Within minutes of sticking my head in the door at Gather Glass on Atwells Avenue to see when I might arrange an interview, glassblower Benjamin Giguere had me rolling my gather in a pile of blue frit and blowing up a round glass ornament. I can pick it up Sunday when it will have finished annealing. This place has a great vibe and the crew gets you going before you know what happened. (On this day it was Derek, a former chef launching a new career, and John, an experienced glassblower learning how to conduct classes, assisting in the studio.) And while “gather” is a term of art to glassblowers — it refers to the mass of molten glass on the end of the rod — Mr. Giguere also wants to “gather” people in and make the world a better place.
In addition to my new vocabulary words, I can now identify the annealing oven, the furnace, and the glory hole [insert joke here]. And boy, do these things throw off heat. There is a powerful fan that blows your hair around like a shampoo commercial and keeps things fairly cool, but wear layers.
The affable Mr. Giguere is a force of nature — he loves what he does and wants to share it with the world. Gather Glass has been at the Atwells location, adjacent to Nolan’s Pub, for about five years. They offer glass blowing lessons for up to four people per lesson. They can also deploy a mobile glass blowing unit for demonstrations at public and private events. You may have seen them at WaterFire.
A variety of classes are available, from the one-hour “make your own” workshop you might do with friends, to a four-week intro to glassblowing course, and many individual project workshops are available once you get the hang of it. You must be at least 8 years old.
Lead glassblower Giguere (seen here standing next to the glory hole) honed his craft for over a decade at a Vermont glass factory, studying with master glassblowers from around the world. In 2008, he moved to Providence to learn other glass-making techniques, and found himself casting and molding glass into objects for noted glass artist Steven Weinberg. Giguere is currently studio manager at Weinberg Glass in Warren.
Gather also gives demos and displays new work on Gallery Night, the third Thursday of the month. (Blow some glass and then hop next door for a beer.)
Glasswork is for sale and they donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of drinking glasses (see the birthstone series below — there’s also a honeybee line) to causes like homelessness and the environment. Gather also creates one-of-a-kind customized glass work for community organizations and businesses.
Stop by and check it out. But be advised, if you so much as slow down to look at the cool signage, they will come out and gather you in.
Open seven days, Gather Glass, 521 Atwells Avenue, (directions)
Below are containers of frit, crumbles of colored glass.
The birthstone series of glassware.
