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Poatina Glass Studio

Located in a beautiful bush setting with views of the Great Western Tiers on the edge of Poatina village, the studio, housed in the Alethea Mountain Retreat Arts Centre is an inspiring place for beginners and professionals to undertake workshops in glass blowing and kiln formed glass, for artists to access specialised equipment and studio space, for school and other community groups to watch demonstrations or participate in educational workshops, and for tourists and spectators to simply enjoy the fascinating spectacle of glass blowing being shaped and formed into all manner of art objects.

The Story

The Poatina Glass Studio was officially established in 2009 with support from Arts Tasmania.  Located at interim premises in Poatina village until 2012, the studio has now been relocated to the new purpose-built facility of the Alethea Mountain Retreat Arts Centre which was established with support from The Tasmanian Community Fund, The Ian Potter Foundation and the Northern Midlands Council.

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A dream many years in the making and now a celebrated reality as Tasmania's premier glass blowing teaching facility, the Poatina Glass Studio addresses a significant need in offering hot and kiln-formed glass studio access and tuition to the state of Tasmania.

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The Workshops

Learn a range of techniques working with glass in our stunning Glass Studio with experienced facilitators.  A range of options to suit beginners through to advanced, whether individuals, family groups or larger community and school groups.

Beginner Glass Blowing Workshops

 

Ever wondered what it would be like to shape and blow molten glass?  Well, here's your chance!  In our exciting introductory hands-on workshops you'll gather molten glass from the furnace and shape it to create simple paperweights, drinking vessels or bowls.  Bring your own creative flair to the design with the help of a skilled glassmaker.  
 

In this intensive, fun, and exciting process you’ll learn to assist each other and work together as a team.  All the glass you make will be yours to take home and show off to your friends and family - exciting mementos of a fascinating experience.

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Kiln Formed Glass

 

A cooking class with glass! Come and learn the fun of putting cut up bits of glass into the kiln to make beautiful things. 

Design patterns and images within some creative limitations while trying to foresee the effect of adding heat. Start with some creative combinations of colours and shapes, then see what the kiln will do in combining them. Envisage and work towards a final design by predicting what colours, shapes, techniques and effects will culminate in the desired outcome.

Learn a range of techniques including weaving glass and painting with frit.

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The Facilities

The hot glass area, or Hotshop, features a 135kg pot furnace for melting glass, two medium and one large glory holes (re-heating chambers) with two accompanying workspaces or Benches which allow up to two teams to work at any time.

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The kiln formed glass area or Kiln Room boasts a large architectural glass fusing and slumping kiln with an internal bed size of 2.4 x 1.2 metres, another large top-opening kiln suitable for large slumping and fusion projects, plus a range of smaller kilns for slumped, fused, or cast glass techniques.

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The cold-working (cutting, grinding and polishing) area has a wide range of equipment including flat bed grinders, wet-belt linisher, diamond saw and a glass lathe for diamond wheels.

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All areas and equipment are available to hire, and artists may also rent a permanent workspace in the building in which to base their studio work. Tools are also available for hire and a limited range of glass colours for blowing and kiln forming are available for purchase.

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The Alethea Mountain Retreat Arts Centre in which the studio is located also offers a large multi-purpose room which is also available for short-term rental for large projects or exhibitions, or for running workshops or other events.

 

For more information on the studio's facilities or hire rates, please get in touch.

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The Trailer

As well as the permanent hot glass studio facilities at the Alethea Mountain Retreat Arts Centre, Poatina Glass Studio also boasts Australia's only mobile glass blowing facility - our Hot Glass Trailer.

 

Built by studio volunteers in collaboration with the Tasmanian Craft Fair (supported by the Rotary Clubs of Deloraine) in 2009, it has been a feature of the Craft Fair in Deloraine for 10 years and other events in Tasmania.

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The Trailer has featured daily live glass blowing demonstrations with resident glass artist Keith Dougall as well as guest glass artists and has offered a "Make Your Own Paperweight" experience for those who wanted to be hands-on.

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