Glass Roots
The mission of GlassRoots is to ignite and build the creative and economic vitality of greater Newark, with a focus on under-served youth and young adults, through the transformative power of the glass art experience.
Transforming Lives
Since its founding in 2001, GlassRoots has engaged tens of thousands Greater Newark-area youth with its services, including its core Youth Entrepreneurship programs, student field trips and “art-for-art’s sake” classes for the public.
We harness the fire and danger of glassmaking to engage area youth. Our students develop patience, teamwork, creative problem-solving, plus the discipline and resilience they need to safely work with 2200 degree fire and molten glass. They gain hands-on experience in chemistry, physics, and math. They become young entrepreneurs as they develop and market their products.
They join a vibrant community in which all learn from each other. Our young artists grow stronger each time they forge glass, and experience the power of their own creativity.
Recreational Programs
At GlassRoots, everyone can experience the thrill of glassmaking and become part of our vibrant community. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, we offer a wide variety of classes and summer camps in all forms of glassmaking. Bring your friends and host a party in our studio! You can register for current courses here. Our studios are also available for rental by professional artists.
Glassroots Gallery and Shop
GlassRoots not only teaches entrepreneurship, we practice it, as one-third of our income is earned. A portion of each purchase supports our programs for youth. Exquisite, handmade glass objects created in our studio by students and artists are perfect gifts, and GlassRoots custom awards and commissions enhance public and private venues across the region. Please visit our showroom, and look through our online site to find gifts for every occasion, including jewelry, dinnerware, and glass art of all kinds.
School and Workforce Development
GlassRoots classes for youth in 6th through 12th grades are grounded in STEAM (STEM + Art) and enhance classroom work with real life experience. Our wide variety of innovative programming gives young people multiple opportunities to learn that through persistence and teamwork, they can create beautiful works of art, and by extension, a future for themselves GlassRoots workforce development programs provide a path to success with glass making as a focus for job training. Rigorous scientific glass apprenticeship and craft entrepreneurship programs give 18-35 year-olds the skills needed to successfully enter the working world.
Honors Living-Learning Community
Established in 2015, the Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) is an innovative Rutgers University–Newark initiative that is revolutionizing honors, cultivating talent, and engaging communities. The HLLC is redefining the notion of “honors” by creating intergenerational and interdisciplinary learning communities comprised of students, faculty, and community partners focused on tackling some of the nation’s most pressing social issues. Dynamic students are selected to join a living-learning community and intergenerational network across all intersections of identity focused on cultivating knowledge, fostering understanding across and within groups, and activating social, institutional, and cultural change.
The HLLC is a transformational college access program that is broadening pathways to college for promising local talent and reimagining the academy. The HLLC endeavors to increase access to higher education for academically promising, talented, and civic-minded individuals, some of whom may be overlooked by relying solely on standard academic indicators for college success. Utilizing a holistic admissions rubric, the HLLC identifies exceptional first-year students and community college transfers from Newark and Greater Newark, while also extending its reach to other national and international regions.
A State-of-the-Art Facility
Our vision is to create a state-of-the-art facility with dining, recreational, and academic spaces that will host upwards of 400 talented undergraduate students. This facility is currently under construction with plans to open its doors in August 2018.
The HLLC Scholars
The HLLC cohorts include students who enroll in postsecondary education immediately following high school graduation, GED recipients, and transfer students who hold associate’s degrees from community colleges. Examples of HLLC students include, but are not limited to the following:
- High school graduates
- First-generation college students
- Transfer students
- Veterans
- Older students
- General Education Development (GED) recipients
- Student parents
- Financially independent students