Hands

On

Glass

Studio

"I've got to find a way that I can work just with glass, even if I don't get paid very much, just so I'm still working with it so I can continue learning."

--RR

Originally founded in 1990, it is the first of its kind in Corning, NY, to provide a public access environment for instruction in glassmaking.

Corning, NY, was no stranger to the idea of a public access glass studio--it had been talked about for more than 30 years. Rodi Rovner, a young artist and new to the community, accomplished this vision with determination and commitment.

Hands On Glass Studio started out as a non-profit organization called Studio Access To Glass. Founded by Rovner, it was under the direction of 171 Cedar Art Center of Corning, NY, and funded by a grant from Corning, Inc. The studio was closed in September, 1994, when it failed to meet the guideline of the grant which stipulated that the studio must be self-sufficient by its third year.

The startup of the studio was not so easy. Before receiving the grant, Rodi worked purely as a volunteer on the project. Most of her time was spent obtaining equipment through donations from various people. Rovner recalled, "It was amazing to look around the studio and say, 'Hey, that came from so-and-so's garage.'" The success of the studio was, in part, due to many behind-the-scenes people who volunteered from the start. Much of the material came from what Rodi called "dumpster donations." These were donations of scrap glass which were no longer good for commercial use.

Re-opening the studio as a small business wasn't any easier. Previously, Rodi had stayed away from the idea of owning her own business. In order to continue public accessibility to glassmaking, she had to overcome the stereotype that an artist doesn't think like a businessperson. She began by taking a one-day workshop on how to start a business. Money was borrowed from friends to secure the utilities, she donated her own tax refund, and the equipment was obtained through a severance package from the Art Center. After the building was put in Rovner's name, in November, 1994, the doors were opened once again as the Hands On Glass Studio.

The heart of the studio, the educational side, continues on as it had during its non-profit days. The studio offers summer workshops open to the public for beginning and advanced glassblowers. Girl Scout troops come to Hands On Glass Studio to learn how to fuse glass and the public lines up outside its doors to blow glass ornaments, especially during the holidays.

Rodi says she enjoys that side of business, "Families come in and add history. Glass is a part of their heritage; it means something special when they come to blow ornaments." In 1996, she took on two apprentice-like students from a home-school program who continue to learn and experiment with glass. She also has a working relationship with a local high school where students have the opportunity to spend a couple hours a week helping and learning from Rodi for academic credit.

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