Our Story
The time was right in early 2005 when several local glass artists met to brainstorm the idea of creating a community based glass blowing facility in Southeastern Wisconsin. Just a few weeks later they developed a plan and found the perfect spot: a dilapidated 1880’s former stable in downtown Racine.
With a little vision, and a lot of hard work, dreams became reality. Beautifully restored, this jewel became home to HOT SHOP GLASS, a state of the art glass blowing studio and gallery! Nearly two decades later the studio is as active as ever under the direction of founder/artist Amanda Cosgrove Paffrath and co-owner/artist Daniel Sviland. Glass blowing classes expanded in 2019 to include glass fusing classes, while gallery sales, events in Chicago and the Twin Cities, and commission work keep the team at Hot Shop Glass busy!
Expansion in 2019…the addition of a Glass Fusing Studio
Taking Daniels experience in stained glass, a kiln gifted to us knowing we would put it to good use and the determination to revamp our 1,000 square foot ‘storage’ space, we created a ‘warm’ glass studio — where the community can learn about glass fusing and create their own glass art. Our glass fusing studio is the perfect compliment to the ‘hot shop’ side of our facility. It’s cooler, easy & safer for kids age 8+ and gives us a way to offer more glass classes to the community.
Glass fusing is a process of creating with 'cold' glass, cuting it & designing with peices of glass to create a mosaic and then we put it in a kiln to melt --or fuse-- the glass peices together! We can take it a step further and 'slump' the fused peice of glass over a mold to create a 3 dimensional bowl or dish.
Behind the scenes at Hot Shop Glass
Check out this fun 'short' created in 2021 by Varitay Studios! In fact Varitay Studios & Camela Langendorf is the magic behind almost all the photos you'll find on our website! She is an amazing artisan and loves to help businesses shine! Check her website out...http://www.varitay.com
The Team at Hot Shop Glass
Daniel Sviland
Artist/Instructor & Co-Owner
Daniel's love of glass began with stained glass at a very young age, bringing touches of color to the windows of his family home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Torch work followed and Daniel made beautiful glass beads to adorn his wife, Tina. With a career as a bar & restaurant manager, Dan began glass blowing as a hobby. For many years he has been dipping into the crucible to create blown glass barware, bowls, vases and home accent pieces. Daniel has been working and learning under some great artists including: Lance Friedman, Shannon Jane Morgan, William Gudenrath, Boyd Sugiki, and Lisa Zerkowitz. Being fortunate enough to take in the sights of the world while in the Air Force, Daniel has a strong vision for his glass endeavors of the future. Daniel enjoys the teaching aspects of Hot Shop Glass as well as the ability to give back to the community through donations and support for Veterans Glass Blowing Day. He has been on the team of the Fall Glass Pumpkin Festival at the Morton Arboretum, just west of Chicago, since it's inception in 2010. Daniel was an active studio renter at Hot Shop Glass since 2012 and in mid 2016 he became co-owner of Hot Shop Glass when founding owner Doug Chaussee retired. Dan keeps the studio equipment in tip top shape and loves to share his glass experience with visitors of all ages.
Amanda Cosgrove Paffrath
Artist/Instructor & Co-Owner, Founder
An art lover since childhood, Amanda took her first formal art class at the Racine Art Museum's Wustum campus at age 5, began creating beaded jewelry and was introduced to glass blowing as a high school student of Dave Drewek at The Prairie School in 1982. Amanda took several semesters of glass sculpture in college while earning a degree in Sociology and Social Welfare from UW Madison in 1989. For ten years she worked as an advocate for battered women & their children, all the while creating jewelry and blowing glass whenever she could. In 1997 she took a chance on a dream and opened Funky Hannah's Beads & Art. In 2005 another dream became reality when she collaborated with other glass artists to open a public access glass blowing facility and gallery - Hot Shop Glass. She now spends time running the business and marketing end of things, teaching glass bead making and glass blowing, and carving out as much time as she can to create her own art! Her work is in collections throughout the United States, Europe and South America. Amanda has volunteered for many social justice causes and is an advocate for the art scene in Downtown Racine. She lives just north of downtown with her two kids and husband singer/songwriter Mark Paffrath.
Jeremy Hansen
Artist/Instructor
Since he was three years old he dreamt of being an artist. By the time he was 12 he knew that ceramics was where he wanted to focus his creativity. In high school Jeremy won numerous awards every year and in 2012 he headed to Alfred University in upstate New York to pursue his dream at the college level. It was here that he discovered glass, and there was no turning back. Jeremy loves being challenged by the craftsmanship required to perfect techniques in glass blowing. His work often captures a duality between light and dark, with a focus on form. Jeremy is known to make stunning glass pieces using old car parts as molds to blown into. He and his wife reside in Racine where he is an active member of the local tabletop gaming community.
DeAnna Poelmann
Artist/Glass Fusing Studio Manager
Creativity and craftsmanship have come together in many areas of Dee's life...from her many years as a scout leader, cake constructor at O&H bakery and designer/instructor on staff at Funky Hannah's. As Glass Fusing Studio Manager & lead Instructor you will find her organizing, firing kilns and cheering on the creativity of guests. New to the glass world, Dee created in studios in Door Co and Madison, learning from Dan & Amanda and the teams there before opening our facility. She continues to be the biggest cheerleader for her adult children - one in law enforcement, following in his father's footsteps, and her creative scientist daughter who is working toward her doctorate. She and her husband live in Franksville and love our downtown.
Jordan Bauer
Artist/Instructor
Jordan hails from Buchanan, Michigan and discovered Hot Shop Glass after taking a two week workshop with Corey Pemberton at Ox Bow, a summer art school connected to the Art Institute of Chicago. Jo is a Fine Arts major at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) with a focus on glass. Not only is she a solid glass blower but she's a dynamite painter too! Her passion for glass is evident. She loves how glass captures light and that it demands your full attention while creating with it. She moonlights at Escape the Room, Milwaukee and in her limited free time she likes to nap.