Glass + Wood Sculpture: Part I (Part II in Winter 2025) (Adult 18+)
Adult Multi-Week | FULL
Combine two mediums to create a free-standing art piece. In this two-semester class, you'll explore basic woodworking skills and learn how to incorporate glass into your sculpture. You'll select and prepare free-form wood pieces with your own designs, using various tools and methods to accommodate your glass pieces created in the following winter session. This class is for students skilled in either glass or wood. Students can build upon the skills they know in one media, while gaining skills in another. Focus on wood sculpture during Part I, and Part II will be offered in our Winter 2025 semester. In Part II, you'll focus on incorporating glass into your wooden sculpture.
- This portion of the class will be held off-site at the instructor's personal studio. The address will be provided upon confirmation of the class. Students will sign up for this class, then be expected to sign up for the 8 week glass portion later in Winter 2025. The price of this class does not include the Winter 2025 portion. This class will meet on the following dates from 6 – 9pm: Tuesday 12/3, Thursday 12/5, Tuesday 12/10, and Thursday 12/12. Previous experience in glass and woodworking is recommended but not neccesary. Basic materials and equipment are provided. Wood and other materials will be available for purchase in class. Expect to spend between $50 and $100, depending on your individual project.
If under 18, student must be accompanied by a registered adult. Classes are confirmed one week prior to the start date. In order to help us confirm classes, please register as early as possible. On-site courses do not come with studio access outside of class time. Paid open studio access is available through our Studio Access Program. Please visit visarts.org for more information.
Mark Rickey
Based in Richmond, VA, Mark has worked in wood for over 40 years. His work has included traditional designs inspired by antique furniture, contemporary pieces and furniture using repurposed materials. Mark has built custom furniture for several churches throughout Virginia, including altars, ambos, presider’s chairs and other pieces. In the last several years, a portion of his work has migrated toward natural edge furniture design, exploring the integration of the wood’s innate form with the functionality of art furniture. Most recently, he has been developing his “Twisted” series which incorporates bent and twisted laminations in everyday furniture pieces. He teaches woodworking at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and The John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. Mark’s studio is in Richmond where he shares his space with talented woodworkers, furniture makers and a luthier. Beautiful furniture and music emanate from his studio as a result.
Instagram: @mark.rickey
Barbara Atkinson
For 46 years, Barbara has been a professional teaching artist specializing in stained glass. She worked and taught in several different studios before becoming a partner in Atkinson-Betts Stained Glass, creating custom installed architectural stained and etched glass for homes, churches and businesses. Since 2008 she has continued her craft studying with international glass artists at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Penland School of Crafts, and Wheaton Arts. Currently she is teaching stained glass and sandblasting at the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, where she has been an instructor for 18 years.