ArtsWA: Fueling the Fire for Hot Shop Heroes

Just as we were getting ready to close Museum of Glass to slow the spread of COVID-19 we received some great news from the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), an organization that has been promoting the value of arts in Washington communities since 1961.

The Washington State Arts Commission, through its partnership with Creative Forces*, has provided MOG’s Hot Shop Heroes™ program with a $1,400 grant to purchase tools, molds and glass for the Museum’s new Hot Shop Heroes Advanced Production Class, which launched in January 2020. Through this award, Hot Shop Heroes was also able to purchase a customized mold for signing glass art pieces created during the class. Members of the class are learning how to create salable glass art for the Museum of Glass store. The Advanced Production Class gives participants a chance to pay-it-forward. Proceeds generated from the sale of these items benefit the Hot Shop Heroes program.

Since 2013 MOG’s Hot Shop Heroes program has offered glassmaking classes for soldiers and veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Museum of Glass partners with the Warrior Transition Battalion and the Intrepid Spirit Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

To learn more about ArtsWA visit: arts.wa.gov

*Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and the state and local arts agencies that seeks to improve the health, wellness, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers.