Support Glass Arts Access in Minnesota!

Give to the Max 2024

Established in 2009, Foci MCGA proudly represents a vibrant arts community as Minnesota’s only nonprofit public access glass studio and education center. Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is located in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis and offers a full glass studio curriculum taught by artists locally and nationally recognized. Foci MCGA also offers programming for youth, group experiences, community events, and a Marketplace Gallery and Exhibition Space. 

Over the last couple years Foci MCGA has worked hard with our area collaborators to ensure we are providing free quality programming to a wide variety of Minnesota populations. We offer experiences that enrich our community with opportunities to learn about and find joy in the act of artistic creation. These events are often a demonstration of how glass art is created, a hands-on activity to shape glass to their own vision, exhibitions, or artist talks. Programming is offered at events such as Art-A-Whirl, ACC, visiting artist talks, and off-site collaborations.

Foci MCGA is committed to building and supporting a diverse and inclusive arts community open to everyone who would like to work with glass. Foci MCGA recognizes that there are deep and persistent societal, cultural, economic, and racial barriers to making art, particularly the glass medium. One way in which Foci MCGA expresses this commitment to arts access is by removing financial barriers. We offer two scholarship options: A need based half-tuition scholarship open to anyone with financial need, and a full-tuition scholarship open to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Foci MCGA is a part of Glass Impact, a support group for glass focused nonprofits aimed at creating a more future focused, employment driven and equitable future for our members in the craft of glass working. We are currently working with Project Pride in Living's Leap program to explore the development of glass programming for young people in the Twin Cities.

Our ongoing vision is to create and support a diverse community of dedicated makers, enthusiasts, seekers, and newcomers who feel welcomed and engaged at our center.  We still have so much work to do to meet this vision and we can only make this programming possible with generous support from our donors, funders, volunteers, staff members, artists and visitors. Please consider giving this season to keep the furnace full, kilns operating and the torches running hot!

Each time you make a gift during Give to the Max, you could help our organization win part of the $100,000+ Prize Pool! Your gift also enters you to win money for the Minnesota causes you support! If we randomly draw your gift, the organization you supported with that gift will receive an additional prize grant! More information can be found here.

What your donor dollars can support:

$50 - 25lbs of blowing glass

$200 - Emerging Artist Resident a day in the studio

$520 - 1 scholarship in a Core Class

$750 - 1 month of Oxygen to keep the torches hot!

$5,000 - New sign for the front of the building

$15,000 - New casting kiln for larger work

$30,000 - 2023 Furnace repair and updates

$50,000 - Fully fund our scholarship program for the upcoming year

$100,000 - Outreach Program & Staffing