Inside a glass studio in Newark, a furnace burns at 2,300 degrees as artists and students prepare for a major change. After more than two decades at its longtime home on 10 Bleeker Street, GlassRoots, the beloved nonprofit glassworking studio, is stepping into its next chapter with a move just a ten-minute walk away to a much larger, purpose-built space at 23 William Street in Teachers Village. The address may be new, but the mission remains the same, and the impact is about to grow. The Montclair Girl was among the first to tour the new studio ahead of its official opening in Spring 2026, when staff and students will finally have a space designed specifically for the work they do. We even had the privilege to take part in its inauguration by breaking a GlassRoots glass sphere that will be incorporated into a future collaborative artwork. Read on to learn what you can expect from the new and expanded GlassRoots studio and why this move matters.
A Brief History of GlassRoots
Founded in 2000 by Pat Kettenring, GlassRoots has spent more than two decades bringing the transformative art of glassmaking to Newark youth. Thanks to revenue generated through professional artists’ renting studio time and the studio’s award-winning business, GlassRoots can offer its educational programming at little to no cost to students from within the Newark community.
As students grow through the program, some are hired part-time, turning early exposure to the arts into a real opportunity. During our visit, we met one instructor who started as a GlassRoots student at just nine years old. Today, despite still being quite young, he is the longest-standing member of the GlassRoots community, a powerful example of what sustained access to the arts can make possible.
Saying Goodbye to Bleeker Street
There is a lot of history packed into 10 Bleeker Street. Student work lines the walls, glass art rests on shelves near the offices, and every inch of space feels used, loved, and full of stories. It is cozy, neighborly, and welcoming. It is also bursting at the seams.
During our visit, we watched artists engraving and polishing awards in the cold shop, carefully smoothing and finishing pieces that help sustain the organization’s mission. In the hot shop, a roaring furnace burns at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit as flames lick the edges of the furnace door. Professional artists rent studio time, awards production supports operations, and everything feeds back into education.
What Changes at the New Teachers Village Location
The move to Teachers Village changes everything. Previously, GlassRoots instructors traveled to partner schools to teach classroom-friendly forms of glass art like stained glass. Now, students will come directly into the studio and into the hot shop itself, experiencing glassblowing up close as molten glass is shaped in real time. With more, larger classrooms, GlassRoots staff are already imagining full groups of students working side by side, no one left behind…