Summer
Workshops

Jen Elek

Workshop: May 14 - May 19

Residency : May 21 - May 23

Megan Stelljes

Workshop: June 28 - July 3

Residency : July 5 - July 7

Cedric Mitchell

Workshop: June 14 - June 19

Residency : June 21 - June 23

Summer Workshops

TGS is excited to host our 2026 Summer Program. Our goal is to enrich our community by creating greater access to craft learning in the region by bringing internationally recognized artists to teach one week intensive workshops. Make the most of your summer in 2026 and come take a class at TGS.

Scholarship application deadline is February 15th, 2026

Registration Information

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Residency Program

This residency program invites the instructors who are teaching workshops at TGS to continue working in our studio for an additional three days following their workshop. Instructors are given full access to the studio and help from the TGS staff to create work and to continue the creative atmosphere by sharing their professional practice with the community. Students of the workshop are welcome to stay in Tulsa following their workshop and continue to learn by watching their instructor continue to work in a professional environment.

Course Descriptions

Session 1

Jen Elek
Workshop: May 14th - 19th
Residency: May 21th - 23rd

Foundations in Color
This workshop will cover essential color techniques for artists working in furnace glass. Foundational forms will be used as canvases to explore various color techniques. Beginning with the essential shapes, sphere, cylinder and cone, the class will grow in complexity as we explore how color interacts with these forms. Using glass powder, frit, cane, murini, and encalmo techniques the class will use traditional methodology toward creating new ways of working with glass for the artist.

Class discussions will include; glass color, form refinement, economy of motion in the hot-shop and punti strategies. The class time will be structured into demonstration and practice time where students will work in teams. Bring your imagination, a sketchbook and a willingness to make something new out of something old.

Intermediate/Advanced

Artist Bio
Jen Elek is a studio artist and educator based in Seattle, Washington. Through immersive installations composed of blown glass, steel, and neon, Elek explores themes of human connection and community. Her vibrant work highlights the physical and symbolic properties of her materials—their ability to reflect, magnify, and radiate bold color and emotion.

Elek earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she became an integral part of the Northwest arts community after relocating to Seattle in 1995. An active and respected presence in the international glassblowing community, Elek has taught workshops around the world, including at the Sydney College of the Arts, JamFactory in Australia, Hilltop Artists, the Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, and many more. She has also served as a visiting lecturer at Jacksonville University (FL) and the University of Washington (Seattle).

Elek has worked alongside many notable artists and spent 15 years as a key member of Lino Tagliapietra’s glassblowing team. Her artistic contributions have been recognized through residencies at institutions including the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and UrbanGlass in Brooklyn. Jen serves on the board of Pilchuck Glass school. Jen shares a Seattle-based studio with her husband and frequent collaborator, Jeremy Bert. Together, they recently completed a permanent public installation titled The Illuminated Palouse for the Port of Seattle, located near the D gates at SeaTac International Airport. Jen Elek is represented by Traver Gallery in Seattle, Washington.

Session 2

Cedric Mitchell
Workshop: June 14th - 19th
Residency: June 21st - 23rd

Rhythm & Color:
Finding Your Voice in Glass

This intermediate-level class invites students to explore glassblowing as a form of personal expression, guided by color, rhythm, and cultural influence. Led by Tulsa-native artist Cedric Mitchell, the class moves beyond traditional techniques and into an intuitive, voice-driven approach to making.

Students will experiment with bold color combinations, layered transparencies, and dynamic form inspired by music, movement, postmodern design, and lived experience. Through a series of guided demonstrations and hands-on exercises, participants will learn how to translate emotion, memory, and identity into sculptural and functional glass objects.

Key areas of focus include:

Expressive use of color and contrast
Creating visual rhythm and movement in form
Pushing proportion and silhouette
Developing confidence through intuitive making
Finding a personal artistic language in glass

This is a space for makers ready to loosen the rules, trust their instincts, and build work that feels authentic, intentional, and alive.

Intermediate
Intermediate-level glass artists looking to sharpen their voice and move toward more personal, expressive work.

Artist Bio

Cedric Mitchell is a Los Angeles–based glass artist and designer whose studio practice is rooted in the bold, innovative spirit of Postmodernism. His work channels vibrant color, playful geometry, and emotional resonance to create sculptural objects that are both visually striking and deeply personal. Drawing inspiration from 90s hip-hop, retro streetwear, graffiti, and formative childhood memories, Cedric’s work embodies his signature aesthetic—Modern Funk—a genre-bending fusion of modernist clarity and postmodern exuberance
He believes in the transformative power of art and is committed to building a more inclusive creative future, where everyone has access to its possibilities..

With over a decade of experience, Cedric’s artistic journey is marked by discipline, experimentation, and a strong commitment to community. He has collaborated extensively with youth arts organizations and historically marginalized communities, using his platform to expand access to craft and design. His social practice runs parallel to his studio work, nurturing emerging talent while advocating for broader representation within the field of glass art.

Session 3

Megan Stelljes
Workshop: June 28th - July 3rd
Residency: July 5th - July 7th

Connected

In the course we will utilize hot sculpting and color application techniques to bring to life representational sculptures. We will cover hot bit assembly as well as garage work, focusing on successful connections in glass and with each other. Primarily using powder for color application we will develop our color vocabulary while working in teams learning to effectively orchestrate multipart assemblies.

Intermediate

Artist Bio
Megan earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Emporia State University. Upon graduating, she relocated to Washington state to apprentice with glass sculptor Karen
Willenbrink-Johnson. Driven and energized by sharing, teaching became and continues to be an essential component of Megan’s creative life. Megan’s work incorporates color and humor to discuss our relationships with each other and our culture. Megan is a co-founder of Gray Barn Studios in Arlington Washington.

Tulsa Glassblowing School