Glassblowing studio to visit in New England.

July 29, 2007 10:42 AM

Please recommend a good glassblowing studio to visit during daytime hours in Massachusetts or New England, near Boston.

We're hoping to take a daytrip to a glassblowing studio near Boston, and we found out the place we used to like to visit, North River Glass in Shelburne Falls, closed down. Western Mass is fine, but we don't want to be in the car for more than about two hours. We want to go sometime on the weekend. We don't want to feel pressured to buy anything. Bonus points for first-hand experience & good stories. Thanks.

posted by sleevener to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

You are not all that far from the Corning Museum of Glass. Contact them and see if they have any information on glassblowing studios in your area.

You might also enjoy this exhibit of glass flowers.
posted by yohko at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2007

Just to be clear, the glass botanical exhibit at the Harvard Peabody to which yohko links is not part of a glassblowing or glassworking demonstration. It's a collection of replica specimens for botonical studies. They're very detailed and intricate, but they're simply case after case of glass reproductions of botanical specimens.
posted by Elsa at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2007

Best answer: It's a little more distant than you asked for, but Simon Pearce in Quechee, VT would be a nice day trip for you. It has a great restaurant, a huge retail store, and an area where you can watch glassblowing.
posted by Daily Alice at 1:01 PM on July 29, 2007

Best answer: I don't know how one would arrange it, perhaps just call the studio, but the studio of Josh Simpson in Shelburne, MA would be hard to beat. You might recognize his work, he does these little glass planets and has been featured here and there but also lots more.
posted by jeremias at 1:08 PM on July 29, 2007

Simon Pearce is a nice place and one of my friends is a glassblower there. Evenings are the best time to go because the place closes at 9 pm and pretty much no one goes in after dinner time. My friend works evenings, say hi to Wayne if you go. The Corning Museum is cool but really nowhere near where you are going to be.
posted by jessamyn at 1:12 PM on July 29, 2007

Damn, I was coming in here to recommend the place in Shelburne Falls that you say has closed. Curse you, passage of time!
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:32 PM on July 29, 2007

The Sandwich Glass Museum?
posted by maloon at 2:23 PM on July 29, 2007

One more vote for Simon Pearce. We stumbled upon it by accident whilst visiting Vermont for Maple Sunday last year. Loved the restaurant, loved the store, loved watching the glassblowers at work in the basement.

It's a couple hours' ride from Boston, but an easy one.
posted by briank at 2:27 PM on July 29, 2007

Best answer: I was about to recommend Salamandra Glass, which was (I think) blown at a studio in Dover, NH, and had a gallery in Portsmouth, NH. But I can't find a good link to make sure they're still there! You might want to look into that, or maybe someone here will know more. Lovely things, and Portsmouth is a nice place to walk around in general.
posted by Hey, Cupcake! at 3:55 PM on July 29, 2007

Best answer: A bit closer to home is the Diablo Glass Center in Mission Hill. They have various events and workshops, but they all require a fee.
posted by FreezBoy at 5:41 AM on July 30, 2007

Best answer: A friend of mine runs Fritz Glass in Dennis, MA, on Cape Cod. He blows glass in the shop/studio often, but you might want to call in advance. He doesn't have a web site (yet), but this guy's blog does a good little write up. It's not exactly near Boston, but it's closer that Queechee; plus, Cape Cod!
posted by Rock Steady at 11:21 AM on July 30, 2007

Two friends used to blow glass at MassArt. Not sure if the studio is open summers. Lots of interesting work going on when I knew folks there.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:42 PM on July 30, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for all the excellent suggestions!
posted by sleevener at 7:43 PM on July 30, 2007