PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Wintergreen Arts Center is featuring local artist, craftsman Lisa Wark and her stained-glass creations in March. Her opening reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. on March 4 during Presque Isle’s First Friday Art Walk.
Wark is a native of Aroostook County. She grew up in Washburn until moving to Oklahoma with her family during high school. Wark returned to Maine in 2010 after reconnecting with an old classmate and getting married.
She developed her passion for the art of stained glass when she took Russ Gagnon’s stained-glass class for beginners at SAD 1 Adult & Community Education.
“It was the last year Russ was able to teach the course,” said Wark. After developing her skills, she was asked to return and instruct the program for SAD 1.
Wark soon started hosting mini workshops in her basement studio at her home in Mapleton, later expanding into community spaces in town. In 2019, she opened her shop, Glass with Class, at 499 Main Street in Presque Isle.
“We offer a retail shop with supplies and equipment to create stained-glass projects as well as a large classroom in the basement,” said Wark. “We offer workshops for beginners and advanced students alike.”
Glass with Class holds several workshops per month and offers different forms of glass art such as Glass on Glass, Mosaics, Beyond Paintings, as well as social soldering time every month in the summer.
“We offer workshops for kids and teens too,” added Wark. “We seek sponsorships so kids and teens can attend for free.”
She also accepts custom orders and takes other artists’ work on consignment to sell in her shop. For hours of operation, please visit Glass with Class on Facebook.
The Wintergreen Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006, and located in Presque Isle. Wintergreen is an organization based on the idea that creativity, advocacy, and community can produce great things. Our mission is to provide meaningful experiences that encourage an appreciation of the arts, stimulate creativity and innovation, and offer an artistic community space where all are welcome.
