Every Sunday between 1pm and 3pm you can take a free guided tour of BARN. Visit all 10 studios, and find out what you can create at BARN.
We’ll answer all your questions and show you examples of what other makers have made in BARN's fully-equipped workspaces. Tours are free, no need to register. See you on Sunday!
Make a stunning 10” plate/platter using pebbles and geometric shapes. This is a Skills Building Project Class where you will practice straight glass cuts, learn to make pebbles, and use kiln schedules to add details to your art pieces. This class is designed for beginners who would like to become more familiar with design elements, assembly steps, and kiln options.
On day 1 (9:00 am to 12:00 pm), you will lay out your platter design, cut glass, and prepare your pebbles for kiln firing.
On day 2 (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), you will harvest your pebbles and complete your platter assembly for kiln firing.
Completed projects will be ready approximately 72 hours after day 2.
Details:
Instructor Bio:
Constance Ducar is enthusiastic about working with beginning students and encouraging a love for glass. She sometimes incorporates fiber or wood as display options with her glass pieces.
Instructor Bios:
Diane Bonciolini, the "olini” & her husband Gregg Mesmer, the "mes" of Mesolini Glass Studio are both recognized with the 2015 Island Treasure Award. They moved to Bainbridge Island in 1977, started the iconic Mesolini Glass Studio and have been working professionally in the art glass industry for decades.Their expertise includes various types of fabrication processes for creating stained glass, copper foil, fused glass, glass & concrete, as well as public art and teaching.
Over the years they have worked on many Public Art projects such as Bainbridge Beach Glass Quilt, the Waypoint beach glass project, Rotary Centennial Park, and others. Many of their projects include school-age students on the Island and beyond.
Diane's love of glass is her passion. As a full-time glass artist she grows with every project, and she is proud to be a founding member of BARN.
Diane & Gregg are Barn Glass Studio instructors and have held classes through the Bainbridge Parks Department & at their home studio. Gregg has also taught at Northwest Art Glass and Olympic College, many may recognize Gregg from his years of coaching baseball for Bainbridge High School.
What best describes their career to this point, is that they have more ideas than time!
Stained glass is fun and easier than you thought. This is a beginning-level class to introduce you to the processes of stained glass. In the 3 hours, you will learn the basics of glass safety, tools of the trade, glass cutting, and project assembly using the copper foil technique. You can choose one of 3 projects to build, all doable in the time we have in the studio. Come on in and surprise yourself. Register a youth or friend to attend with you!
Instructor:
Jim Washington comes to BARN with 35 years in vocational education settings. He has taught classes in cold, warm and hot glass, glass batching, ceramics, manufacturing, woodshop, and composites. His first love was the glass arts program in Central Kitsap which he built and ran for 12 years.
Create a glass mosaic address panel as you design and grout your project made with stained glass and vitreous glass tiles. This hands-on two-day class will give you an overview of the material selection, design, cutting, setting, and grouting an exterior-friendly mosaic. House numbers may be created out of square glass tiles or you may bring purchased metal house numbers to the class, additional information will be sent with registration confirmation. A plaque can also be created for those who do not wish to include house numbers. Students will take home a completed 18" x 12" flat panel piece in their own design.
No previous mosaic experience or tools are required by students.
Class fee includes 12”x18” flat panel, handing hooks, stained glass and glass tiles, mortar, grout, colorant, and all tools and supplies.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
Darcy Thompson has taught mosaic classes for the Schack Arts Center in Everett, Bassetti Gardens in Woodinville as well as private classes. She has been a working artist for over 20 years and shows her work at a variety West Coast art shows including the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour as well as in various galleries. She is entirely self-taught and loves to teach the varied steps in the process of re-purposing cracked or broken plates into fun and colorful mosaics for the home and garden.
Glass fusers typically strategize to AVOID bubbles, but not in this class! Bubbles are cool and create a beautiful design element when they become intentional and that's what you'll learn here. It's a good introduction to glass fusing for beginners or is another device for experienced fusers to know in planning their creations. Students will use glass stringer to design a square plate and intentionally imbed decorative bubbles in kiln-formed glass.
In session two (1:00pm-2:00pm), students will remove the panels from the kiln and prepare them for a second firing which fuses them together. Instructors will remove and clean the fused plates to ready them for a third firing which slumps them into the plate mold. Plates will be available for pick up the following week.
Instructors:
Nancy Adams: "I have loved everything glass since I was a young child. During the 70’s I dabbled in stained glass. I discovered playing with fused glass at Mesolini Glass and became intrigued with techniques and processes for manipulating the glass. Retirement in 2017 opened the door for the opportunity to pursue glass experimentation, and to share with others what I have learned."
Jackie Bailey: I fell in love with glass after the first class I took back in 2016! I have taken many classes since that first one. I am currently Glass Studio Treasurer and acting Studio Manager and Studio monitor each Tuesday morning.
This is a BARN holiday. Doors will be locked to the public, members, and non-members.
Join the glass studio for a full week of glass fusion, torchwork, and casting.
Day 1 & 2: Dinner Set Safety Overview of Project Glass & Mold Options Basic cutting/grinding practice Cut & Assemble Projects First kiln firing (contour or full)
Day 3: Torches Overview of working with torches Torch Safety Making beads Complete 2nd Kiln firing (Slump) of dinner set Day 4:
Unload plates/bowls from kilns and review Overview of glass heart casting project Make hearts Arrange for heart pick up after firing
Nothing is as important to a professional artist's or designer's career as a carefully created portfolio. Yet very few people have one that they're proud to show. Something always seems to get in the way of sitting down and figuring out just how you want to define your work, what you want to focus on, and whom you want to attract with a curated group of pieces you've made. Whether you're blowing the dust off your old portfolio, or creating a new one from scratch, this class takes you through the process of creating a strong portfolio step-by-step, identifying concrete objectives, finding holes that need to be filled, and providing encouragement and review along the way.
High schoolers applying to college, people applying to grad school, recent grads about to start the job search, people applying for a job in a design field or in academia, or artists who want to get their work into viewable order either physically or online--all need up-to-date portfolios-- and all are welcome.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class.
Instructor Bio - Natalia Ilyin:
Professor of Design, Design History, and Criticism at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Natalia also teaches studio classes in brand and identity design, design for social activism, and transition design. Natalia is also Founding Faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts, advising design grad students on critical and contextual studies. She has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, Yale University, The Cooper Union, and the University of Washington, and has acted as Critic for the MFA in Graphic Design at Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design.
A former National Director of Programs for the AIGA in New York, she has given talks and workshops at Microsoft, Boeing, Rhode Island School of Design, Maine College of Art, California College of Art, Art Center College of Design's Toyota lecture series, the Wolfsonian Museum, The Henry Art Gallery, and many other very nice places. She has published four books on design criticism and many articles in a wide variety of publications. She worries that people often don't present their work in ways that will support their visions for themselves.
Registration on this page is for the workshop being held at BARN. The simultaneous online Zoom version can be found here.
In this unique class, you will explore the meditative technique of powdered glass frit. Frit combined with foliage creates delicate organic images that will add pizzazz to your food presentation or decor. Using frit powders of various colors and choosing previously dried foliage, you will create striking floral images.
You will produce one 9” x 9” square swoop serving piece, one 3" x 9" channel plate, and three 3” x 3” condiment dishes.
Day 1 - In this three-hour session (12:00 to 3:00 pm) you will come to understand the necessary safety practices and clean up using glass powders. Then with step-by-step instruction, you will practice the process of layering frit to colorize the dried foliage you have chosen to decorate your dishware.
Day 2 - In this one-hour session (12:00 to 1:00 pm) you will learn how and why to clean your powdered and initially fired pieces to prepare them for fully fusing each to a background piece of glass before slumping. Day 3 - In this last session (12:00 to 1:00 pm) the instructor will show you all the steps to completing a dish or display object.
Diane Bonciolini, the "olini” of Mesolini Glass Studio, is a founding member of BARN, she & her husband Gregg Mesmer, both recognized with the 2015 Island Treasure Award, moved to Bainbridge Island in 1977 and started the iconic Mesolini Glass Studio. They have been working professionally in the art glass industry for decades. Their expertise includes various types of fabrication processes for creating stained glass, copper foil, fused glass, glass & concrete, as well as public art and teaching.
Diane's love of glass is her passion. As a full-time glass artist she grows with every project, she is proud to be a founding member of BARN.
What best describes her career to this point is she has more ideas than time!
Amaze your friends with your command of GLASS! Learn about the magic of stained glass using the copper foil technique to create pieces that sparkle in the sun. You will assemble a 5-piece star or heart as well as another project you choose from several available patterns. Your choice of colored and textured glass will make for a very personal project.
Prior to tackling your project, you will learn to hand-cut clear glass in straight lines, with copper tape and then solder the shapes together into a 10-square design. By the second day, you will be cutting curves and using a glass grinder to finish the shapes of your project for a better fit.
By the end of the fourth class you will have a good understanding of the copper foil technique for stained glass; how to cut glass in straight and curved lines with carbide glass cutters, how to use a diamond glass grinder, copper foil techniques to assemble glass pieces, tacking and soldering the fit pieces into a beautiful piece. A border will be added to your last piece to further enhance the look and provide strength for hanging.
Students that may have had previous glass cutting and stained glass experience may choose a more complicated pattern with the instructor’s approval. The instructor’s focus is on your completion of a nice-looking project rather than the complexity of a project.
The material fee covers all materials and equipment required for your project. BARN ensures safe practices and a safe environment for the students; special considerations should be discussed beforehand. While working with soldering irons at high temperatures, we request you wear cotton or other natural fiber clothing.
Do you dream of earning money as an artist? Make that dream a reality by learning how to market your artwork to reach a bigger audience! No matter what your medium is, you can use tips and tricks from the marketing trade to make your art shine on a bigger stage. From jewelry-makers to woodworkers, illustrators and digital artists, textile crafters, and mixed media creators, you can sell your craft by getting in front of the right people — with the right price and the right message!
In this four-session class, you’ll learn:
Note: This class is tailored to students 12-18 who have an established art or craft they feel confident about. Participants should bring their own tablet or smartphone and will be required to download a subscription-based design software called Canva (which has a limited free version available). Participants will also be asked to use existing social media and email accounts to promote their materials, though this is optional if they don’t have them or don’t want to use them for promotional purposes. Finally, they will also be creating an Etsy account, which will require a credit card in order to go live (this is part of their class homework).
Carrie Bancroft is a magical marketer, event creator, mother of an aspiring artist, and writer. When she's not running creativity workshops and insanely awesome events, she can be found helping others live the life of their dreams, exploring tidal pools with her son, hanging out with horses and cats, or adventuring in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula.
The Art of Glass Cutting is simply that, an art. It is fascinating, exciting, and empowering when you are successful; when you are not, it can stop you in your tracks and be very expensive. With a few simple tricks, and patience, you can master the 'Art of Glass Cutting'.
Instructor Gregg Mesmer will focus on basic techniques, circle cutting, curves, strip cutting and more. There will be plenty of time for practice and personal attention! After demos, conversation and practice, you will go home having a better understanding of techniques and tools that will make cutting glass a breeze.
Instructor: Gregg Mesmer, of Mesolini Glass Studio. He and his wife, Diane Bonciolini, both recognized with the 2015 Island Treasure Award, moved to Bainbridge Island in 1977 and started the iconic Mesolini Glass Studio. They have been working in the art glass industry professionally for decades. Their expertise, however, goes beyond glass cutting to inclulde other types of fabrication; all aspects of creating stained glass art; copper foil, glass fusing, public art and teaching.
Over the years they have worked on many community Art in Public Places projects such as Bainbridge Beach Glass Quilt, the Waypoint beach glass project, Rotary Centennial Park, as well as others. Many of their projects include school age students on the Island and beyond. Gregg has taught for Northwest Art Glass, the Bainbridge Parks District, and Olympic College.
Prior to tackling your project, you will learn to hand-cut clear glass in straight lines, copper tape and then solder the shapes together into a 10-square design. By the second day, you will be cutting curves and using a glass grinder to finish the shapes of your project for a better fit.
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Learn to create a stained glass window in this six session class for beginners and those looking to refresh your skills.
INSTRUCTOR:
Gregg Mesmer, of Mesolini Glass Studio. He and his wife, Diane Bonciolini, both recognized with the 2015 Island Treasure Award, moved to Bainbridge Island in 1977 and started the iconic Mesolini Glass Studio. They have been cutting glass professionally for decades. Their expertise, however, goes beyond glass cutting to include other types of fabrication; all aspects of creating stained glass art; and leading, soldering and glazing of stained glass windows. Over the years, they have worked on many community projects. Gregg has taught for Northwest Art Glass, the Bainbridge Parks District, and Olympic College.
Park: At BARN, or the adjacent Christmas tree lot. Parking also available at the First Baptist Church on North Madison, with a free Sweet Deal Mobile shuttle.
