Expanded Glass: Fuse, Flame, Cast Workshop

This 4-day intensive workshop, led by Lindsay LeBlanc and Karen Donnellan, introduces participants to a range of contemporary glassmaking techniques, combining kiln forming, glass casting, and lampworking. The workshop is structured to alternate between processes, allowing participants to explore how different glass techniques can inform and expand one another. Participants will work with both soft glass (COE 90/96) and borosilicate glass, learning how flame-worked elements can be incorporated into kiln-formed and cast pieces. Key areas of focus include:

● Kiln forming techniques (tack fusing, layering, and sculptural assembly)

● Open-face and refractory mold-based glass casting

● Introduction to lampworking with borosilicate and soft glass

● Integrating flame-worked components into kiln and casting processes

● Material compatibility, temperature control, and process planning

The workshop emphasizes experimentation, cross-process thinking, and material understanding, supporting participants in developing small sculptural works or test pieces that bridge multiple glass techniques. To close, the group will reflect on what they've learned and discuss how glass might fit into their broader creative practice, conceptually and practically.

Accommodation: We have private rooms available for €35 per night in our residential building. Please book your tickets to the workshop on Eventbrite and then email us to see if we have a room available to: info@leitrimsculpturecentre.ie.

Karen Donnellan’s artistic practice spans sculpture, installation, language, and music. Playfully political, queer, and feminist, her work calls in futures where we are all liberated, loved in our wholeness, and fully resourced. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Smithsonian Museum, Tushanwan Museum, and the Museum of American Glass, and is held in public collections including the Corning Museum of Glass. She holds a B. Des in Glass from NCAD and an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, and served as Director of the National Casting Center Glass Studios, and Associate Professor of Glass at the New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University (2014–22).

Lindsay LeBlanc is a multidisciplinary artist, glass practitioner, and instructor based in County Leitrim. She works across hot, cold, kiln-formed, and architectural glass, with over 15 years of experience in the field. Her practice specialises in botanical and scientific model-based glass, exploring material, light, and ecological systems through sculpture and installation. She holds an MFA in Art and Ecology from Burren College of Art and a BFA in Sculpture/Glass from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Alongside her studio practice, she contributes to the Glass Society of Ireland through curatorial and organisational work. She is also trained as a Wellness Officer in the Arts through UCC and Safe to Create, supporting safe and sustainable creative environments.