ABOUT THE ARTIST AND FUSED GLASS
Bonnie Rubinstein is a glass and metal artist specializing in large-scale, site-responsive installations.
Her kiln-formed glass studio is located in a restored dairy barn in Wisconsin.
Before dedicating her practice fully to glass, Bonnie Rubinstein worked in architecture and large-scale project management, including site design at Beaver Creek Ski Resort and sustainability systems management for MSP Airport, Target Corporation, Andersen Windows, and and other major organizations—she brings both artistic vision and technical clarity to complex projects. This foundation informs her approach to structural coordination, scale, and seamless integration within the built environment and a smooth process from concept through installation.
The Glass Process
What medium plays with form, color, and light the way glass does? This mesmerizing material continues to awe Bonnie. She explored glass through blowing, neon, and stained glass, but it was kiln-formed glass that revealed its full potential. She works with specialized fusible glass, from only one manufacturer in the world, and uses their permanently and brilliantly colored glass. When layered, and heated together, they create new colors and depth (hence, the ‘magic’). Specific designs are integrated into the glass that will remain intact in the kiln when properly monitored, so the art outcome is controlled. All projects allow her to create colorful and textural compositions that only glass and light can celebrate. This is unlike blown glass, which is fired too hot maintain the compositions.
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Working with the medium of fused glass, she developed her practice through experimentation and technical precision, learning to guide the material at over 1400 degrees. Along with smaller sized desk top sculptures and bowls, she creates large sculptural glass installations designed for residential, corporate, healthcare, and educational spaces nationwide.
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She loves to help her clients visualize their environments with glass imagery expanding across walls, suspended in space, transforming light within architecture.
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Professional; Background
Bonnie Rubinstein’s foundation in design spans urban design, landscape architecture, and large-scale site planning.
Her experience includes:
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Site planning and design for projects across NY, OH, CO, and MN
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Sculptural jewelry exhibited in galleries & retail venues nationwide, including Saks 5th Avenue, Lord &Taylor
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Founder of EcoSource, Inc., developing sustainability systems for the commercial sector
Clients have included Target Corporation, MSP Int'l. Airport, Andersen Corp., Cargill, and Lunds & Byerly’s
Studio & Process
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Process:
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Initial consultation and project discussion
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Concept development and design direction
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Material selection and scale refinement
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Fabrication in studio
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Coordination of delivery and installation
Types of Projects:
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Platters, bowls, table top sculptures
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Wall installations
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Suspended / aerial sculptures
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Lighting installations
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Site-specific commissions, interior and exterior
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Environmental Stewardship
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Bonnie Rubinstein’s commitment to sustainability is informed by her decades of work in environmental consulting through EcoSource, Inc., where she developed systems and conducted audits for large-scale organizations.
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This perspective carries into her studio practice, where material use, energy consumption, and fabrication processes are approached with intention. Glass remnants are re-integrated into future work, materials are sourced thoughtfully, and studio operations are managed to minimize waste wherever possible.
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Sustainability is not an add-on, but an integrated part of her approach to making.
Supporting sustainable values is a priority!
Where the 'magic' happens:
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The barn wherein lies the glass studio, and my second home.
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One of the kilns, where the glass fragments become 'one' over several days of firings at up to 1410°;
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The molds, where the glass is shaped in the kilns at up to 1260°;
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Me- Midway in production of a 9' tall mural for CA home.
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And a typical adventurous glass day in the studio!
