|
The goal of
Island Glassworks is to encourage glass art in Honolulu.
Hawai'i offers a unique challenge to glassblowers because, except
for students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Punahou
High School, there is nowhere to blow glass in the city. Island
Glassworks was started in order to fill that void and
provide a state-of-the-art hot and cold glass working facility
to the community. Located in downtown Kailua, 5 minutes
from the beach and next to a Native-Hawai'ian bird sanctuary, the studio produces a line of hand-made,
Hawai'i-inspired artwork, offers classes to the public
and is available for rent to qualified artists.
Living in Hawai'i since 1979, Geoff Lee has long considered the islands his home. After earning a degree in glass from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997, Geoff worked as a professional glassblower in Seattle, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 2000 he returned to Hawai'i and earned his MFA in Glass from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (2003). Geoff also has been fortunate to have studied and worked with some of the best glassblowers around the world and has also participated at workshops at the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and Centro Studio Vetro in Italy. |