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SSG TEAM MEMBERS
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SUE KUTNO
Specialty: Master Classes
Tuesday: Tools
Wednesday: Happy Hour Workshops
 
Founder and owner of SSG, Sue has been working in glass for about 38 years. Beginning in Stained Glass, then moving on to Fused & Slumped glass, and teaching throughout the years, she established Sarasota School of Glass in 2000. Sue has shown her work in galleries across the country and locally at Art Uptown, Art Center Sarasota, Art Center Manatee, Venice Art Center, exhibited in local and national art shows, written a book and wrote several articles in many glass publications in addition to winning the New Glass Review from Corning Museum. Her motto "If you love your job you never have to work a day in your life".
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DONNA VOZZA
Specialty: Stained Glass
                  Guest Teacher

Donna started stained glass in 1976, in NY. In 1995 Donna and her family moved to Sarasota with Glass Crafters from Long Island. Recently retiring from the retail end of the business, she continues creating in her own studio and teaches at SSG. Donna has done custom commissions - including the windows for Trinity Baptist Church in Sun City Center and the windows in Saints Martha's Catholic School in Sarasota.
ELAYNE D.
Specialty: Kiln Operator (Hot Mama)

COMING SOON
ELEANOR L.
Specialty: Front Desk

Eleanor came to Sarasota 3 years ago after retiring from her customer service job of many years. She chose Sarasota because a friend of 48 years lives here. She and her husband enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas, Alantic City, anywhere they could find a casino. Her hobbies include shopping and crafting so Sarasota was the perfect choice! Her many years experience in customer service is a plus for SSG - you'll speak to Eleanor when you call the studio.
FREEDA O.
Specialty: Stained Glass
Guest Teacher

My studio, Ostis Inspirations was was inspired by a my passion for glass over 30 years ago. I remember my childhood home having these beautiful window panels which rooted my love for the craft when I was introduced to it by my cousin in the early 1980s. Throughout my career in the military, I enjoyed stained glass, setting up my home studio at the places I was stationed. In my retirement from the USAF, I finally widened my capabilities with photo etching and most recently glass fusing.

I started my Stained Glass Shop in 2012 and in 2021 I retired from my corporate work and I started doing stained glass full-time. I am enjoying making and sharing stained glass with others. I have recently moved to SRQ and am excited about teaching at SSG.
JAN A.
Specialty: Fusing Teacher
Relocating to Florida from southern California, Jan was a 1st an 3rd grade teacher. She enjoys teaching Maj Jong to groups and individuals. During her summer vacations as a teacher she worked for Amtrak traveling from L.A. to Seattle and beyond. Jan, a mother and grandmother, retired in 1997 and moved to Anna Maria Island in 2000.
JULIE S.
Specialty: Substitute Teacher
Julie is originally from Northern Minnesota but relocated to Alaska in 1978 where she lived for 40 years in Anchorage, Soldotna and Wasilla working for Peak Oilfield Services.  She retired to sunny Florida in 2018 where she and her husband Mike settled in Palm Aire. Julie has always had a love for all things glass, collecting carnival glass since her teens.  In retirement she enjoys yoga, water aerobics, book club, cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. 
JULIE T.
Specialty: Front Desk
When you call SSG to register for a class or make an inquiry, chances are you will be talking to Julie, one of our favorite front desk team members at Sarasota School of Glass. Recently relocating with her dog Lily from Lemont, Illinois to Venice, Florida, she is gardener, dog person and retired registered nurse. She has worked in several areas of nursing including physical rehabilitation with newly disabled people, home health care, and in a medical clinic as a case manager with underserved families. Always having an interest in the art of glass work, she now has time to pursue it. Julie is very excited to be joining the team at Sarasota School of Glass.


KAREN JOHNSON
Specialty: Manager

Karen has lived with her husband in Sarasota 26 years and has two married sons and one daughter in college. Karen has always loved doing artistic things. She used to sew dolls and clothes when the children were young and loved making crafty things with them. She has taken many classes over the years including painting and pottery and since discovering SSG, is now hooked on glass. Karen has taken over as manager of SSG filling in front desk & kiln when needed.
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KATHY KOSNICK
Specialty: Substitute Teacher

Kathy is a retired court reporter and has always been passionate about art and creativity . She has 2 grown children, Savannah and Noah and works part-time as a luxury travel agent with Dimensions Travel. She is also an interior decorating advisor with Sarasota Decor Advice and is thrilled to be teaching at SSG. Kathy loves painting, drawing, sculpting, gardening, designing, travel, children, sports, and, of course, glass. Compassionate and giving, her philosophy in life is “just be kind“ AND always “do the right thing, even when nobody is looking”
LORRAINE M
Specialty: Glass Cutter Extrodinaire

I've been fusing for over 5 years. I started with stained glass about 15 years ago and moved to fusing when I saw a piece I wanted to make. It was my desire to try new crafts when I retired so I took a class or two and decided I liked it enough to start doing it on my own. My first class was at SSG with Sue K. She so excited about it that it overflowed to me. I've been cutting glass for as long as I've done stained glass, so when I was offered the job of cutting glass for SSG I jumped at the chance. I've been here ever since also helping in Firelite Forms with making slumpng molds.
MICHELLE I.
Specialty: Fusing Teacher
          Front Desk
              Kiln Operator

Michelle is a retired flight attendant with 35 years of service, traveling around the world and experiencing new cultures, fulfilling her love of traveling. She studied art and graphic design in college, took a class in glass blowing which lead her to glass fusing. In 2000 she took fusing classes in Minnesota where eventually she taught. She has taken classes from Patty Gray, Kari Minnick, Richard Parrish & Narcissus Quagliata. Michelle has a home studio and is very excited to get back to teaching at SSG.
NANCY T.
Specialty: Fusing Teacher

Artist, teacher, designer, Nancy Thomas started drawing and painting as a very young child, progressing to oil painting and tile mosaics in high school. Her interests have always been varied, with a passion for new mediums and challenges. She taught art to middle school students in St. John’s, USVI, then became an award winning kitchen, bath, and residential space designer in Massachusetts. Simultaneously, she expanded her art work with oil pastels, pastels, acrylics, pottery, stained glass, mixed media, and fused glass. She continued to teach adult art both in the VI and Florida, teaching at the Charlotte County Cultural Center for six years, then privately in her home, while continuing further explorations in glass and paint mediums.

We are delighted to have Nancy join Sarasota School of Glass, sharing her passion for art, color, and glass.
SUELLYN Y.
Specialty: Fusing Teacher
           Front Desk

Suellyn grew up in the Chicago area and went to school at Northwestern. Although her degree is in Chemical Engineering, she has always had an interest in art. She moved to Denver in 1987 and began to pursue her love for art. While raising her triplets, Suellyn took classes in various art media, everything from painting to interior design to graphic design. She first experienced glass fusing many years ago at a studio in Door County, WI and was immediately hooked. She took several classes and workshops before moving from Denver to Sarasota in the Fall 2021. Finding SSG was a stroke of luck! Working on her own in open studio led to a position at the Front Desk and later to teaching. “I love glass because it has such interesting chemistry when heated. You can try to predict the results, but you never know what the piece will
look like”.
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SUSAN BRIDENBECKER
Specialty: Fusing Teacher
Wednesday & Friday, in Season

Susan is a retired school business administrator who loves working with her hands.  She has many hobbies such as sewing, wood working, pottery and jewelry making; but her favorite is stained glass which she has been doing for 15+ years. Once she found the Sarasota School of Glass, there was no looking back and she has combined her love of glass with the joy of teaching others about fused glass.