University of Hawaii

Passionate about supporting the arts, the Cooke Foundation awarded $100,000 to support the UH Mānoa Glass Art Studio renovation. The glass art area, designed in 1972, is one of the nation’s first glass studios built within a university.

When students work with molten glass, they discover aspects of sculpture, design and color. Thousands of students have studied the delicate art in this space, with hundreds continuing as practicing artists, college instructors and teachers in art programs throughout the U.S. It remains the only college glass art studio in Hawaii.

Students come from all over the world, including Hawai‘i’s elementary schools, to learn glass-making in the studio, and more than 60 internationallyrenowned artists have visited to share their work, conduct workshops and offer their insights to our young artists.

Glass melting furnaces last an average of six to eight years, but thanks to excellent care, the UH equipment has lasted 13 years. After nearly continuous duty, the furnaces have only one year left before they become unsafe.

Thanks to the Cooke Foundation, the department is on track to completely renovate the lab with new energyefficient furnaces, equipment, ventilation and a 540-squarefoot classroom.These changes will set the studio on pace to achieve the “net zero goal” mandated by the State of Hawai‘i for 100 percent renewable energy before the year 2045.

More About the UH Glass Studio Improvements