History of The Olio
- From 2014 to 2020, The Olio served as a community focused furnace glassblowing studio in the West End of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
- The Studio and Retail Gallery featured a Youth Apprentice Program for 14-24 year-olds experiencing barriers to employment.
- Staff and Youth Apprentices facilitated thousands of classes, workshops, field trips, team-builders, and community events to the Winston-Salem and surrounding areas, with the nearest hot furnace facility over 65 miles away.
- Offering handblown glassware for sale in the retail gallery and fusing workshop, as well as countless commissions and orders, The Olio was unique in that it featured a recycled waste glass and flux system, and diverted millions of bottles from the landfill in our community over the years.
- Professional development, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and learning through the arts are core to organization and the Youth Apprentice Program.
- Due to Covid-19, The Olio closed the glassmaking facility in 2020.
“The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.”
~ James Baldwin