Stained Glass Penguin

Kara Cullenen-O'Dea is teaching a stained glass workshop at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens on Thursday, December 10, from 5 PM to 8 PM. The session is held in the Wells Barn, and the project is a pair of mini stained glass penguins that you get to take home when you're done.

If you've never worked with glass before, this is a good place to start. O'Dea walks you through the whole process: cutting the sheet glass, grinding the edges, and soldering the pieces together using the copper foil method. It's a hands-on evening where you do the actual work rather than just watching, and you walk away with two small penguins for your shelf.

O'Dea is a Columbus native who has been making stained glass for 15 years. She runs Dea Glass Co and her own storefront, Good Dea Craft School, and her work leans on vibrant colors and whimsical subject matter—an approach she describes as moving stained glass out of its traditional settings and into modern decor. When she isn't teaching or making glass, she spends her time hiking and kayaking across the US.

The workshop is designed with adults in mind, though anyone aged 12 and over can take part. It runs from 5 PM to 8 PM on Thursday, December 10, at the Wells Barn in the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Tickets are $103, or $93 for members.