Welcome new artist, we’re glad to have your creativity in our studio!
About Firehouse Glass:
Firehouse Glass has been a part of Vancouver’s growing downtown since 1999 when Greg Lueck and Rebecca Seymour introduced a premier glass art facility in the local community. Over the last two decades, Firehouse has been a trail blazer in reviving Downtown Vancouver and establishing The Arts District. Read our full story on our website!
Firehouse provides world class glassblowing education, live demos to the public, a reliable studio for local artists, and a great place to explore the wonders of glass art! Our facility offers fully equipped space for glassblowing, lamp/torch/flame working, and fusing mediums. It’s also part of our mission to teach others about glass and have private lessons in each of these areas available. Our gallery (open Saturdays 10am-3pm) features the creations of the artists who work out of our shop. Our facility is open to renters 7 days a week.
As a studio renter I agree to:
Have permission to rent at Firehouse Glass (completed shop orientation with a Firehouse Staff member, participated in a series of lessons with Firehouse staff, or provided reliable reference / equivalent education in the medium to work in our studios, ensuring both my safety and yours).
Have a signed liability release on file. And to have ANYONE I bring into Firehouse Glass’ Hot Shop / Studios sign a liability form and understand that I am responsible for my guests.
Treat the space, tools, equipment, and staff with respect (professional, on topic communication, during appropriate hours of the day)
Work within my scheduled time slot and allow enough time for set up and clean-up accommodating arrival of the next renter
Clean up after myself including sweeping up, putting tools away, and any other materials / messes made during my session (put blocks and hand tools away, sweep, empty glass receptacles, etc). If I do not clean up after myself, break, or take tools / materials from Firehouse, I understand I will be charged market value for these items or services.
Schedule myself using the calendar in the hot shop or through contacting the Lead Studio Technician to arrange my timeslot (cold shop, lampworking/fusing, or hot shop all apply). I can request to be scheduled for next day but understand I may need to require up to 48 hours advance notice to guarantee the shop can be ready for me.
Abide by the cancellation policy, cancelling any scheduled time I cannot make by 48 hours in advance of my scheduled time. I agree that if I am ill, I will take appropriate precautions and cancel my slot, discussing rescheduling options with Firehouse team if within the 48-hour window.
Alert Firehouse Staff of any incidents, maintenance requests, or supply needs to Firehouse Glass Shop Technician
Be mindful of the shared space, especially when I am not here alone (minding my spread of tools and materials, sharing marver and annealer space effectively by designating zones for easy load and unload, music choice / volume, etc.).
Pick up your work out of the vault within a week (making sure it is weighed and paid for as appropriate)
Perks of renting at Firehouse Glass:
· We have a gallery that is open from 10am-3pm on Saturdays. Any of our renters are welcome to showcase and sell their work in our space as appropriate with the month’s show. Firehouse Glass retains 25% of proceeds.
We’d be happy to have your work in our gallery. In order to do so we need to have an agreement on file, prices for your work, and a brief conversation so we represent you well. We typically take work anytime as we regularly / seasonally rotate our gallery as a group show. To arrange for your work to be incorporated during the next gallery reset, contact Jessica at info@firehouseglass.com or (360) 608-3877 so we can arrange a time to meet up. Do not just leave work in the gallery without having made arrangements.
· You’re eligible to participate in our First Friday Art Walk Demos as a Featured Artist. These demos use our 6-10pm time slot on the First Friday of the month. We’ll provide the blow slot and support the event with social media posts, having our gallery open to support you. If you’re interested in participating, contact Jessica at info@firehouseglass.com.
· We’re happy to have you film in our space as long you have permission from anyone else in the shop who is not with your party and you tag us on appropriate social media (Insta, FB, Youtube @firehouseglass).
· We’ll let you teach in our space (with a few guidelines – see below)
Using Firehouse Glass to Teach Lessons:
· As a renter of Firehouse glass, you may teach in our facilities if you remain in good standing with Firehouse Management, plus:
You tell Firehouse Glass Staff that teaching is what you intend to use rental time for
We define teaching as a rental slot where you are:
1) working with one or more beginners
2) working with a group of 2 or more when you are providing instruction or coaching (as opposed to acting as an assistant for an experienced artist or advanced student)
Everyone (students and any observers present) must have a Firehouse Glass Release on file. We highly suggest you as your own entity also have one along with corresponding business insurance to cover your liability.
You must pay a $20 student fee, in addition to the rental fee, for each 4-hour time slot booked and used for teaching to cover the additional wear and tear on equipment incurred by beginners
You, as the instructor are responsible for the studio rental cost, condition, and teach at your own risk. Damaged property, tools, or other by your guests are your responsibility.
For safety, a maximum of 4 students and/or observers to 1 instructor must be maintained at all times. For larger classes, 2 instructors are required (additional instructors must be approved Firehouse Renters or Instructors. We’d be happy to lend you one of ours at $35/hr.)
All participants must be at least 14 years of age unless specifically approved by Firehouse Management
You must supply any materials (color) outside from the standard glass in the furnace, use of workstation & hand tools
You must pick up any work created during normal business hours, and arrange for your own lesson work collection (not through the Firehouse Gallery)
You must be clear with all students about the following:
Your company name, that you rent the space at Firehouse and are not otherwise associated
The pick-up arrangements for them to get their lesson work from you (not Firehouse staff)
Your contact information so they do not contact Firehouse Glass
Converting students to Firehouse Glass renters:
Should you work with a student who advances enough to warrant renting our studio for practice, we’d be happy to have them! We require a one-time Studio Orientation with Firehouse Glass Staff at the cost of $50.
As a thank you to you, if you refer someone who books 5 slots in a year, we’ll give you $100 or a free blow slot!
Contact our Shop Technician or email info@firehouseglass.com if you’d like to convert a student
Conflicts of Interest:
We define Firehouse Glass Customers as those who engage with us through our email / website, social media, gallery, or other means to inquire about lessons, rental, retail, etc. When a customer first comes to Firehouse and establishes a customer relationship, we expect our renters will not poach our business in areas such as offering lessons.
In the event of a known shared customer, we expect the relationship to be disclosed by our renter as soon as it is known. We will discuss these on a case-by-case basis to determine the best recourse.
We appreciate having a mutual referral understanding as the collective availability of our business and yours may be different.
By signing up to rent at Firehouse Glass, I agree to abide by this policy and any others posted. I understand that if I do not, it may be grounds for a new shop orientation at my expense or complete dismissal of my privileges at Firehouse Glass.