Without sufficient funds, they have to travel to Indianapolis — where they have been renting a space — to make glass or teach a class. That’s really limited what they can offer the Bloomington community, said Abby Gitlitz, executive director of the Bloomington Creative Glass Center.
This past spring, close to reaching their goal of opening a glassblowing studio locally, Gitlitz said they wanted to make one large push.
“We looked at a variety of funding sources and decided that Kickstarter made the most sense for us because we could get the community involved, and people could get a chance to enjoy some of our art as a reward for backing,” she said.
In exchange for donations, community members are gifted handmade artwork.
The campaign, which runs through July 15, can be viewed by searching “Pumpkin Power” in Kickstarter, by visiting their Facebook page or at fundBCGC.com.
Bloomington Creative Glass Center had a kick-off event June 15 at Cardinal Spirits, which was a chance for people to try glass fusing.
“We had about 150 people attend including children as young as five, working folk, retirees and more,” Gitlitz said. “It was a great success, even with torrential rain.”
Gitlitz described the Glass Center as a nonprofit committed to bringing high quality glass arts education to Bloomington and the surrounding areas.
The goal is to raise $35,000, and so far they’re raised $22,500.
If everyone in the community pledged $5, Bloomington Creative Glass Center could open a local center next year, Gitlitz said.
