Aloha!

Hot Glass Hawaii is a public access glassblowing studio offering free glass blowing lessons in the community of Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. We received a grant through the National endowment of the arts and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. The Grant was for an individual artist who wanted to do a project that they saw benefiting the community they live in. We proposed to create a hot glass shop where participants could watch demonstrations on the glass making process and participate in making their own glass object for free. Our goal is to not only share glass blowing with our community but to also be discretely teaching about chemistry and material science through an artistic medium that mimics aspects of the phenomenon of molten lava. We are thankful to be one of 20 artists selected in the state to run their proposed project. The results of the project so far are fantastic. After two months of operation we have shared over 400 free make your own experiences and have been able to demonstrate for many, many more. Ages 2-82 have participated in learning the magic of glass. Our original grant was for $7,000 and we have spent over $20,000 to build out the space, acquire/build the equipment and cover operational costs of the studio.

Matthew has 17 years experience with this magical material and has taught/ demonstrated in glass studios across the country. He is excited for the opportunity to share the glass making process with Kohala and those who visit it. Carolyn has 13 years experience in graphic design, illustration and business branding. She has been working diligently on the branding for Hot Glass Hawaii, its online presence, and all the back end infrastructure that goes along with starting a new business. They have shared many experiences in their past 11 years of being together and they look forward to developing and expanding Hot Glass Hawaii.

We are seeking funding to upgrade the electric to our studio space and acquire a second kiln so that we can run our business back to back days. Currently our single kiln takes 14 hours to cool so we are unable to operate the following day if we end the work day at 9pm. We will also use additional funding to continue offering free glass making lessons to the community of Kohala and its surrounding neighbors. We also will be offering a free youth glass after school art program, teen summer camps and other initiatives and programs for the youth. We would also like to expand our hours so we can offer a program with the local Big Island substance abuse council. The amount requested will allow us to do the upgrades and help cover operational costs (glass, propane, color, rent, electric) Please Help us attain our goal of continuously spreading positive energy through the medium of hot glass.