Entry No. 47 — the New Orleans file — filed under: hands-on
New Orleans Glassworks & Printmaking Studio
Billed as the largest glass and printmaking facility of its kind in the South, this Magazine Street studio has run for over two decades and packs a hot shop, torchworking benches, a metal-sculpture forge, and full printmaking presses under one roof. Walk-in two-hour courses let novices design a glass paperweight or pull a pendant at the torch, while the print side covers screen-printing, letterpress, paper marbling, and bookbinding. Free daily glassblowing demonstrations run during open hours so you can watch molten glass worked before trying it yourself.
The story
From the sidewalk along Magazine Street, you would hardly guess that a restored 1800s brick warehouse hides a 25,000-square-foot industrial arts compound inside. The New Orleans Glassworks & Printmaking Studio operates as a non-profit working facility where glass arts, metal forging, and antique print equipment run side-by-side in the historic American Sector of the Warehouse District.
Step past the entrance and the scale takes over. The complex spans a full contemporary glassblowing arena, scientific glass apparatuses, torchworking stations, a metal-sculpture forge, and an expansive printmaking floor equipped for letterpress, screen-printing, paper marbling, and hand bookbinding. Free live glassblowing demonstrations run constantly during regular studio hours, letting you watch artists gather molten glass on blowpipes from furnaces operating at thousands of degrees before you decide to get your own hands dirty.
If you sign up for one of their two-hour walk-in sessions, you aren't just observing from behind a rope. You step up to the bench to shape a glass paperweight at the hot shop furnace or sit at the torch to pull custom glass pendants. There are no synthetic shortcuts here—you leave smelling slightly of scorched wood and furnace heat, carrying a piece of cooling glass or fresh ink you pulled yourself.
What it's like
Expect a loud, active studio space with the intense radiant heat of hot shop furnaces hitting you as soon as you walk toward the glass arena. You can watch free glassblowing demonstrations for as long as you like without spending a cent, but if you want to book a two-hour glassblowing or torchworking workshop, call ahead to lock in a slot. Dress in closed-toe shoes and natural fiber clothing to handle the furnace heat, and take time to wander into the print section to see vintage presses and marbling tubs in action.
The move: Book the two-hour walk-in glass session and take turns gathering molten glass on the punty to shape a paperweight or torch-pulled pendant you both take home.
📍 Before you go Two-hour walk-in glass courses are offered during open hours; call ahead to confirm a torch or hot-shop slot.
- 📍 Warehouse District
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 727 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Sazerac House — Walk four blocks up Magazine Street to cool off with cocktail samples and history after working near the hot shop furnaces.
- LUNA Fête — Pair an afternoon spent watching molten glass with an evening wandering light projections across nearby downtown plazas.
- Clue Carré — Trade the slow precision of glass craft for an hour solving local folklore puzzles in a CBD escape room down the road.
Good to know
Do I need to book a ticket just to watch glassblowing?
No, free glassblowing demonstrations run daily during open studio hours, allowing walk-in visitors to watch from the arena floor without a reservation.
What do you make in the two-hour mini workshops?
Novices can take turns gathering molten glass on a punty rod to shape a paperweight in the hot shop or pull custom pendants at a torchworking bench.
What should I wear if participating in a glass session?
You must wear closed-toe shoes and clothes made from natural fibers (like cotton) to protect against the high heat of the furnaces and torches.
What printmaking facilities are on-site?
The print studio covers screen-printing, traditional letterpress, paper marbling, and bookbinding.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · magazinestreet.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-23