Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Water Street Glassworks Fall 2025
All students must complete a project for these classes.
- Website: Water Street Glassworks
- Phone: (269) 925-5555
- Email: anna@waterstreetglassworks.org
- Location: 142 Water Street, Benton Harbor - located in the BH Arts District off of Main St.
- Additional registration at location is required.
The Art of Creating with Flat Glass
- Grade or Age Levels: 12+
- Format: In-person
- Day and Time of the Week: Thursdays, 11:00am-3:00pm, 4 weeks beginning September 18th
- Mandatory Class Orientation: September 18th, 11:00am
- Location: Water Street Glassworks, 140 Water St., Benton Harbor
- Instructor: Gina Edwards
- Phone: 269.925.5555
- Email: gina@waterstreetglassworks.org
Students will explore the art of creating with flat glass. Students will learn glass cutting and shaping skills to create art in two very different art glass techniques: Fused Glass and Stained Glass. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.
Fused Glass: A brief introduction to kiln schedules will be followed by hands-on exploration of various techniques in glass fusing. Students will complete several projects including a coaster, nightlight or suncatcher, and a piece of garden art or a plate/tray/bowl.
Stained Glass: Students will learn to prepare and cut a pattern, foil the glass pieces, and solder, patina and polish to create a beautiful stained glass piece of art using the copper foil method of stained glass.
Playing with fire: Glass Blowing and Flameworking
- Grade or Age Levels: 12+
- Format: In-person
- Day and Time of the Week: Thursdays, 11:00am-3:00pm, 4 weeks beginning October 2nd
- Mandatory Class Orientation: September 18th, 11:00am
- Location: Water Street Glassworks, 140 Water St., Benton Harbor
- Instructor: Gina Edwards & Eli Zilke
- Phone: 269.925.5555
- Email: gina@waterstreetglassworks.org, eli@waterstreetglassworks.org
Students will explore the art of creating with in both of our Hot studios! In this class students will participate in both the Glassblowing Studio and our Flameworking studio. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.
Glass blowing- here students will learn the fundamentals of glassblowing through shaping and blowing glass as well as glass casting using sand and found objects. Students will finish this class with 2 “blown glass” pieces and multiple casted pieces.
Flameworkings - students will learn to use colorful rods of glass and various flameworking techniques to create beautiful art glass beads. Additionally, wire working and jewelry making techniques will be explored enabling students to create a finished project such as jewelry or a beaded suncatcher or sculpture.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Lisa Van Plew-Cid
