Thank You for Your Service!

GlassRoots Bids Farewell to Longtime Board Members Roger C. Tucker III (Board President), Mary Jaffa (Treasurer) and Will Simpson.

We are sad to see Roger, Mary and Will go but we know we'll still see them around the neighborhood! Roger has served on our board since 2017, transitioning to Board President in 2020. He helped steer our expansion to our future home in Teachers Village, brokered countless connections including new board members and has consistently been a passionate brand ambassador!

Mary has served as our Treasurer since joining our Board of Directors in 2015. As Treasurer, Mary worked closely with our Executive Director, Carol Losos, and our Finance Committee to steward all financial affairs ranging from budgeting to forecasting and financial reporting.

Will Simpson joined the board in 2018 and has provided valuable guidance regarding our strategic priorities and critical community involvement.

Breaking Glass, Breaking Ground

On June 25th, we invited some friends to break glass with us! We gathered community partners, our building team, donors and supporters to our future home in Teachers Village to celebrate our upcoming expansion by shattering glass orbs on the ground. The shards will be compiled and used to make the first artwork in our new space when we relocate in early 2026! Thank you to Phelps Construction, Inglese Architecture + Engineering, RBH Group, Uptown Development, and all GlassRoots Board members for helping us get here! We also want to give special thanks to Newark First Lady, Linda Baraka, for attending, as well as Ashante Pope, Outreach Manager for Congresswoman LaMonica McIver.



GlassRoots Featured on NRBP Podcast 

Newark Regional Business Partnership (NRBP) is Newark's Premier Chamber of Commerce. As members, we appreciate their ongoing support through networking events, informative panels featuring local leaders, subsidized PR opportunities for nonprofits and so much more!

Listen to NRBP President and CEO, Ferlanda Fox Nixon, chat with GlassRoots Executive Director, Carol Losos, about some of our youth success stories, art's relationship to wellness and the strength of Newark's cultural community.

Thank you Ferlanda and NRBP for passing us the mic!

GlassRoots Celebrates Newark Pride Month

GlassRoots is proud to celebrate Newark Pride Month! This month marks the start of our new partnership with Project WOW's Healthy Transitions Program. Also based here in Newark, Project WOW is part of the North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCR)) and this particular program supports local LGBTQ+ youth entering adulthood by providing free mental health services. We are delighted that starting this fall, our PRISM LGBTQ+ artmaking collective will be offered to youth from Project WOW as one of their Healthy Transitions offerings! Learn more about registering for PRISM Club below.

Register Now for Fall Afterschool Programs

Yes, school's still out but it's not too early to save your spot in one of our free afterschool glassmaking programs! Want to start your own creative business one day? Join our Youth Entrepreneurial Spirit (YES) Program and work with professional artists and mentors. Are you an LGBTQ+ student looking for a safe space to create with your peers? Then consider joining one of our PRISM Clubs for young people ages 14 - 26. Or, have you wanted to dive deeper into the ancient art of glassblowing? Apply to be a NextGen Apprentice and work under the guidance of our experienced glassblowers for a semester. Make original artwork while learning career skills (and have fun doing it!).

PLAN NOW! ORDER FALL GALA AWARDS

These slow summer months are the perfect time to plan for that fall gala or employee appreciation event. Avoid rush fees by reaching out to us today to discuss your award design or, simply order our handmade glass award from the comfort of your home, office or beach chair! Our Shopify page makes the process fast and simple.

Photo Credits: GlassRoots Handmade Glass Awards Captured by (1) Phellix Rodriguez Video_LIN (2) Allison V. Brown_TOM at The Town Hall Spring Shout: A Benefit Concert, 2025.

Thank You Newark Arts!

GlassRoots is pleased to be a 2025/26 ArtStart Grantee! Since 2001, ArtStart has helped seed over 200 arts and cultural projects, providing over $500,000 in funding to artists, schools, nonprofits and community groups. Our ArtStart Grant will support the creation of a community mosaic mural in collaboration with Newark Science and Sustainability that will be installed in the Garden of Hope on Fairmount Avenue in Newark’s West Ward. The project will use the glass arts to advocate for food justice, health and sustainability while actively engaging residents in the creative process. Stay tuned for updates as this dynamic project unfolds.



GlassRoots sparks change and enables growth in individuals and communities through the transformative power of glass art. Building skills, igniting creativity, inspiring confidence and impacting economic vitality.