Hand Blown Glass
The Glass Bubble Project specializes in creating unique works of art from recycled metal and hand blown glass. Our eco-friendly work appears in a variety of commercial and residential buildings from the Ritz Carlton hotel to private homes all across the country
We call our artwork “Clevetion Glass” which is the opposite of the dainty and fragile Venetion Glass from Italy. Our work is industrial and clunky, kind of like the way we see Cleveland -tough and durable. We spend as much time as we can scavenging through antique stores and scrap yards for interesting objects ensuring that every piece is unique and impressive
In addition to hand blown glass artwork, we also offer free public demonstrations, private studio time and glass blowing classes. Learn about Glass Blowing at GBP
GBP News
Cleveland Artists Give Back to Community
The Glass Bubble Project, a glass blowing studio in Ohio City, has announced the creation of the Cleveland Artists’ Activo, a collective of artists in the Ohio City area dedicated to giving back to the community. The newly formed Activo has applied to the Cleveland Foundation for a $3,600 grant to teach glass-blowing and life-skills to 16 under-advantaged vocational high school students.
Heat of The Moment – Cleveland Magazine, April 2010
Inside Mike Kaplan and Chris’ Ohio City studio, molten glass is transformed into one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The studio is housed in a renovated garage. The kiln is fashioned from an old oil drum, and the heat it pumps out not only melts glass, but it’s also used to whip up the occasional grilled cheese sandwich. The Glass Bubble Project’s Ohio City home isn’t your typical art studio, but glass blowing isn’t your typical art. No other medium finds artists facing down 2,000-degree temperatures to create one-of-a-kind bowls, vases and light fixtures.
“We did a beautiful chandelier made out of bottles and glasses for a restaurant in Cleveland Heights,” says co-owner Mike Kaplan. His Glass Bubble Project has also created pieces for chef Dante Boccuzzi’s new restaurant in Tremont, the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood’s Stone Mad Pub and Ritz-Carlton hotels in both Cleveland and Detroit. Source
Scavenged Art – The Plain Dealer, April 2007
A rusty gear, an old bicycle chain, a chunk of auto glass – trash, right? Wrong. Cleveland artist Mike Kaplan sees a chandelier, table lamp or wall sconce. “I enjoy recycling, using something that has already been used,” said Kaplan, one of the artists (along with Chris Topher and David Learn) behind the Glass Bubble Project, an artists studio specializing in unique glass chandeliers, sculptures and decorative objects. Source
