On June 5 Connie Beckers, a well-known Northside glass artist, will be embarking on an exciting new enterprise when she opens a shoppe, "The Goddess of Glass & Friends" with handcrafted gifts and picture framing. For the past 15 years Connie Beckers, also known as the Goddess of Glass, has been handcrafting her unique stained glass artwork in her Folwell home. Connie has sold her work at coffee and gift shops and at art festivals. She creates custom artglass windows and has been teaching stained and fused glass classes since 2002.
Beckers was commissioned by the Friends of Loring Park to work with Reynaldo Diaz to design and fabricate a beautiful quatrefoil stained glass window for the Loring Park Community Arts Center. This piece of art, being the largest stained glass window that Beckers has completed, is a show piece for her talent and ability to put into reality her vision. Readers can also view a Goddess of Glass original at Dr. Otieno's dental office at West Broadway and Penn Avenues.
Connie also brought her talents as an artist and community organizer to the Northside Arts Collective. Since 2003, she connected with more than 300 artists with the collective vision of uniting, enriching and advancing our community with their art.
A life-long Northsider, Beckers will now make her glass art the focal point of her new shoppe, The Goddess of Glass & Friends handcrafted gifts and picture framing. Located at 2205 Lowry Avenue North, this former barbershop has been transformed into a classy new space for art sales and picture framing. With Connie's vast network of artists and such a small space to work with, the shoppe will completely change with all new artists every two months. One wall will feature a gallery artist while the rest of the shoppe will offer a variety of handcrafted gifts perfect for all occasions. The Goddess of Glass & Friends business model is inspired by Beckers' highly successful "Holiday Magic" gift shows held at The Warren for the last few years.
The first gallery artist is local watercolorist Monica Kenton. Monica's inspiration comes from nature in her most basic forms. She says her work is created "while honoring the sacred that resides within the paper, paint, rocks, water, plants, air, ice, snow, rain, sun and anything else I am called upon to give form to." In addition to framed originals and prints, the shoppe will offer Kenton's handmade papers and books. You are invited to meet Monica at a reception on Thursday, June 24, 6-8 p.m.
This first cycle of artists will feature work by locals Lucy V. Yogerst, Sarah Ruehmann, Cynthia Lettermann, Susan Spiller, Janine Timm, Vivienne Patton and Naima Richmond along with several others offering everything from glass and pottery to African dolls and jewelry. Each cycle will offer a broad variety of artwork for sale ensuring a fresh selection of gifts from glass and pottery to handmade cards and jewelry.
"My hope is this shoppe will offer artists a local venue to showcase their work and to finally present the community with a place to purchase affordable gifts and beautiful artwork created by people they probably know," says Becker.
Opening day is June 5, and if the Facebook Fan Page is any indication, there will be a line around the block waiting to get in! Starting June 10, hours are Thu.-Sat., 10-6 p.m., and by appointment. The Goddess of Glass & Friends, Handcrafted Gifts + Picture Framing, 2205 Lowry Ave N, Mpls., opening day: Sat., June 5, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., www.goddessofglass.com, thegoddessofglass@gmail.com, 612-327-0283.