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NOCA Glass School is an educational facility that is run out of a studio called Almost Perfect Glass in Cambridge, MA. APG is owned and operated by world renowned glassblower, Andy Magdanz, and his wife, Susan Shapiro Magdanz. With classes running primarily at night and on weekends, weekdays are often bustling with production glassware being made by Andy and several other full time glass artists. Andy and Susie also own our sister studio, Martha's Vineyard Glassworks, where you can view live demonstrations and shop the gallery.

APG Website

MVG Website

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Here are the friendly faces of our staff
​who make the magic happen...

Amanda Gundy
Director/ owner
​glassblowing instructor

Amanda has been blowing glass since 2004. As well as teaching at NOCA she has also taught at UrbanGlass, The Corning Museum of Glass, Snowfarm Craft School, and Diablo Glass School. She has assisted artists such as Bill Gudenrath, Tobias Möhl, Nick Mount, and Andy Magdanz. She has done three live stream demonstrations for the Corning Museum of Glass, and was on the Pilchuck PoleTurners Union in 2013. Since taking over NOCA in 2016 she doesn't make as much glass but she makes a lot of glassblowers!
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J. Shannon Floyd
​Program coordinator
Glassblowing instructor

Shannon Floyd graduated from MassArt in 2015 with a BFA in Glass.  In addition to teaching at NOCA she currently works as the Lead Gaffer at The Bubble Factory MA and as an assistant to other glass artists in the Boston area. Shannon is also a Traffic Cone enthusiast who enjoys spending time with her pet snake: a jungle carpet python named Babs. You can check out her work HERE.

EMERY WENGER
​glassblowing & flameworking instructor

Emery began blowing glass as a high school student at the Rhode Island School of Design's continuing education program. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Massachusetts College of Art, concentrating in glass. He later completed a two-year residency at the Worcester Center for Crafts. In addition to teaching at NOCA and working to assist other well-known glass artists, Emery continues to hone his mastery of glass by attending advanced courses throughout the USA. You can see more of his work HERE.

MICKEY Wheeler
GLASSBLOWING INSTRUCTOR

Mickey started blowing glass as a NOCA student in 2010 by taking one of our Two-Day Drinking Glass Workshops. Seven years later she is one of our primary instructors for beginners and specializes in our weekend workshops. Mickey loves disco and cheap beer.

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Kristin Imre
GLASSBLOWING INSTRUCTOR

Kristin Imre divides her time between glassblowing and teaching writing and literature at a local university. She began glassblowing a few years ago here at NOCA and after falling in love with the craft began teaching both here at NOCA and in the Snow Farm teen and adult programs. She also works as an assistant to local artists like Robert Phillips, Emery Wenger, and Andrew Iannazzi.
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Meredith Blankenship
Flameworking INSTRUCTOR

Meredith Blankenship (aka @catwizard_glass) began working with glass in 2021 in the flameshop.  She has a background in biotechnology and neuroscience, but was drawn to glass after seeing a wine tasting and hotshop demo.  She got her chance to dabble in the craft after taking NOCA’s 6 week flameworking class — and never stopped melting!  She likes making gigantic beads in loud colors, the bigger the better.  When not melting glass, she’s spinning yarn, playing music with her band or petting cats.

DJ  Benyosef
Glassblowing instructor

DJ is a graduate of the Franklin Pierce Glass Program in New Hampshire. He is an active craftsperson, selling in a variety of shows year round. Drawing from his specialty, the Italian cane processes, he brings a wealth of knowledge and real world experience to the classroom. He is also an excellent, patient teacher and is well liked by all of his students. You can see more of his work HERE.

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OTOM CHarTeRs-Jaffe
GLASSBLOWING INSTRUCTOR

Otom graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 2001 and has continued to pursue glassblowing endeavors for the past 16 years. He has worked with Charlie Correl, Josh Bernbaum, Gale Scott, and Shawn Conroy, amoung others. He is a very skilled glassblower and brings an easy-going teaching style and witty sense of humor to the classroom.

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Sarah LaSpada
GLASSBLOWING INSTRUCTOR

Sarah LaSpada graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2016 with a BFA in Metal and a BA in Art History. She started working with glass in 2014 at Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, NY and has been honing her glass blowing skills since. Sarah always works to create pieces that have an electric personality through their bright colors. Color is the main attraction that drew her to this medium, and she has been constantly exploring glass with new color combinations and design techniques.
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REBECCA POTASH
GLASSBLOWING INSTRUCTOR

In her elementary school yearbook, Rebecca stated that she wanted to be a glassblower when she grew up. That dream became a reality at the age of 14, when her parents gifted her with glassblowing classes at Simple Syrup Studio in Brockton, MA. Rebecca continued her glassblowing education at the Corning Museum of Glass while completing an M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry at Cornell University. She now has her own production line under the name K+ Glass, which comes from the purely coincidental fact that her last name, Potash, is one of the main ingredients in the glass we work with today.

Jesse rasid
Founder/ Former instructor

Jesse, a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design, founded NOCA GlassSchool in 2006.  Jesse began blowing glass in 1992, apprenticing to Josh Simpson. From there he worked in a variety of glass shops and production glass factories until he began attending MassArt in 1999. After graduating in 2003 Jesse began working for Marco Weiner, and Andy Magdanz and other NorthEast glassblowers. Seeing a void of good technical instruction Jesse began the NOCA GlassSchool. He now lives in Corning, NY with his beautiful family where he works for the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass and returns to NOCA as a visiting artist when we are lucky!

cooper brown
shop dog

Woof

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