NC Glass Center Breaks Ground in Black Mountain, NC
Black Mountain, NC, Thursday, December 1, 2022 – A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the commencement of construction of the NC Glass Center’s new glassblowing facilities took place at 112 East State Street in Black Mountain.
Guests were given a tour of the site and viewed the architectural rendering for the space, which will include a hot shop, flame shop, cold shop and gallery. The landmark building, formerly the Rug and Jug Gift Shop, will be remodeled keeping as much original detail as possible. The current 2,000 sq. ft. space will be expanded to 5,000 sq. ft. to accommodate state-of-art glassblowing equipment and a mezzanine viewing area. The establishment will serve as NCGC’s second location. Their River Arts District studios and gallery are currently running at total capacity, having welcomed 47,000 visitors in 2021.
Breaking ground at the construction site were:
Kaye Zusmann and Todd Phillips, building investors; Bill Sinkovic, Project Architect, of George Stowe Architect; Janice Gouldthorpe, Executive Director of NCGC, and Mark Hursty, Project Manager.
Among those in attendance was featured speaker Vic Isley, President & CEO of Explore Asheville. She expressed her enthusiasm and support for the creative spirit of the Black Mountain community and outlined the Tourism Product Development Fund investments for 2022. NCGC received a $330,000 grant through this initiative.
Janice Gouldthorpe also spoke. “We intend to showcase glassmaking and support artists with our new glass studios and gallery. We are delighted to embark on this project with the building owners, Todd Phillips and Kaye Zusmann, and look forward to joining the Black Mountain business community when we open in 2024,” she said.
Also in attendance were Katie Cornell, Executive Director of Asheville Area Arts Council, Sharon Tabor of Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Lori Cozzi, Executive Director of Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Joe Tyson, President of Tyson Furniture Company, along with artists and community members.
About NC Glass Center:
The North Carolina Glass Center is dedicated to education, exploration, and collaboration in all forms of glass. Our low-cost shared studios help emerging artists launch their careers. Our furnaces, torches, and kilns enable established glass artists to pursue new and ambitious challenges. Our gallery showcases the finest works from undiscovered to established glass artists in Western North Carolina. And our instructional program provides thousands of aspiring glass art students with high-quality, affordable instruction. We also give back to our community by offering free glass classes to local Veterans and youth living in low-income neighborhoods surrounding the River Arts District.
Contact:
Vanessa Tsumura, Marketing Coordinator
828-505-3552
(Pictured in the group photo from left to right is Kay Zusmann, building investor; Bill Sinkovic, Project Architect; Janice Gouldthorpe, Executive Director NCGC; Todd Phillips, building investor; Mark Hursty, Project Manager.)
