Huron Street Studios now occupies the former Gathered Glassblowing Studio building on Huron St. in downtown Toledo. The glass and pottery studio offers handmade goods and public workshops.
The New Owners
The studio is owned and operated by couple Ryan Thompson and Kayla Kirk, who each run a business in the studio, building their own creations and teaching others to create art.
Ryan Thompson Glass creates glass sculptures, glassware and other commissions in the studio. He was first introduced to glassblowing when he tool a class during his third year at BGSU.
For three years Thompson studied and practiced glass-blowing, focusing on skills in the form of vessels and goblet-making. After graduation, he began working as a studio artist and workshop instructor at the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion.
In 2018, Thompson accepted a position at The Henry Ford Museum’s Greenfield Village as a production glassblower eventually being promoted to shop lead. Thompson returned to Toledo in mid-2024 to run his studio.
On the second floor of the studio is Kirk’s Charmed Ceramics where Kayla creates handmade ceramic pieces and offers pottery workshops for everyone, teaching how to create with clay.
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Kirk graduated from UT in 2017 with a BFA in Sculpture and a BA in Art History. She began her career in visual arts at The Henry Ford Museum’s Greenfield Village and used her days off to learn the basics of pottery in a studio in her basement.
This led her to a teaching and production potter position at Pewabic Pottery in Detroit. Kayla moved to Toledo with Thompson, her partner, to operate her studio beside his business.
What’s Offered
Huron Street Studios offers a variety of workshops for both pottery and glass blowing. Ryan Thompson Glass offers public workshops for glassblowing for around $100 per person. One of the up-coming workshops is a Valentine Heart Glass where participants can create a stemless wineglass with mini hearts. The workshop is Feb. 8 with sessions from 11 am to 5 pm.
Private group lessons, for from two people to six or more, are available. The two-person group, dubbed ‘date night’ costs $275. Larger group prices vary according to the project. Some of the projects offered include an ornament, a flower, a blown pumpkin, a tumbler and more.
Charmed Ceramics offers a variety of workshops including a wheel-throwing lesson where participants can create a bowl or cup. Kirk leads a variety o private experiences like date nights, private parties, private lessons and corporate workshops. Prices vary by session.
Kirk also offers hand-building workshops where participants can create a mug without a spinning wheel. All items created in these workshops are dried, fired and glazed for later picked up.
Thompson and Kirk’s creations are available to be viewed and purchased both in the studio and online.
For more information visit huronstreetstudios.com
