July 27, 2006

[Originally published in the 2005 Expo newspaper]

[Read other venue profiles in the Expo DIY Library.]

In the bowels of our city sits a simple warehouse with a loading dock in front but a jewel of a center.

Public Glass, the nonprofit brainchild of Bob Belucci, was founded to provide the Bay Area with a space for glass-art facilities and became a place of classes and public programs for artists, enthusiasts, youth and the curious.

Its recent existence has been tenuous, however, exacerbated by the economic downturn and the financial struggles many small arts nonprofits face.

Were it not for the quick work of its artists and supporters, this hotbed of creativity would have disappeared in its last cycle of attrition.

This is not a new story in the San Francisco art world. However, the unique paradox of Public Glass is that it does its job too well.

Artists complete a cycle of classes, practice in the studios, and after becoming a sustaining part of the Public Glass community, leave to start their own private studios.

Often these hatchlings take other talent with them, leaving the organization that catalyzed their creativity with the need to find new supporters who will keep the furnaces burning and the doors open.

Public Glass has learned that a steady stream of new students and a cycle of ticketed events may have to supplement revenue from classes and studio rentals. Fundraising requires new skills development for artists who have to become administrators.

This may surprise people who rely on the open doors of nonprofit organizations in order to advance and sustain their careers, but who don't understand that Public Glass, like many other arts nonprofits, operates at a deficit that must be made-up for by volunteerism and financial contributions.

For Public Glass the wake-up call came slowly as the ability to pay an expensive but necessary gas bill, maintenance of equipment, rent, insurance and administrative staff disappeared.

In May 2005, Jess Wainer, glass artist, teacher and volunteer, and Allyson Halpern, vice president of the group, pulled off the impossible.

Within the span of eight weeks, they oversaw two profitable fundraising events that featured 2,000 degree glass, flaming desserts, and artist Jeremy Cline's live creation of a six-foot blown glass artwork.

The event has given Public Glass a glimpse of how much support it really has, and offers new hope for sustainable financing.

"I think the organizers did an excellent job especially given the short amount of time," said Carolyn Wang, a volunteer and teacher. "I was surprised by how many people donated pieces of art to us. There were so many kind people to offer support I think that overall a lot of glass artists know about Public Glass and don't want to see it go away."