Intro to Neon: Bend and Snap!

Ever wanted to harness the mesmerizing glow of neon? This 8-session workshop is your chance to dive into the vibrant world of neon art and bring your luminous visions to life!

From your initial design concept to the dazzling finished piece, you'll learn every captivating step of creating your own neon sign or sculpture. Our expert instructors will guide you through a series of engaging tutorials, covering essential techniques like:

• Glass bending: Discover the delicate art of shaping glass tubes into intricate forms.
• Designing: Transform your ideas into stunning neon blueprints.
• Wiring & Installation: Master the technical skills to safely illuminate your creation.

And yes, you'll truly bend and snap—not just glass into stunning forms, but your own creative ideas into brilliant reality! You'll also get a fascinating, up-close demonstration of how a glass tube is processed and filled with gas to produce that iconic neon glow.

Whether you're a complete beginner eager to explore a new artistic medium or a returning student looking to refine your skills and gain guided practice, this workshop offers a supportive and inspiring environment to unleash your inner light artist.

What to expect: All students can expect to come away with 6 pumped neon tubes that incorporate a variety of colors, as well as basic installation hardware and the know-how to use it. Clean-up time is included in the duration of class, and usually the last 20 minutes of class are dedicated to cleaning your workstation. Read more about how to prepare for class on our Registration Info page.

With neon work, participants primarily engage in standing activities such as bending and assembling neon tubes over a torch flame. Working with glass materials requires a certain level of dexterity. Learn more about accessibility on our website.

Eligibility: No previous experience required. Open to ages 14 and up.

Pick-up: Neon tubes may be bombarded during class, however should processing take additional time, students will have to return to UrbanGlass once notified to pick up their work.

This is an in-person class taking place on-site at UrbanGlass. Health and safety guidelines will be emailed to you upon registration.

We recommend registering for classes early to reserve your spot! We base materials, and teacher needs off of student enrollment. Early registration not only guarantees your spot in class, but also helps to ensure the class will run. Classes with low enrollment may be cancelled within two weeks of the start date of class. Contact our Registrar of Education, Ari Eshoo, at arianna@urbanglass.org if you have questions about the class or would like to arrange a payment plan.

Class Schedule

• 8 Sessions: October 29 — December 17
  Wednesday, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm