Entry No. 43 — the Boulder file — filed under: hands-on
Nomad Neon
A working neon studio run by artist Kaelyn McGowen that does real signage and artwork and opens its bench for hands-on workshops. In the multi-hour beginner session you heat and bend glass tubing over a flame to shape your own abstract neon sculpture, then take the lit piece home with its power supply included. Genuine neon bending is rare anywhere, and this is the closest place to Boulder where a couple can actually do it rather than just watch.
The story
Most people think neon is dead, replaced by cheap LED faux-flex that hums without soul. But in a quiet Denver studio, artist Kaelyn McGowen keeps the genuine 120-year-old craft alive. McGowen spent years traveling the West Coast learning traditional glass-bending techniques from old-school sign makers before founding Nomad Neon—Colorado's first woman-owned and operated neon studio using real glass tubing and high-voltage noble gas. When she isn't shaping custom commercial art or co-directing neon fabrication for Burning Man's Man Pavilion, she opens her working shop bench to outsiders.
This isn't a passive glassblowing demonstration where you stand behind safety tape and applaud. You sit at the bench with real crossfire flames, ribbon burners, and hollow glass tubes. Under McGowen's eye, you heat the glass until it turns rubbery, learning the exact cadence required to turn straight tubing into curved, glowing forms without crimping or collapsing the walls.
Because genuine neon fabrication requires specialized vacuum pumps, high-voltage bombarding, and rare gas filling, finding a working shop that hands you the torch is almost non-existent anywhere in the region. You'll leave with an abstract sculpture you bent yourself, wired up and glowing, complete with its power supply.
What it's like
You arrive at a working commercial sign shop in Denver, surrounded by draft patterns, transformers, and racks of clear and colored glass tubing. Expect intense heat, the steady hiss of gas torches, and immediate hands-on glass bending. You will burn through practice glass while getting a feel for heat control, but the atmosphere is focused and instructional. The studio address is withheld until your reservation is confirmed, and weekend spots clear through a waitlist, so lock in your date weeks in advance. Wear long sleeves made of natural fibers, closed-toe shoes, and leave anything synthetic at home—you are working directly over open flame.
The move: Take the six-hour beginner workshop and bend glowing glass tubing into your own neon sculpture to light up at home.
📍 Before you go Workshops run by reservation on weekends (roughly $500 solo / $575 for two) and fill from a waitlist; confirm the next open date before driving down from Boulder.
- 📍 Denver
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Denver, CO (exact address provided on booking)
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Meow Wolf Denver: Adulti-Verse Late-Night — Pair daytime flame work at the bench with an adult-only late-night run through four floors of illuminated art in Sun Valley.
- The Terrorium Shop — Trade glowing gas-filled glass for pinned beetles, preserved skeletons, and living plant terrariums in nearby Berkeley.
- BGOLD Glass — Compare tube-bending over ribbon burners in Denver to furnace-blown soft glass down the road in Lafayette on your drive back to Boulder.
Good to know
Do I need prior experience with glassblowing or flame work?
No. The beginner workshop is built for absolute novices, covering basic torch safety and glass heating mechanics before you start bending.
What do I take home at the end of the workshop?
You take home your own custom, glowing neon tube sculpture, complete with a power supply and mounting hardware ready to plug into a standard wall outlet.
How do I get to the studio from Boulder?
Nomad Neon is in Denver, roughly 30 to 45 minutes south of Boulder depending on traffic. The exact studio address is sent to you after your spot is confirmed.
How much does a session cost and how do I reserve a bench?
Workshops run on weekends, costing roughly $500 for a solo maker or $575 for a pair working together. Reservations are managed via waitlist on their website, so confirm availability before making the trip.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · linkedin.com
last checked: 2026-06-23