Nashville Glassworks owners Susan Henderson Isel and Martha Morales Purucker are ready to meet a huge need in the Nashville glass art world. Their recently opened studio has bespoke art, supplies and instruction. It also takes commissions. Martha and Susan are happy to provide a place for continuing education in the glass community.
CL: Tell us about Nashville Glassworks and what the business offers to customers.
“Nashville Glassworks is a one-of-a-kind retail supply, teaching art studio, and gallery for fused glass, stained glass, and mosaic art. We are the only small business retail glass art store in Nashville and nearly the entire state.”
CL: Who are the two of you, and how did you find each other?
“Co-Owner and artist Martha Morales Purucker was the studio manager at fused glass studio This Little Light (now closed). Susan Henderson Isel was a new artist and glass hoarder searching for a store. Introduced by a mutual Glass acquaintance, the rest is history. Martha has art at the Curb Center for Music (being reinstalled at Centennial park later this year). Her mosaic art piece “Marisol” is on display at the Nashville International Airport and is featured in the exhibit 'Identity Crisis: Who are we becoming?' You can find it in Concourse A across from Gate 2.”
CL: What does sharing this art form with the community mean to you?
“We truly believe the Universe, God, and The Arts brought us together because greatness can happen. We are two minority women with disabilities in the arts in a revitalizing field. There have been many glass stores in Nashville over the years, but none have survived. We hope that by combining all the mediums, we can be a point of unity for the glass community in Tennessee.”
Classes can be booked online at https://nashvilleglassworks.com/ and you can see more examples of their art on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashville_glassworks/