The Hot Glass Studio

Opening Hours

Wednesday - Sunday, 12noon - 4.00pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays and Bank Holidays
Opening times may vary for events, please check in advance.

Visitors are welcome to visit the studio during opening hours to watch the glassmakers at work and ask questions. However, visitors are reminded that the glassmakers are working for their own businesses and are not paid to do demonstrations, therefore the Museum cannot guarantee that visitors will see glassblowing during their visit. The glassmakers can be hired to do special demonstrations for pre-booked groups.

Allister Malcolm in the Hot Glass Studio

Current Occupants

In November 2007 the Glass Museum welcomed Allister Malcolm back to the Hot Glass Studio. Allister had run the Hot Glass Studio with fellow glassmaker Susan Nixon when they held the Scholarship in 1997-98. Allister now runs his own business, AM Glass.

After co-holding the Scholarship for the Glass Museum studio, Allister established a glass studio at Stuart Crystal’s Visitor Centre, before setting up a studio at Himley Hall where he was based until Novemeber 2007. As well as producing a wide range of studio glass, Allister runs occasional glass workshops and lectures part-time at Wolverhampton University, in the glass department that he graduated from.

Over the years Allister has completed many commissions, most notably the “Open Mic” awards for the Edinburgh Festival for three years, and the London Law Society awards in 2003. He has also won several awards and commendations for his work, including the “New Designers in Business” award in 1997 which was presented by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Allister has worked with other studio glass artists and companies, including Blowzone and Jonathan Harris Studio Glass, and is constantly developing his own work which has a strong sense of design and colour. He exhibits nationally and internationally and has a growing client base in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. Visit Allister's website to see more of his work: www.allistermalcolm.com/

About the Studio

The Hot Glass Studio is sponsored by The Hulbert Group of Dudley.

"It is vital we support the local glassmaking tradition and provide opportunities for glassmakers of tomorrow to develop their expertise. There is an excellent opportunity for public exposure with a viewing area of the workshop, and it gives them a taste of commerce."

Graham Knowles, Managing Director of the Hulbert Group

When Broadfield House opened in 1980, it was decided to try and establish a glassmaking studio in the large barn adjacent to the main house. Using the prize money won from the Best Small Museum Award in 1981, the fabric of the barn was restored and a gas main installed. The space was first let to Okra Glass for a five-year period. The studio acted as an incubation unit for Richard Golding and Nicola Osborne, the founders of Okra Glass, allowing them to set up in the business world and develop their products, whilst also providing a visual spectacle for the Museum visitors. Okra were followed by Osiris Glass (later renamed Blowzone), run by Bill and Bev Davies, who ran the studio until the Museum was refurbished in 1994. Both Okra and Blowzone are now well respected names in studio glass who continue to develop their own unique styles.

In 1995 the way of running the studio was changed and it became known as the Scholarship Studio. The Museum bought all of the glassmaking equipment, with sponsorship from the Hulberts of Dudley, and advertised the facility as a one-year studio available to any glassblower graduating or graduated within the past three years from any British college or university. The Scholarship Studio has worked extremely well, enhancing the visitor experience and providing the artists with an audience ready to react to their products.

From 2007 the running of the Hot Glass Studio has reverted to longer term leases rather than the annual scholarship. This shift is in acknowledgement of the increasing difficulties for those pursuing a career in glassmaking, regardless of age and experience. Rising costs of fuel and materials have put extra pressure on glassmakers. The studio offers an excellent opportunity for new glassmakers to establish their own business or for established glassmakers to re-examine their career and develop their skills.

The Studio is fully equipped and is provided rent-free. The occupants are expected to pay for the gas they use, their materials and their living expenses, but are encouraged to sell their work and develop business contacts for example by attending trade fairs. Previous occupants were commissioned to make a piece of glass for the collection and an exhibition of their work was held at the end of their residency. For more information on the glassmakers who have been past residents in the Hot Glass Studio visit the Studio Occupants Profiles' page.

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