The Glass Epicentre is Victoria’s first purpose-built, independent, community glass facility. Built by artists, for artists.

r.a.g.e is an independently run glassblowing studio in Coburg North, Melbourne — led by renowned glass artist Ruth Allen. With over 35 years of experience, she has cultivated a strong reputation for stewarding cutting-edge projects, all while maintaining technical excellence and a staunch community-building mindset. Alongside her team of five, r.a.g.e is paving the way forward for safeguarding the ancient craft of hot glass, and innovating the contemporary hot glass landscape in Australia.

The Australian Government’s divestment from arts education and specialised infrastructure puts the future of our industry at serious risk of collapse. r.a.g.e offers a bold and unapologetic intervention.

The Glass Epicentre will feature state-of-the-art hot glass facilities. It will provide hands-on education for both emerging and established artists, with workshops for all skill levels and an intensive traineeship program for dedicated artisans. A professional gallery space will host exhibitions by both national and international artists, showcasing all mediums. By expanding our facilities, we will build on our legacy of enabling ambitious projects across art and design while securing a vibrant future for cross-disciplinary collaboration in Melbourne. The Glass Epicentre will be a hub where technical skill meets creative innovation, fostering bold partnerships and experimental practice in our city.

As a certified Social Enterprise, we are structured to reinvest the majority of our profits directly into community building and sustainability practices. 

With plans to open in early 2027, generous philanthropic support is crucial in bringing the Glass Epicentre to life. We’ve purchased the land, we’ve received town planning approval, and now we are seeking the support of visionary cultural leaders to facilitate infrastructure and secure the future of glass artistry for generations to come.

Support for this project is fully tax-deductible under DGR1 status, auspiced through the Australian Cultural Fund — ensuring a trusted framework for giving. We hope you will join us.

The Glass Epicentre will be nestled within the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the East Kulin Nation. We acknowledge their long lineage of arts and culture, as traditional custodians of the land.

THE TEAM

EDUCATION

Education is the impetus of r.a.g.e. While Australian universities close their glass programs and the federal government continues to make cuts to the arts, we are expanding. We are determined to educate the artisans of tomorrow, prioritising hands-on skill transmission through a comprehensive traineeship program and diverse public access workshops. Without independent education pathways, the art of working with hot glass faces permanent extinction.

SUSTAINABILITY

Utilising Australia’s greatest natural resource, the Glass Epicentre will be primarily solar powered. We will transition to an electric hot glass furnace, significantly reducing our gas consumption. Clever landscaping and architectural design will generate airflow in workshop areas, optimising oxygen levels and maintaining healthy energy levels for all. A greywater circulatory system will run through both the hot and cold workshops — feeding machinery, hoses and courtyard area. Heat will be recuperated from the hot equipment to warm the building during cool weather periods. We will prioritise sustainable wages, equitable working conditions and create career opportunities for committed workers.

INNOVATION

We pride ourselves in collaborating with contemporary trailblazers — from architects, local and international artists, lighting and industrial designers, and leading culinary and fashion figures. We push our medium to its limits. Expanding our facilities will allow us to challenge physical and conceptual boundaries that traditional art institutions can’t embrace.

LEGACY

What happens to the art of glass when there is no one left to teach it, and nowhere left to make it? The future of our medium is in crisis, but our vision for the way forward is clear. In the absence of meaningful government investment, we turn toward each other, forging new models of cultural survival. Legacy is not inherited, it is built and created.

For all enquiries, please contact us at:
create@ruthallen.com.au

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