Experienced glass artisans help up to eight students blow molten glass into giant bubbles and smaller twirl beads

• Expires Jul 28, 2012
• No limit per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Subject to rescheduling. Must be 16 or older; under 18 must have a guardian permission slip. Must sign waiver. Must bring photo ID. Must wear closed toe shoes.
• See the rules that apply to all deals.

Before classes begin, groups of eight students tour Glass Academy's shop, gaining a behind-the-scenes glance at the artists' process. After the tour, students command the torch area during the Big Bubble Blow and Twirl Bead class, forming their own twirl beads using heated colored glass rods. As they wait for beads to cool, students join the master glassblower for a demonstration of how to blow a molten blob of glass into a huge bubble at the end of a 5-foot hollow steel rod before trying the technique themselves. For every Groupon purchased from this deal, $2 will be donated to the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor. Students must return to collect their artwork within 30 days, or it will be donated to charity.

Since the visionary artistic husband-and-wife team of Chris Nordin and Michelle Plucinsky began Glass Academy, the state-certified glass-arts trade school has instilled glassblowing, stained-glass, and other silica-shaping know-how into community members. The duo leads classes for all skill levels of craftsmen, ranging from introductory sessions to private lessons with a master glassblower. They have also developed a glass-certificate training program, with artistic lessons in glassblowing, stained glass, and lampworking mingled with required courses in safety and art glass as a business. An on-site gallery showcases the fruits of their labors, displaying handcrafted, custom works such as vases, ornaments, and stained-glass-window Halloween costumes fused by Glass Academy's master glassblowers. When not shaping delicate masterpieces, the staff shares their love of art with the outside world, leading educational tours of their studio space and welcoming large groups such as Boy and Girl Scouts, Mensa, church groups, and school field trips. Glass Academy frequently hosts other fun events and fundraisers, including beer tastings, coffee nights, and drop-in workshops.