“We thought Franklinton would be our forever home,” said Melody Reed, Executive Director of Glass Axis, Columbus’ state-of-the-art glass facility. The organization serves over fifty glass artists and reaches even more guests with their educational programs, student camps, and glass shop.
“While yes, this started out as a daunting scenario, we’re choosing to look at it as a unique opportunity to dig our roots deeper into the Columbus arts & cultural community, and secure all of the opportunities we offer to Columbus artists,” said Reed.
Glass Axis has been an anchor in the Franklinton Arts District since 2014, when a move to 610 W. Town St., provided an expansion into a larger space, allowing for the growth of the comprehensive glass-making facility to include molten glass, casting, fusing, neon, stained glass, cold working, and torch working.
The potential redevelopment of the one-story building at 610 W. Town St. led to the Glass Axis board and staff to decide that remaining in the space was not the best decision.
“Preliminary plans showed Glass Axis being a part of this new building space, taking up the street level space, but with overall decreased square footage,” said Reed. A studio as specialized as Glass Axis needs special accommodations, and once those were presented to the building’s development team, “it quickly became apparent that Glass Axis could not afford to stay in a lease scenario in this new building space, even considering downsizing and working with less square footage,” said Reed.
Plans show 610 W. Town St. being redeveloped into a five-story mixed-use site with mixed-income housing in the next couple of years.
Glass Axis has been through moves before, and after making it through COVID, the organization is enjoying an unprecedented level of financial stability. However, aggressive fundraising is needed to accomplish the numerous specialized considerations a move of this magnitude needs.
Glass Axis began in 1987 when ten students and graduates of The Ohio State University Glass Program came together under the name Glass Axis. The group built a portable glass blowing studio and traveled all over Central Ohio teaching glass art. Five years later, the organization established a permanent glassmaking studio in what is now Columbus’ Arena District. They had two more moves into different spaces in Grandview before the move to Franklinton.
“While we have enjoyed the support and participation in events associated with the Franklinton Arts District, the new move heralds a chance for Glass Axis to finally lay down permanent roots in a space,” says Reed.
In the summer of 2023, pending board approval and final paperwork, Glass Axis will move into 2117 S. High St., sharing a building with custom manufacturing company Regalia Metal Products. Regalia’s president, Ken Gray owns the building and will be leasing a little over 13,000 square feet of space to Glass Axis.
“Justin McAllister [of The Fort and Fortner Upholstering] had mentioned to Ken that Glass Axis was looking for a space and figured a metal fabricator and glass studio would have similar needs,” said Reed. Gray’s family business has been a part of the South Side since the 1960’s and he shares the passion and excitement for the area’s resurgence.
By moving to the South Side, Glass Axis will join others who are contributing to the growth of the area. A hub of small businesses, manufacturers, and artisans, have been calling The Fort home, since McAllister started redeveloping the historic property in 2017. In September, it was announced that area immediately around it is being planned for redevelopment into a mixed-use district with as many as 1,000 new residential units. The proximity to the RAPID 5’s initiatives along the Scioto River bring even more excitement to the area.
“It has been a long time coming but our area on South High Street is really becoming an interesting place to be,” says Gray. Gray and his family have been in business in the area since 1966 and he’s excited about the changes and investments that are happening.
“I believe Glass Axis will add to the diversity of the creative businesses coming to our area,” he says. “I have always been intrigued with blowing glass and can’t wait to see all the masters at work in their new space once it is completed.”
Glass Axis will fit right in with the artisan and manufacturing vibe of the neighborhood.
“Our members run the entire spectrum from those just starting out -usually a recent graduate of one of Ohio’s collegiate glass programs- all the way to our several full-time professional glass artists,” said Reed. “There’s even varying levels of sales within this group, some traveling year round to art shows all over the country, to some who take high end commissions and sell exclusively online.”
Glass Axis is committed to helping their member artists thrive in Columbus, and often offers their members teaching or administrative positions within the organization.
“By providing more income generating opportunities for artists working in this expensive media, we are doing what we can to make it possible for artists to live and thrive in Columbus,” says Reed.
Glass Axis has placed a renewed commitment on working with the glass programs at The Ohio State University and CCAD, offering those students a path to stay in Columbus to professionally continue their art after graduation.
For those casually interested in glass, it’s often the traditional glassblowing that gets people curious about glass art.
“The best free advertising we could have ever asked for was Netflix’s Blown Away!” says Reed with a laugh.
Reed has been the Executive Director of Glass Axis since October of 2018. Born and raised in Columbus, Reed attended Fort Hayes High School and graduated from Otterbein University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Business (now Arts Administration). Her plan was to become a performer, however, once she got into it more, she realized her passion was to see that “anyone who wanted exposure to the arts could always get it, specifically here in Columbus.” Her natural tendency toward fiscal responsibility, administrative tasks, and operational details allow her to create the perfect circumstances for artists to concentrate on what they do best – creating.
“We have already felt a wonderful outpouring of concern from our fellow arts organizations,” says Reed about the upcoming move. “We’ve been in conversations with several of them about how we might work together more in the future.”
And while those possibilities can feel a bit overwhelming, Reed shares the support is greatly felt and appreciated.
The new studio will be slightly smaller in square footage than the Franklinton space, but the team is meeting with architects and contractors to fully realize the space’s potential. A gallery and gift shop will remain as part of Glass Axis’ footprint, and their entrance will be right on High Street.
“This area of Columbus is enjoying its own renaissance,” says Reed. “Glass Axis is excited to be a part of the new beginning for this neighborhood and hopes to make it their forever home.”
Visit Glass Axis in Franklinton at 610 W. Town St., Columbus, OH 43215 to shop for the holidays (holiday sale going on December 9 through 17). To view their exhibitions, class schedule, to find out more information, and to support them with their upcoming move, visit glassaxis.org.