Coming off strong gala fundraising results, GlassRoots is hopeful expansion plans can finally move forward

Since 2001, GlassRoots has been working with underserved teens and young adults to offer skills training in glassmaking and business development in the Newark, New Jersey, area. The nonprofit art center has faced hardships in the past with a long-delayed building expansion and a series of executive directors. The April 13, 2025, passing of Dena Lowenbach, the nonprofit's longtime champion, board chair, and Lifetime Trustee (an honorific title given to honor her life-long commitment to to serve on the organization's board), has been an especially difficult challenge to this organization dedicated to uplifting youth. Against this backdrop, it was uncertain how the organization's annual GlassBall would fare, but the successful June 5th event could signal a turning point for GlassRoots and its current management team, which is led by executive director Carol Losos, who, together with the GlassRoots Board of Trustees, oversees the nonprofit through strategic leadership.

Brian Clarke in his Studio. photo of Brian Clarke in 2007

Friday July 11, 2025 | by Oscar Bembury

IN MEMORIAM: Brian Clarke (1953 - 2025)

Sir Brian Clarke, the fearless stained-glass artist who was always looking for new ways to incorporate emerging technology in his ground-breaking work, passed away July 1, 2025. Born on July 2nd 1953, in Oldham Lancashire England, Clarke showed his talent for stained-glass early, completing his first major commission of 20 windows for the Church of St. Lawrence in Longridge, at the tender age of 22. He also developed a colorful public profile in the London art and fashion scene, once described by The Daily Telegraph as "the rock star of stained-glass" for his frequent appearances in the gossip pages of newspapers.

Monday June 30, 2025 | by Oscar Bembury

The Fuller Craft Museum welcomes Jennifer Chrzanowski as its next executive director

On July 1, 2025, a new executive director will take the reins at The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. When Jennifer Chrzanowski takes over from interim director Beth McLaughlin, she will arrive with expectations of bringing her fundraising prowess with her. In her previous role as deputy director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland, she helped to manage a $1.7M operating budget, $7.4M endowment, 24,000 square-foot building, and 1,700 object collection. Among her accomplishments at the AAM, which describes itself as "the cultural hub of the Eastern Shore for art, music, and educational programming," Chrzanowski launched a successful 3-day craft show. In addition to this she helped AAM grow its social-media presence, achieved record-breaking fundraising results, and more than doubled exhibition funding through key partnerships. (Charlotte Potter Kasic, known to Glass readers for her tenure at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio and Barry Art Museum, was named director of AAM in September of 2024).