Overview of Glass Academy - Classes and workshops on the art of glass blowing

The Glass Academy is the creative brainchild of founding artists Chris Nordin and Michelle Plucinsky. An extensive background in the glass arts with Bachelors of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, and Alfred University in New York (respectfully), both artists have a wide resume of skills. The creative duo has attended workshops from Maine to Seattle to perfect their glass skills in addition to teaching at professional levels, traveling to work abroad in Italy, and running a production studio at the Henry Ford Museum.

The current studio functions in a variety of ways; as a teaching facility, event space, and a design studio. This 14,000 square foot facility, tucked away in a vintage tool and dye area of Dearborn’s west side, aims to expand consumers awareness of how handcrafted glass can be utilized as a functional and/or decorative element in modern applications.

Open to the public 4 days a week, Wednesday thru Saturday, the staff works on various projects from private sculptures and awards, to corporate and public sculptures for clients such as Marriott Hotels, Allegra Printing, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.

Most evenings at the studio involve a variety of glass “experiences” such as Custom Mug Night (featuring our famous craft beer mugs), Coffee Night (a drop in workshop), and other seasonal classes all of which allow the general public to have access to the time-honored craft of glassmaking for an evening of education and entertainment. The goal of the studio here is to create an awareness of the many facets of hand-crafted glass while sharing the love of the process in a fun atmosphere.

Six to eight times a year, the studio is hosts to seasonal themed events such as Hot Glass + Cold Beer, Pumpkin Fest and Holidays in Glass. Live commentated demonstrations during these shows blend with a gallery filled with Michigan-made glass products to attract thousands of spectators and customers to the Dearborn studio to buy their glass products.