About

Mission Glass Axis is a vibrant glass center dedicated to making and learning

Vision
Glass Axis is a 10,000 sq. ft. art center providing artists, students, and community members  the tools necessary to passionately create innovative works in glass while learning, sharing, and teaching. Member artists have access to affordable glass blowing, glass fusing, torch working, cold working, stained glass and neon facilities, plus studio, exhibition, education, outreach, and income-producing opportunities all under one roof. By linking artists to the thousands of patrons that visit the art center each year for courses, demonstrations, exhibitions, and special events, Glass Axis becomes a vibrant civic hub of art production and community participation, bolstering sustainable cultural equity throughout Ohio and beyond.                                                                                                                                                            

Community Engagement and Cultural Equity
The Glass Axis community begins with artists that work in glass, whether professional, emerging, hobbyist, student or first-timer, and  extends out into the Ohio community in general with a special focus on people with disabilities, low-income youth, and recent or soon-to-be graduates. These communities intersect and interact though public classes (over 130 annually), special events including Pumpkin Patch, preview parties, exhibitions, college and high school internships, outreach programs including the Columbus Arts Festival, partnerships with Columbus City Schools, Goodwill, and Race for the Cure, and an extensive volunteer program. These interactions  create a vibrant community hub where all ages and classes can interact with a shared interest in art, leading to greater cultural equity. Imagine a group of seven lawyers, one of which is on our Board of Directors, attending a private glass blowing demonstration in the hotshop; while eight adults with disabilities are working together to create a stained glass sculpture, and six four-year olds are learning about glass beads; two professional artists are working with teams of assistants (two of which serve on our Board of Directors) to create fine art; at our front end is a couple looking at glass jewelry for a gift and a group of women that work for a domestic violence counseling center discussing custom commission options; meanwhile our Executive Director is working with a Columbus College of Art and Design intern on marketing, while our Shop Tech is building marvers with an out-of-work metal worker with over 20 years experience. This is our vibrant community!

Organization Infrastructure
Over the life of our organization our leadership and administrative infrastructure has changed, but has consistently been driven by a relationship between artist and community. In 2008 the Board of Directors began working to hire a visionary and competent Executive Director with a strong history of art making as well as leadership. Prior to this, Glass Axis operated instead with a Studio Director, always someone with an exemplary art practice, but with limited leadership experience. This new position was filled in April 2010.

Currently our Executive Director works closely with the Board of Directors to plan, step-by-step, the actions necessary to fulfill yearlong and long-term initiatives outlined on the Board approved strategic plan. Each month the Board meets to discuss and vote on actions and expenditures within budgeted constraints. These approved actions are then distributed to appropriate committee or staff to supervise and complete, often with the help of volunteers and always with the support of the Executive Director. Committees include, Governance, Renovation, Fiscal, Education, Facilities, Public Events, and Communications. Each month committees report progress and take recommendations from the Board. The Board is historically comprised of mostly glass artists whether emerging, professional, or hobbyist, while over the past few years Glass Axis has diversified its board to include educators, non-profit administrators, and pre-development professionals, and is currently re-structuring governance to formally and institutionally address this diversification.  Member artist are always invited to attend board meetings and/or meet with one of two designated ombudsman.