NEWARK, NJ (April 16, 2018) — Sandra Charlap’s job requires her to come up with new and creative uses for broken glass, and to teach kids to do the same. 
 
“Showing kids how to create glass mosaics provides many ‘teachable moments’, beyond safety lessons. When students are working on a large mosaic as a team they have the chance to learn a craft, but it also encourages them to think of the larger picture – that making art could become a career.”
 
As the newly appointed Lead Flat Shop Instructor for GlassRoots’, a seventeen year old non-profit arts-education studio in Newark, Ms. Charlap is taking an ancient art-form in a few, new and novel directions.
 
“I’m a curious artist. I’m trained as a painter but I utilize lots of different materials as if they were paint, including glass. Any material with a wide range of color can function like paint.”
 
“Flat-work” is the term used to describe functional pieces or works of art made with cut-glass that is fused together, or glued together then grouted as a mosaic. In fused-glass projects, separate pieces of glass are heated together in a kiln. This method has been around for about 2000 years.1 Mosaics date back as far as the 3rd century in Mesopotamia.
 
Sandra’s new portrait series at GlassRoots utilizes fused-glass, and focuses on everyone’s two favorite subjects; their pets, and themselves. These glass portraits can range from sweet and whimsical, to elegant and impressive, depending upon the skill of the student.
 
“Ten years ago I began doing Pet Portraits in watercolor. When I started here at GlassRoots I immediately thought of translating them into glass. I’m happy to teach anyone how to create a portrait in glass, from beginners to established artists who already work in glass, or any other form.”
 
Initially trained in illustration at Parsons School of Design, Sandra went on to earn her MFA at Montclair State University with a concentration in printmaking, and initially opened her own design business, designing and creating custom tabletop ceramics for Barney’s, Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus and ABC Carpet and Home. Over the course of her career Sandra added mastery in watercolor, acrylic, oils, print collage and mosaics to her skill set. For five years Sandra was the primary art teacher for grades 6 to 12 at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ.
 
In her new mosaic series, Sandra takes the ubiquitous smiley-face emoji and teaches workshop attendees how to turn them into permanent statements in glass tile, which can be framed and hung, or displayed on an easel. “I call them emoj-aics”. It’s a great way to connect with students in a language they already speak, while getting them to expand their range of self-expression. There really is no limit as to what you can do with glass.”
 
Sandra continues to show and sell her work to a wide audience while she brings her artistic and entrepreneurial spirit to GlassRoots.
 
 
1.     Source: SAMA Society of American Mosaic Art www.americanmosaics.org
 
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About GlassRootsGlassRoots is a Newark-based 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for achievement to youth and young adults by engaging them in the creation of glass art and the development of entrepreneurial and life skills. GlassRoots programs are STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), and are offered as in-school residencies, after-school and summer arts programs, workforce development programs, and as workshops for teens and adults, using competency in handling molten glass as a pathway to personal development. For more information, please call 973.353.9555 or email info@glassroots.org.

NEWARK, NJ (November 30, 2017) — GlassRoots is pleased to announce its Holiday Open House in their studios at 10 Bleeker Street, Newark, NJ on Thursday, December 7, from 9am-7pm, as part of Downtown Newark’s annual “Holidays on Halsey,” a celebration of local artists and businesses.

GlassRoots is an active hot glass shop and nonprofit glass-arts education space, providing artistic and college-and-career readiness programs to the greater Newark community and beyond for over sixteen years. All GlassRoots’ hand-blown glass jewelry and art is made on site by staff and students.
 
This year’s holiday showcase features the jewelry of nineteen year old Newark resident Caleb Thomas, a graduate of GlassRoots’ craft entrepreneurship program Bead Shop, along with other graduates of this innovative workshop. Caleb creates his pieces using cast-off jewelry from his mother, grandmother and aunts, deconstructing the original items and adding handmade glass to produce something totally new. His necklaces, bracelets and earrings will be available for sale on Thursday. The Bead Shop program, designed as a 20-hour intensive, teaches participants the art of glass-jewelry making as well as the fundamentals of business ownership, including how to set up an online sales shop on the Etsy platform.
 
As a bonus, from 4pm–7pm GlassRoots will celebrate its’ six 2017 GlassRoots-Penland Fellowship graduates -- Adelin Figueroa, Melissa Tapia, Kevin Thomas, Joshua Toler, Gianna Torres and Nicholas Wisniewski, in the first ever public showing of their work. In its second year, the GlassRoots-Penland Fellowship is a college-and-career readiness program, which provides high school graduates studio and life-skills training. This program take place at GlassRoots’ Newark studios and at The Penland School of Crafts, in Penland, North Carolina over 13-weeks. Each student who successfully completes the program receives up to nine transferrable college credits.

Newark (October 30, 2017) – Newark-based community art studio GlassRoots enthralled hundreds of eager observers as they brought their glassblowing process out of their studios and onto the plaza at Hamilton NJ Grounds for Sculpture this weekend.

GlassRoots artists Jason Minami, James Blake, Malcolm Morano and Alix Davis thrilled onlookers as they gathered hot glass from their newly constructed portable furnace, and shaped each mass of glass by blowing air into it through a hollow pipe and crafting plates, vases and cups from the molten glass at their bench, the glassblower's workstation.

Meanwhile, GlassRoots lampworking artists Kate Dowd and Richard Paz led fifteen adults in a two-hour bead-making workshop, in a temporary flameworking studio set up in the Motor Exhibits Building. Working with 2200° torches, participants shaped molten glass into beautiful beads, which they crafted into necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry during the workshop.

GlassRoots portable hotshop was crafted by the studio’s master glassblower Jason Minami, who worked long hours in his own studio to design, cut, weld and construct a furnace, glory hole, garage, workbench and marver that could be taken to public spaces to allow greater public access to the art of glassblowing. Funding for the extension of GlassRoots’ programming was provided by the Rosenberg Ebin Family Foundation.
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Now available for both educational and public entertainment programs, GlassRoots’ portable hotshop attracted and intrigued people of every age. Experiences outside of GlassRoots’ studio can now include a complete glassblowing demonstration, with highly skilled artists working with molten glass while a commentator explains the art and science of glass and answers questions.

In requesting funds to construct the portable hotshop,GlassRoots staff wrote, “Communities gain value through public art – cultural, social, and economic value. The public reflects our society and adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities. Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces. It provides an intersection between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas. Public art is freely accessible. The effort of creating art for public space is not solitary: the public art process asks the artist to share their creative point of view and approach to art-making, and to collaborate with others throughout its development.  This is always true in the art of glassblowing, and is enhanced when this art form is brought public.”

Schools and organizations interested in more information about GlassRoots portable and studio programs can contact our program director, Lisa Duggan at education@glassroots.org or by phone at 973.353.9555.

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NEWARK, NJ--Greater Newark high school students who have spent the last academic year creating their own glass art and an accompanying business plan for marketing and selling their one-of-a-kind pieces will showcase their work at GlassRoots’ 13th Annual Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 4:00 pm in the newly renovated Hahne & Co Building, Upper Atrium, 50 Halsey Street, Newark NJ.  The public is invited to attend. GlassRoots is a non-profit organization located in the downtown arts district of Newark, New Jersey that provides artistic and life skills training to Newark area youth, ages 10 to 18, by engaging them in the creation of glass art and the development of business and entrepreneurship skills. 
 
The GlassRoots FLAME and Business & Entrepreneurship Programs, dedicated to nurturing and guiding the entrepreneurial spirit, are modeled after the curriculum from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an international non-profit organization that introduces youth to the world of entrepreneurship. High School students from the Greater Newark area begin their journeys as entrepreneurs during 65 hours of class time focusing on how to plan, prepare, market and manage a business. In the Business and Entrepreneurship program, they then create products in one of GlassRoots’ glass art studios. The FLAME Program students take a slightly different path, working cooperatively to design and create products to represent GlassRoots, and their competition will be based on designs and business models. Both programs culminate in this business competition and trade fair at which the students’ products can be purchased. 
 
“Entrepreneurship education benefits students from all socioeconomic backgrounds because it teaches kids to think outside the box and nurtures unconventional talents and skills,” said Barbara Heisler, Executive Director. “Through our entrepreneurship programs, our students learn organizational skills, including time management, leadership development and interpersonal skills, which prepares them for additional education and give them an edge with highly transferable skills sought by employers.”
The student entrepreneurs this year hail from Newark and Hoboken Schools. 
 
The Competition is the culmination of the time and effort that these students have dedicated over the last nine months.  Judges for this year’s competition include:

• Roger Tucker a GlassRoots board member and owner of Tucker Contemporary Art in Montclair
• Mark Megaro, Art Faculty, Barringer High School in Newark  
• Sonnet Takahisa, Deputy Director of Education, Newark Museum
• Steven Prato, Founder, Joe Tea, Montclair  
• Michael Kasdan, Partner, Wiggin and Dana LLC, New York
• Chike Uzoka, Entrepreneur and Business Coach, Newark

 
The Business and Entrepreuneurship Program, one of several run by GlassRoots, is supported, in part, by the Bob Crewe Foundation, PSE&G Foundation, New Jersey Office of Faith Based Initiatives, New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Sherr Foundation.

GlassRoots in Newark is pleased to announce its spring 2017 fundraiser, Gardens & Glass, to be held at the Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair, NJ on Sunday, June 11, 2017 from 1-4 pm.

Gardens and Glass will feature glass making demonstrations against the backdrop of the illustrious Van Vleck Gardens, as well as brunch bites, fine teas, mimosas, and other treats. GlassRoots will showcase the hand-made glass artistry of its students and teaching artists along with examples of fine craft from other New Jersey makers and designers.

Acclaimed furniture designer Tucker Robbins is serving as Honorary Chair and Curtland Fields, CEO of the Turrell Fund, is serving as Honorary Co-Chair.  Design NJ Magazine is our media partner.  Joining the Gardens and Glass Honorary Events Committee are GlassRoots founder, Patricia Kettenring, along with Meg Jacobs - MRJ Design Group; Tere Besin  - Beret Design Group; Sarah Barrett and Megan Downing -- Elemental Design, Montclair; Katja Van De Loo – Papyrus Home Design; Jennifer Meyer – Jen Meyer Interiors; Carol Swift – Swift Morris Design; Robinson Holloway – Village West Gallery; Kathy Imlay  -- Imlay Gallery; and artist Lisa Westheimer.

Exhibits from New Jersey Makers will include woodworker Alan Adler, ceramist Marguerite Brennan, felt designer Rachael Grochowski, textile artist Amy Pilkington, and botanical artist Susan Frei Nathan.

Tickets are $75 and available on the GlassRoots website at www.GlassRoots.org. Early bird pricing runs through May 5.

GlassRoots knows that the learning that goes on in our studios is deep.  Students learn about glass, yes, but also about science and math, about technology and engineering, and they learn important life skills necessary for success in life.  Our curriculum engages and educates.

One of our newest programs is the Volcano Program, created in partnership with the Rutgers Newark Earth Science department and its chairman Dr. Alexander Gates. Together with Dr. Gates, GlassRoots created three hands-on demonstrations that show how heat and pressure underground move rocks and earth to build up volcanic mountains, and in some cases, cause them to literally blow their tops. Volcanoes continue to captivate young and old, but they are a complex feature of earth science.  GlassRoots artists and Dr. Gates and his team work to clarify exactly how they work. This knowledge goes beyond casual intrigue or passing high school science; we believe a solid grounding in earth science will prepare students to understand and act on pressing societal issues such as climate change, oil exploration, pollution and species threatened with extinction, and hope to instill a desire in our inner-youth to stay in science classes in school, and to pursue science studies in higher education.

Hands-on, experiential education, here at GlassRoots. Read the evaluation report below to fully understand the impact our programs make.  Contact our program director if you'd like your class to experience GlassRoots!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GLASSROOTS HIRES LISA DUGGAN AS PROGRAM DIRECTOR
 
Newark-based GlassRoots is pleased to announce the recent hire of Lisa Duggan, who joins the GlassRoots team as Program Director.  In this role, Duggan will build and supervise our wide range of programs, responsible for implementing growth strategies, maintaining relationships, evaluating impact and reporting on progress and performance.

“I was attracted by GlassRoots’ mission to ignite and build the creative and economic vitality of greater Newark, with a focus on under-served youth and young adults, through the transformative power of the glass art experience.” Duggan said.  “This ancient art form brings tremendous lessons applicable to modern day life – the persistence and tenaciousness required to complete work, the communication between artists, and the risk involved in working with fire and glass.  I’m excited to take these messages to schools and individual students and engage them in our work.”
 
GlassRoots programs are STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), and are offered as in-school residencies, after-school and summer arts programs, and as workshops for teens and adults, using competency in handling molten glass as a pathway to personal development.  Additionally, GlassRoots offers three post-high school programs to move young adults to the world of college and work.  
 
Ms.  Duggan is a writer, editor and entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in publishing. She is the former Director of Membership for In Good Company, and Associate Producer for Parents of the Revolution, a 2014 documentary about parents inside the Occupy Wall Street movement. Lisa is a contributing editor for The Good Men Project, and founder of The Modern Village, a continuing education series dedicated to the social and emotional well-being of families.
 
Lisa is also a life-long activist who paints and writes poetry, having performed in spoken word events in both in New Jersey and New York City. She lives in South Orange with her daughter, a talented young artist and activist in her own right.
 
For more information about GlassRoots programs, please contact Lisa at 973-353-9555, email info@glassroots.org or visit the GlassRoots website at www.glassroots.org.
 

About GlassRoots
GlassRoots is a Newark-based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for achievement to youth and young adults by engaging them in the creation of glass art and the development of entrepreneurial and life skills. For more information, please call 973.353.9555 or email info@glassroots.org.

Newark, NJ,  March 15, 2017: The GlassRoots Board of Trustees unanimously voted to add two new members to help guide the Glass Arts Non-Profit’s mission to "transform the lives of underserved youth by fostering life-long learning and creative self-expression through the wonder of glass-making."  

​The new board members are Veda Truesdale of Maplewood and Roger Tucker of Montclair.

Veda Truesdale is an independent research consultant who currently works with academic institutions to enhance their strategic plans. She comes to GlassRoots Board with a background working on sustainability, environmental justice, and climate change policies in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. Veda is passionate about engaging young people in civic life, particularly on issues of environmental and social justice and has incorporated these issues into life skills lessons with the Varis Scientific Glass students at GlassRoots. She is a member of the Maplewood Green Team Advisory Committee and regularly volunteers to assist newly arrived refugees adjust to life in Northern New Jersey.  Veda received a BA in Geography and Spanish from Vassar College and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Roger C. Tucker III is an innovative fine arts professional who continues to shape a career path as educator, art dealer, adviser, collector and curator to educate and advocate for emerging underrepresented artists. Tucker launched Tucker Contemporary Art, Inc. in 2012. This innovative fine arts advisory firm leverages Tucker’s extensive experience in art, business, education, communications, marketing and social media to position exceptional emerging and underrepresented artists in the national and global contemporary art world. As president of TCA, Tucker is a recognized influencer in social media advocating for a more inclusive art community that embraces the unique voices of diverse artists. Tucker received his BFA from Cooper Union, MS from Pratt Institute and Professional Certificate in Art Business from New York University, SCPS.
Ms. Truesdale has joined the program and events committees, and Mr. Tucker the marketing and communications committee.

"We are so fortunate to add individuals with such a high level of commitment and of this caliber our Board,” said Barbara Heisler, Executive Director of GlassRoots. “We’re in the midst of a wonderful growth phase, planning for the exciting and impactful future of our organization. We are so glad to welcome our new Board members, both of whom understand where we want to go, and are dedicated to moving GlassRoots forward.”

About GlassRoots
GlassRoots is a Newark-based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for achievement to youth and young adults by engaging them in the creation of glass art and the development of entrepreneurial and life skills. GlassRoots programs are STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), and are offered as in-school residencies, after-school and summer arts programs, and as workshops for teens and adults, using competency in handling molten glass as a pathway to personal development.  Additionally, GlassRoots offers two workforce development programs to move young adults to the world of work.  For more information, please call 973.353.9555 or email info@glassroots.org.

GlassRoots is a unique arts education organization in downtown Newark NJ with a mission to ignite and build the creative and economic vitality of greater Newark, with a focus on under-served youth and young adults, through the transformative power of the glass art experience.
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We’re growing and we’re looking for our next Program Director who will build and supervise our wide range of programs. You will be responsible for the delivery and overall success of each program. You will develop growth strategies, maintain relationships, evaluate impact and inform management on progress and performance.

Our successful Program Director must have a broad knowledge of program management principles, along with an entrepreneurial and strategic mindset; and be ready to work with this innovative and creative team.

GlassRoots programs’ goal is to provide dynamic and unique arts/education experiences that are valued by a broad segment of the greater Newark community and add the highest possible value to the organization.

Compensation includes a base salary and incentive pay, along with a health care and vacation benefits package. Full job description attached.

Applicants should submit resumes as attachments in emails addressed to bheisler(at)glassroots.org. Please include cover letter in the body of the email.  No phone calls please.

Congratuations to Erin Sweeney  & Antonio Valla  

Erin Sweeney (HKS '07) and Antonio Valla (GSD '08) each came to Newark over five years ago, Erin to return to the urban nonprofit sector after a stint in the Foreign Service, and Antonio to continue his dream work as an urban planner; each fell quickly and deeply in love with Newark. Antonio was first to connect with GlassRoots, an incredible nonprofit glass art studio that uses the power of fire and glass to transform lives, especially those of Newark youth. A year after joining the Board, Antonio introduced Erin to the organization and they have each been devoted volunteers and supporters of GlassRoots ever since.

GlassRoots is more than an art studio; it is an organization that has been changing the lives of thousands of youth, young adults, and adults since its start 15 years ago. GlassRoots uses various types of glass art methods to teach students not only about self expression and creativity, but about business, entrepreneurship, teamwork, patience, persistence, and much more. As volunteers and Board members, Erin and Antonio work countless hours each month assisting the organization. The highlight for both of them is whenever they teach career or life skill sessions to students in the programs.
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Erin says, "It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to watch our students grow in front of our eyes from timid, self-conscious, unsure teenagers into confident, proud, and motivated young adults. GlassRoots changes lives every day and is a true force for transformation, not only for our youth, but for the greater Newark community."