School Groups
Fire up your curriculum with an out of the ordinary excursion!
Canberra Glassworks is open for school tours and group activities Wednesday to Sunday with sessions available at 10.30am or 1.30pm each day, or on Thursday evenings at 6.00pm. Bookings are essential.
Located in the historic former Kingston Powerhouse, Canberra Glassworks is a state-of-the-art facility for the production of studio glass. Students can see artists in action in the Hotshop making blown glass objects and will gain an understanding of all the different ways that handmade glass objects are created in our various workshops.
The tour will explore questions such as:
- How does glass change from one material state to another?
- What is the chemistry of glass and how does that affect its colour?
- How many ways can we make glass?
- What makes glass a sustainable material?
Here are all the details about our School Tours
Key Details
Dates: Wednesdays to Sundays 10.30 am & 1.30 pm or Thursdays 6pm
Duration: 2 hours
Participants: 15 minimum & 45 maximum
Primary to Tertiary
The Canberra Glassworks School Program connects to the design and technologies, visual art, history, and science components of the Australian Curriculum.
Choose one of two behind the scenes tour options…
History Tour
Take a behind the scenes tour of the Canberra Glassworks. The first public building in Canberra the Kingston Powerhouse was instrumental in providing electricity for the building of the new capital. Now re-purposed into an important arts facility within the historic building, this tour tells the story of the building where students can discover the remaining features of its previous industrial use and gain an understanding of the different equipment and workshops in its current form.
$20 per student for History Tour
Science Tour
Uncover the inner workings of the glassmaking facility as the science of glass in art, industry everyday life is explored. Students will see a demonstration of glass blowers in action in the Hotshop demonstration accompanied by an interactive commentary about all the processes and uses of glass as an essential component of 21st century technology.
Please be aware the science tour is subject to the availability of Hotshop artists.
$30 per student for Science Tour
+ Add a Glass Tile Making Class!
The addition of the tile making class gives school groups the opportunity to engage in hands on learning. In a small group, students will cut, design and arrange glass to make their own tiles using the kiln forming method.
$60 per student for History or Science Tour & Glass Tile Making Glass
Tour and Tile Making as part of the School Group program
Rob Schwartz working in the Hotshop at the Canberra Glassworks
Tile Making as part of the School Group program
