to reserve your spot.
Spring 2013 Classes
BEGINNERS CLASS
Open House
Stop by to check out the only glassblowing studio in the Grand Rapids area. The Open House is free and open to the public.
Spring 2013 Events
SPRING OPEN HOUSE
Our Spring Open House has passed. We ended up running some flower workshops at one bench while offering demonstrations at the other bench. Great fun! Thanks to all who attended. We hope to see you at our Fall Open House.
Grand Rapids Glassblowing was featured on EightWest, a morning lifestyle show on WOOD-TV here in Grand Rapids. Here's the segment that was shot at our studio.
If you can't view this video, try clicking HERE.