Sight, the workhorse of the five senses, puts in too many hours keeping man from falling in manholes. Reward the most overworked sense with today's Groupon, which nets admission to the Glass Studio & Hot Shop at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg. A professional squad of artists employs sweltering furnaces, molten glass, and careful gusts of lung-wind to showcase the meticulous process of blowing ornate, intricate glass pieces. Along with the fun of discovering the science and equipment behind the breathtaking breath taking of clear-smithing, each admission allows you to scope out the Morean Arts Center's art galleries and current modern art exhibitions while you're there.
Reviews
The Morean Arts Center has received mentions from Bay News 9 and Creative Loafing and has more than 1,900 Facebook fans:
- …another development is already underway at the Morean Arts Center itself, the organization responsible for bringing the Chihuly showcase to St. Pete. Behind the Morean's home base on Central Avenue, an open-air glassblowing hotshop that opened last weekend spotlights the process behind blown glass, giving some of the Bay area's biggest glassblowing talents a chance to shine in front of a live audience. – Megan Voeller, Creative Loafing
- When the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg debuted its collection from world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly this summer, it also opened up a studio to show people how glass art is made. Demonstrations take place all day long at the Hot Shop with artists who show people everything involved in glass art. – Virginia Johnson, Bay News 9
Morean Arts Center
The Morean Arts Center connects visitors with multiple forms of modern art, welcoming them to explore galleries, a glass studio, and a clay center, all of which host classes, exhibits, events, and retail opportunities. The center was founded in 1917 and has served as the community's art center ever since. The Chihuly Collection showcases a permanent exhibition of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly's installations. His magnificent bright forms, many of which are inspired by nature, spiral toward the ceiling, housed in a 10,000-square-foot structure designed by award-winning architect Alberto Alfonso. A visit to the Glass Studio and Hot Shop immerses guests in the creation of glass works, as artists manipulate molten glass into vibrant orbs and vases. At the Morean Center for Clay visitors can view amazing works of art in the gallery and watch artists work during classes and open-studio time. The center also operates as a retail venue, where customers can purchase local and regional art.
