AKRON, Ohio — Glass blowing is an ancient art, dating back 3,600 years.
For one hot glass studio in Northeast Ohio, it's keeping the art of glass blowing alive and inviting others to take part in the action.
- Akron Glass Works makes unique pieces of art in its hot glass studio everyday
- You can buy handmade gifts in the studio’s gift shop
- Workshops are offered on the weekends, where anyone can sign up and learn how to make their own custom glass gift
“There you can see the molten glass and it’s about the consistency of honey," said Christian James, glass artist at Akron Glass Works.
James is a glass artist at Akron Glass Works. He takes molten glass at about 2,000 degrees and molds it into creative pieces of art.
It starts with what is called a blow pipe. It’s warmed to about 600 degrees, then glass is gathered from a furnace pot.
"We have a metal table where we can roll the glass back in forth to change the shape of the glass," said James.
James uses a work bench to shape the glass into whatever item he is making. He can shape the glass into a pumpkin, a martini glass, or something much larger.
Steps away from the hot glass studio, is the gift shop.
“Here, everything made in this shop is made here by the artisans that work here," said Jack Baker, owner of Akron Glass Works.
Baker has been in the glass blowing business for more than 15 years.
His shop offers a unique experience. Anyone can sign up for weekend workshops and learn how to blow glass themselves.
“We’re really lucky that we’re in an environment where we can make people happy. They get a big charge out of that when they’re in here taking the workshops,” said Baker.
Baker says the process of blowing glass is very similar to how it was a couple of hundred years ago, but now with much better furnaces and much better color to work with, the possibilities are endless.
“It happens pretty quickly, it’s a really excitable process, and you can have a lot of fun with it,” said Baker.
To sign up for a workshop head to their website.