Youth Education Programs
We provide youth education programs to a variety of Tucson schools. Through glass making, our local high school, elementary, and middle school students learn the importance of communication, coordination, and teamwork. Glass making allows students to gain aesthetic vision and learn how to interact with peers confidently and comfortably.
Warm Shop (Kiln Fusing) – available off-site
This studio offers the widest variety of projects for all age groups. In the Warm Shop, students learn fusing, mosaics, and stained glass. We teach students how to cut sheet glass and then create flat projects. All age groups can create fused glass projects as well as larger objects. Ongoing high school groups can create more time intensive art pieces.
Hot Shop (Glassblowing) – available at SGS only
In our Hot Shop, students learn furnace glassblowing. This type of glass making requires students to have a certain amount of strength and dexterity, so most projects are limited to high school students. Elementary and middle school students can create select projects like ornaments with the help of an instructor.
Flame Shop (Torch Working) – available at SGS only
In the Flame Shop, students learn flameworking (torch working) and make beads, pendants, and marbles. This studio requires students to have a certain amount of strength and dexterity, so this studio is typically limited to ages 12 and up.
Want to schedule an experience for your group? Contact our Director of Education + Outreach, Marica Whittemore at [email protected]. Please include information about your group, your budget, and what you would like to have scheduled. Some grant funding is available upon request.
Participating Schools
From 2001 – present, SGS developed programs for the following schools and youth organizations:
Americore
Achieve Builds Confidence
Archer Community Center
Barrio Santa Rosa Community Center
BASIS Tucson
Booth-Fickett Magnet School
Carrillo Elementary School
Castlehill Country Day School
City High School
Drachman Montessori Magnet School
Empire High School
Faith Community Academy
Green Fields Country Day School
Gregory School
Grijalva Elementary School
Hughes Elementary School
Imago Dei Middle School
In Balance Ranch Academy
In My Shoes
Ironwood Ridge High School
Johnson Elementary School
Khalsa Montessori School
Kino Learning Center
Los Amigos Elementary School
Mary Meredith K-12
McCorkle Elementary School
Museum School for the Visual Arts (TMA)
Project MORE High School
Pueblo High School
Safford Elementary School
San Miguel Catholic High School
St. Michael’s Parish Day School
Tucson Hebrew Academy
Tucson High Magnet School
Tucson Indian Center
University of the Art & Logistics of Civilization
Upward Bound
Urban League
Vail High School
White Elementary School
Wright Elementary School
Zarepath Preventative Services
Public Art Installations
Sonoran Glass School emphasizes the creation of public art installations in many of our youth programs. The resulting installations provide both aesthetic and practical improvements to their locations as well as the creation of something that students and their communities can own in the long-term.
Funding for these programs has been provided by: Arizona Commission on the Arts, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, National Endowment for the Arts, The Kitay Family Foundation, Tucson Pima Arts Council, and generous individual donors and families.