Finding Minnesota: Turning Molten Glass Into Art

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- No matter the weather, one place in Minnesota has furnaces holding steady at 2,300 degrees.

Foci uses the intense heat to help people learn and practice glass arts. Eric Dahlberg is the studio manager.

"It's a bit of a lost art," he said. "There aren't a lot of places that you can do this."

Foci, a nonprofit, has the only glass studio in the state that's open to the general public. Michael Boyd founded it in 1999.

"It's one of those things where you see it and you're like, 'When can I try that?'" Boyd said.

Glass arts demand several areas of concentration at once, which is why the studio is named Foci, the plural of focus.

Besides blowing and turning, artists need to keep track of temperature, tools and various tasks.

Foci is designed to be a place where a community of artists can work and learn together.

"We all just sort of have a passion for the material," Dahlberg said. "And we try and involve everyone as often as we can."

Some of the artists display and sell their work at Foci's small on-site gallery.

Foci offers a basic class in which students can make something in an hour. But for those who want to get more involved, there are courses that span five weeks, on nights or weekends.

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