Adams Native Lisa Mendel Opens Stained-Glass Art Studio
ADAMS, Mass. — Local artist and town native Lisa Mendel has opened Mendel Stained Glass Art Studio, allowing Berkshire County residents to take classes on and work with stained glass.
"I would say that it's about creating your own art," Mendel said. "Stained glass is a wonderful medium. It's all about colors."
Mendel, an art and business teacher at Mount Greylock Regional School, opened the studio at 1 East Hoosac St. and began teaching classes earlier this month. On Feb. 14, just days after its opening, the Board of Selectmen held a ribbon-cutting for the studio, with several local business owners and town officials in attendance.
"Thank you, Lisa Mendel, for sharing your artistic passion and new business with the Adams community," said Selectmen Chair John Duval. "I encourage everyone to support Lisa's business and all of our small businesses in the town of Adams."
Prospective students have several options for classes, including monthlong courses and one-night sessions, which Mendel says should give those curious about working with stained glass a chance to try it before committing to a larger project.
"A lot of people will always say to me, 'I'm not very artistic,'" she said, noting she has been able to teach people of all ages and backgrounds how to work with stained glass. "It's very pattern-driven. So there's tons of patterns. Usually, I'll find all kinds of stained glass things. The patterns come from nature, so it's lots of animals. Lots of flowers, lots of church windows."
While she is starting with stained glass, Mendel hopes to branch out into other glass-working art in the future.
"I do a little bit of mosaic work, a little bit of glass etching. I'm hoping to get a kiln at some point, so I'll be able to do some glass fusing," she said. "So there's lots of different things that you can do with glass."
There are few options, according to Mendel, for art classes in the Berkshires, which she said is one of the reasons she decided to open the studio. She said opening the studio in her hometown makes it even more special.
"I don't think that there's a lot of places around that you can be creative and take classes to do things," she said. "I know when I go to take things, I usually have to go to Northampton or Albany. So it's kind of nice to have something in Berkshire County."
While the studio has only been open for a short time, Mendel said interest in classes has been so significant that she has decided to expand her offerings. Community feedback, according to Mendel, has been overwhelmingly positive both in class and on social media.
"They really seem to enjoy it," Mendel said on classes in the studio so far. "And almost all of them sold out, actually. I was really surprised. I just started with a couple of mosaics classes and one monthlong class. And I ended up putting two more monthlong classes."
Mendel said she has worked with stained glass since childhood and is excited to teach and share her passion with people in Adams and across Berkshire County.
"For a long time, I just sort of did it as a side hobby, and if friends asked, I would teach them," she said. "But I'm ready to branch out into a whole different realm of doing workshops and doing some mosaic classes."
Tags: new business, stained glass,
