LANCASTER, Ohio — Glass making is engrained in the city of Lancaster, and despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Ohio Glass Museum and Glass Blowing studio is playing its role to keep it alive.

Lisa Horkin is a glass blower at the museum. It’s a craft and a passion she went to school for.

“I love being an artist. I love painting. I love creating, and there’s just something really exciting about glass,” said Horkin.

Glass blowing takes physicality, creativity and a lot of patience. As a professionally-trained glass blower, Horkin could have chosen anywhere to work, but found herself drawn to Lancaster.

“As a glass blower, I don’t recall in art school being taught about the history of glass, and I didn’t even realize growing up in Central Ohio that we have such a rich history," Horkin said.

A history that is showcased all throughout the Museum and studio. The studio is celebrating 10 years of being open, and glass blower Theresa Sharp has been here since the beginning.

“About a month or two later after I moved here, I saw in the local newspaper that the glass blowing studio was being built, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh! That's three blocks from where we lived,'" said Sharp.

Just like Horkin, Sharp makes glass pieces of her own. But she said her favorite part of the job is educating people on the history in her community.

“There’s a particular interest in glass in this area because it as so prevalent that’s how this whole community stayed lucrative in fact even during the depression year’s Lancaster was set there weren’t that many layoffs because of the glass factory.”

Anchor Hocking and the Lancaster Glass Company were two of the most prominent manufacturers in the area. Anchor Hocking still up and running today.

“I think that that’s really important — the transition between what people kind of see as old glass and antique glass to what’s going on contemporary glass making.”