This was SUCHHHH a cool experience. We made a pulled ornament, a bowl, and a paperweight. The bowl and paperweight are the cooler things to make in my opinion. It is a VERY involved process too which we were very happy with since we weren't sure how much we would be allowed to do. Chris was awesome and super friendly/helpful/knowledgeable. All of us had a blast. Just a note: if you go make sure to dress in shorts- the room is quite hot! read more

My husband & I received a class as a gift. Chris was very informative & helpful. We enjoyed this so much we booked another session! Highly recommend! read more

Square One Art Glass - Art Classes Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was an amazing, fun experience! Chris is incredibly knowledgeable and made the experience fun, educational and easy. I'd recommend everyone should go the and do it! read more

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I had a great experience here with a group of friends. Our instructor, Vince, was fantastic. He made the whole experience fun and also relaxing. We brought our own food and drinks and had a little party while we watched each other take turns creating either an orb or a bowl. You have to wait a couple days to pick up your masterpiece so it can set. When I went in to get them the gentleman running the shop that day (didn't catch his name) was super friendly and welcoming. I'd love to come back and try my hand at something else. There are also many beautiful creations displayed and for sale in the front of the space so check those out. read more

Square One Art Glass - The bowl I made! - Art Classes Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is absolutely one of the coolest things you can do! I went with a group and that can take a long time even though the the owner kills it how fast she goes. She is definitely a master at glass creation. The colors are preselected but there are lots of choices. There are different options of what you can make and different pricing depending on what you choose. Call ahead on availability - you definitely don't want to do a pop in and just show up. Great for guys and girls! Anyone who likes to do something fun, unique and/or creative! read more

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Great fun - excellent instructions. Beautiful results! Would come back and highly recommend! read more

Square One Art Glass - Art Classes Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My girlfriend and I went to square one art glass for my 40th birthday. We had a ball each making our projects, and the owner was so gracious and kind. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. read more

Looking for something interesting to do?! Get a group of 10 together and schedule a glass blowing party! It's great fun. The guys here are great and will teach you all about glass work. They opened last November in an old building they remodeled (and won some fancy mayor's award they are very proud of!). The front is a gallery with glass inspiration. The back is the work area and down the hall there's a small kitchen and a nice lounge area, including office space that they rent out. Oh, and the back patio off the glass work area is adorable, complete with table and grill so you can BYO cookout. Parties for glass blowing for 10 or more are $35/person (you can have less but the fee is a little more). With this you learn the basics and create an orb. Or if you are pushy like my husband and I are you can ask Joe the glass man if he can make a hole instead of a hook and you will have a vase! You pick 2 colors and the effect you want (standard blown, twisted, pressed). The options are endless. We've had 3 parties now and not one similar looking orb. If you liked the glass blowing, you can ask them to create a custom glass fusing party for you. This is a set of 4 square coasters or 4 small pendants for $45. This is around the work table and fits about 4 people comfortably. And since you can tell we have become glass work addicts, we also requested lampwork lessons. This is taught in smaller groups (4 maximum) for $200 using their equipment (for an additional fee; sorry I forget the exact price you can go home with a lampwork kit w/all the equipment you need to get started into the hobby). Our teacher was great, it was supposed to be broken up into 2 - 2 hour lessons with time off for practice at home but each lesson lasted well over our scheduled time since teacher was so passionate about showing us all these techniques. And if you don't like what you made (this has happened to me... they will let you redo w/out charge). Glass they used is all 96 COE so supplies can be a little tricky to find but the Stained Glass store in Brookfield does have a selection of things you can purchase and work with here. The next step after glass orb party would be a shaped glass paperweight party which I have not done yet... planning this for the fall! They do have a formal certification where you take a weekend glass blowing workshop and become certified then to rent out their space when they are not there for a separate fee (we will probably do this but are a little scared yet!). Ok, back to parties... they are great fun, BYO food/drinks and food to use the grill. The items you make require time overnight to cure so you'll have to go back to pick up your stuff which is great fun to do right away to see everyone's work of art. The glass blowing itself takes about 15 min/per person if someone is short on time and needs to get going but wants to try it out but you will want to stay and watch everyone's work of art! And it's great for all ages, kids have come through on school field trips. read more

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I previously gave this place a negative review due to a frustrating scheduling mishap. They had lost our reservation for one of the weekend classes, so we left with a bad taste over the whole experience. But! The lady running the class followed up with us right away to get us rescheduled and I am SO glad she did. She explained that they had an overwhelming response to the classes and were having a hard time keeping up when we had first contacted them. But since then they had reorganized and hired more people and things definitely seemed to be running a lot more smoothly. My boyfriend and I had the best time making ornaments there this past weekend. The instructor was professional, friendly and very knowledgeable. I appreciated how well she explained the process and guided us through the whole creation of our pieces. The science side of it was our favorite part-- fun to watch the glass melt and colors change as you go. The studio was bright and well kept. We were left with an excellent impression of the whole experience and definitely want to go back for further instruction. If you're looking for a crafty and unique date idea, check this out! read more

Square One Art Glass - Made an ornament! Our instructor was super knowledgeable. - Art Classes Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This place rocks. I had been introduced to glass blowing when I was very young and decided after about a 15 year gap that I wanted to learn again. After telling my wife that i'd love to try this, she booked us a surprise appointment and it was a blast. Everyone is super cool and the rates are extremely reasonable. I will definitely be going back here regularly. read more

Couldn't recommend this place more!! Erin was a great teacher, so patient and so much fun to work with! I hosted my sister's bridal shower here, and we were able to bring in food and drinks, and utilize a cute outdoor/indoor space. The actual glassblowing was a fun, unique experience, and really got all the ladies chatting and socializing. What a great time :) read more

I really enjoyed my time here overall when I was finally able to get an appointment. They don't ever answer the phone and even after I left voicemails, it took them a bit to get back to me. The instructor we had was very detailed , but at times, I wish he would have been more hands off so that I could truly get the full experience. If you're going with more than one person, you can only go one at a time so keep that in mind with timing. Overall for two of us, we were in and out within 30-45 minutes. I think the price is too much. I paid for an ornament and they didn't even provide anything to hang it with which hands down should have been included! You pay more for the experience than anything else and it's cool to be talked through the process and also engage in it. If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would. read more

I read the one negative review of Square One glassblowing studio and I don't get it. I think this is a GREAT little hot shop, especially for beginners. Square One is like most really good public glassblowing studios: They have a very experienced but easy-going staff. Just go with the flow. They do. You have to remember that the glass has some "say" in your final work. It's a living art. So be chill. You will learn a lot, have a ball doing it, and maybe even get bitten by the glass bug. If you are in a rush for your session or have allotted exactly 8.25 minutes per turn at glassblowing, maybe you should look into some other art that isn't as dangerous and seriously cool like hot glassblowing. Now that I have that off my chest, you are foolish if you don't book a glassblowing session here. It's easy to find and right off the freeway. The neighborhood is urban-hip and artsy (local coffee shop, a talented local florist, a homegrown cafe down the street, a gift shop where all the goods are truly green/recycled, etc.). What a wonderful and growing area! Inside the studio, the tools are in good working order and they have everything you need including a good array of glass color from which to choose. The layout of the bench-to-furnace-to-glory hole is perfect. The place is clean. They have a "party room" where you can hang out with your friends if you want a break from the glassblowing action. It's a smart layout. If you are new to glassblowing, Joe (the head gaffer) can teach you how to make a beautiful glass ornament or small bowl of your own design. He's patient, knowledgeable, loves glass and is a really good teacher. Joe is good with groups or if you are pretty serious about glassblowing, you can book a one-on-one session with him. That is my preference because it gives you more time to explore and play with the glass. If you are an experienced glassblower and want to rent the bench, what are you waiting for? It's the only shop in Milwaukee, bench rental is a very reasonable price that includes everything but color, and let's face it -- glass misses you. At least stop in for a peak at the studio. It will be worth your while. I hope to see you there soon! (P.S. I don't work there or anything. I'm just so happy to have found a nice glassblowing shop in the area. It's about time!) read more

I was trying to visit Square One for a surprise to celebrate a specific special day. First off, I had sent a request through their website, and had to call a few days later since I had gotten no response. They're lack of response maybe should have tipped me off about their commitment to customers. But, I got everything scheduled, got a confirmation call a couple days before. Then, about 5 hours before we were supposed to arrive they called to cancel because they were having equipment problems. Basically ruined my special day since this was the big event, and gave me no time to find a replacement. read more

a bit pricey for my taste, and then they hit you up for a tip! Was a bit disappointed that my bowl didn't sit on a flat surface nicely, but the nice man who returned my call told me I could come back and get it fixed. After a half hour drive back a second time to the store, the lady who was there said that they usually charge $10 to fix it. But after she talked to someone, they fixed it for free, but only after she gave me a lecture of how she has 20 years of experience and students do not. I get that, but then let the customer know this ahead of time, and give them solutions then, not after the fact. I guess for $72 one expects to get their money's worth. I guess it's a good thing I seem to be the only one with a bad experience. read more

We had an absolutely great time. Vince was amazing, he explained the steps, took his time, knowledgeable and friendly. It was so much fun I would recommend this, we really thought the pieces we made were so neat! read more

We had such a wonderful experience here at Square One art glass. We live in Seattle but grew up in Milwaukee and we were in town for our wedding. As a gift to the presider of our wedding ceremony, we had commissioned some whiskey glasses to be blown by a glass blowing shop in Seattle. The Seattle shop did not deliver a quality product, sloppy and not in line with what we had discussed and agree upon for the piece. At Square One, it was the opposite - Aaron took wonderful care of us, immediately saw our vision, was able to produce a quality product literally overnight. The materials were high quality, and the product was delivered nearly exactly as we discussed. She was responsive, receptive, and capable, creating a beautiful product for half the cost we had paid in Seattle. We highly recommend Square One - Aaron's ability to bring an idea to life when we were in a tight spot meant so much to us! read more

This is a must do! Great time with fun and friendly staff. You end up with a nice piece of glass that you created!

We went to Square One as a work group last night and had an excellent experience. The staff was extremely welcoming and accommodating. The shop is clean and very inviting. I highly recommend going to Square One and trying your hand at glass blowing. Even if you're a novice (which you probably are) they make it so easy you will look like a pro! read more

We had a second class at Square One last Saturday. Both have been fabulous. We are absolute novices. Tim and Chris are so patient and full of great suggestions. What a wonderful thing to do in Milwaukee. read more

I have been to square one twice with large work groups for team building and had an overall OK experience. However, over a month ago I emailed to ask if they made glass paperweights incorporating cremated pet ashes, such as artfulashes.com or spiritpieces.com. Days later I get an emails saying yes and they are $100. I asked for pics of ones they made in the past as I was writing for 4 people total who wanted this service for passed pets. I get a response back a day later saying, "Yes but I will need to be paid by that day." I replied that is fine but my question was can I get pics of the pieces so we can see what we are paying for. About a month has gone by with no response, no returned phone calls, nothing. Clearly they are making so much money they can ignore the $400 we would have paid for the paperweights. We took our business elsewhere as the lack of customer service is a clear indicator of their work ethic. Lastly, I saw one pic on their website of the glass orb with pet ashes... awful. REALLY glad I went with artfulashes.com instead. I guess you really do get what you pay for. read more

Only attempt to go here if you do not mind rude and shoddy customer service. My maid of honor scheduled a time months in advance for myself and bridesmaids to have a session. A few days before our scheduled time, we were asked to move our time from 3 to 4:30 to accommodate another larger group. We agreed. When we arrived at 4:30 and indicated that we were there for our 4:30 class, the response we received was "Are you kidding me?" Joe, who was scheduled to run the class, stated that he did not know that there was another class scheduled for the day. Apparently it isn't his practice to check the calendar. However, when we looked at the calendar in the office, our names were there clear as day. We were told that they could get us done in about an hour and asked that we wait for about half an hour. So we waited...for 45 minutes. We had other plans after the glass-blowing that prevented us from just twiddling our thumbs all day so it was important to us that we stick as close to the scheduled time as possible. We were then suddenly reassured that they could probably get us all done in half an hour, which made us wonder what we would be missing in the half an hour that mysteriously disappeared. Joe also stated that he wasn't thrilled with having an extra class either because he "had plans to get a cocktail later." To add further insult to injury, we were told that Chris (one of the owners) would not give us any discount on our service despite the fact that Joe told us that the other group showed up late and we had to wait 45 minutes before the other group was even done. Needless to say, we didn't do a session and would never give money to a business that operates this way. A good business owner should know how to properly schedule sessions, make sure the sessions are communicated to staff and be willing to compromise when their own poor management skills lead to a complete waste of time for customers that were about to spend $150+ in their shop. This whole scenario was unbelievable. read more

The business section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently wrote an article about Square One Art Glass. I felt that they really missed the mark on what Square One really has done and has to offer to the Washington Heights neighborhood. First of all the owners Tim and Chris have taken this rundown old building that sat empty for years collecting vagrants and mischievous teenagers and turned it into an amazing space. This space houses a glass studio, a meeting center, a hip-hop apparel shop, and recently the Soup Market. I no longer have to climb over piles of snow in the winter and worry about who is going to fall out of the back door. When they first opened or course I wanted to support this new business in my neighborhood. So I came in to find out how I could plan a glass blowing party. I celebrated my birthday there with 50 of my friends. Only 33 of us blew glass. It was a total hit. Tim and Chris were extremely accommodating and patient as they help each one of us blow an orb. Since then I have brought 2 high school art classes to the studio. Each one of these kids has had an experience of their lifetime. Joe, an employee and glass-blowing expert, helped the 2 school groups that I brought in through the glass blowing process. He gave each student such individual instruction that they were able to produce a unique and beautiful glass orb that they were so proud of. My plan is to continue to support this wonderful and rare establishment. I highly recommend that you check out this studio and experience the craft of glass blowing. read more