On the afternoon of May 16th, Third Degree Glass Factory was preparing their studio for that evening’s Third Friday with the Arts event. They had just installed a new glass exhibition by artist Hoseok Youn, finished stocking the bar, and had festivities scheduled throughout the night for their hot shop and Mother’s Day kiln class. Then, the weather alerts sounded, and at around 2:30 p.m. everyone ducked for cover as an EF5 tornado ripped through the Delmar Maker District.

While several casualties were reported in St. Louis’s devastating storm that afternoon, everyone at TDG came out untouched, including their expansive collection of delicate glass works sitting behind the building’s broken windows.

Kathy Lawton Brown sits down with TDG’s chief operating officer Nicole Dutton to report that after weeks of cleanup, the studios are open and ready for patrons! Listen as they discuss tornado recovery, an upcoming June Third Friday event, the process of creating glass art, and how you can get involved in their studios.

TDG’s Third Friday is June 20th – if you are able, bring supplies for their tornado relief drive on behalf of Greater St. Louis, Inc.