And just like that…the epiphany expansion is complete

Thanks to the support of so many, this huge endeavor has finally come to fruition. As many of you know, it was only after years of dreaming, planning, and campaigning that we were finally ready to break ground, only to be locked down for essentially 2 years during the, hopefully once in a lifetime, pandemic.
This update is for all those who have been following us through the entire bumpy but rewarding process as well as for our new followers who are curious about the brand new, shiny black building located next to the glass shop. So join us as we rewind through the wheres, whys, and whens of this project, celebrating the journey and enjoying the rewards!

The dream of adding to the studio was always going to be a huge step in the growth of epiphany studios. From the beginning, April did all the research, talked to clients, mentors, friends, family, bankers (lots and lots of them), the city, and the neighbors. All signs pointed to GO so she knew the time was finally right to build the new studio. Originally slated to be an addition to the existing building it quickly became evident that a new, stand-alone structure would be the better option. Architectural plans and site surveys were completed in mid-2019 and approved by the city in December, 2019. Site excavation started in early 2020 and construction was to be completed by October, 2020. But life, and the world, had other plans. Everything came to a screeching halt in the spring of 2020 and there we sat with our dreams on pause, not knowing what the future held. At last, as masks came off and the world started spinning again, so did the wheels of construction.

Once things got started we began to see the dream becoming a reality. Each week we were excited to share any construction progress, no matter how small, because that meant we were one step closer to completion.</p><p>So from concrete pads, cat doors and a toilet, to high rafters, a dedicated photo room, and large glass transom windows, we had a beautiful and functional space filled with natural light. The openness, height of the space, and massive rolling doors allow for large sculptures to easily be moved about and the installations to take shape in the safety of the studio. Finally, after uncooperative weather, our parking lot was poured and finished. The icing on the cake was beautiful landscaping to enhance the contemporary structure and attract our feathered friends who provide inspiration for us and endless visual entertainment for our studio cats.

While many of you are familiar with the beautiful glass pieces we offer at epiphany studios, like our birds of beauty, sleeping kitties, rocks glasses, pumpkins, paperweights, and ornaments, you may be less familiar with April Wagner’s larger than life, iconic, and place-making sculptures installed all over the country. These larger projects require a lot of space to create and the new building will be the perfect place to do it. It is a 2,600 sq. ft. open floor plan building with a 26′ ceiling. The building is designed to hang sculptures from the ceiling, the walls, or stand on the floor, and have room to breathe and be fully realized. The bonus is that it is only steps away from the glass furnaces where all of her art takes shape.

The Week By Week Rewind

For those who are patrons and followers of epiphany studios, we have shared the process in detail with you because without you we couldn’t have done it. We make art for you and you are as much a part of this as we are. So we invited you on this adventure of creativity and tenacity, pitfalls and problems, successes and wins . We envisioned this addition as not only a place to create great art but as a community space to bring the art of glassblowing to all of those around us. We loved sharing our updates with you from our amazing Kickstarter campaign, to breaking ground, all the way to the finished building. Here is a recap of the week-by-week process. From pouring the concrete to putting in the cat door, it was a wild ride!

7-16-21 Hello!, I am thrilled to announce, after many years of patience and persistence, that we are beginning construction on the new building at the studio.

7-23-21 It has begun! This week was full of activity. Trees were cleared, asphalt broken up, dirt removed and sand brought in, the ground was leveled and the lines were marked. If you couldn't see it before, can you see it now? Plenty of space for our big, beautiful new addition.

7-30-21 Our groundbreaking ceremony was a sweet moment in this crazy journey. Recognizing al the important players from the city, county, bank, builders, and architect. It takes a village.

8-13-21 With all the storms this week we got to test our new underground drain system, and thankfully it was up to the task!

8-20-21 The deliveries are starting to pile up! What are these you might ask? Why the fabulous trusses that will hold up the roof of the new building. They won't be installed for a while but with all the shortages we are sure glad to have them onsite now!

8-27-21 Running the water line out of the old building into the new was supposed to be easy. We thought the floor in the garage was 4" of cement, turns out it is 4 feet of cement. Super grateful they were able to find a 12" core drill and drill down down down and then down some more. These guys are doing a GREAT job in a tough space!

9-3-21 After digging up the whole site, hopefully for the last time, we passed our rough plumbing and electrical inspections. Each step builds on the next so we sure are glad we have amazing contractors leading the way on what to do and when and why.

9-10-21 A slow week on the construction front, but lots going on behind the scenes so not a lot of photos. Here they are leveling the ground so it's ready for the foundation to be poured. There are lots of steps to building something right, no matter if it's a building or a glass piece.

9-17-21 Well, hello Gorgeous new floor! The most EXCITING day yet in the construction process. Giant cement trucks came and poured while a big team troweled and leveled while we looked on in utter delight. We maybe even buried some special amulets and charms in there for good luck.

9-24 Might not look like much in the photo but that pile of wood will become our new walls. Once the cement is cured they are going to start putting those babies up. The excitement is killing us. The mess is too, but we are choosing not to focus on that part, instead we are envisioning our 26' tall wall! It's going to be stunning.

10-1-21 More deliveries every day. In this shot is the steel beam that will hold our trusses up sitting next to the wood that will make our walls. With all the delays from Covid we sure are grateful our materials are coming in on time. Next week - the walls are going up!!!!

10-8-21 Our walls are up!!!!! This was so exciting we could hardly work that day. A giant crane and a team of strong guys and viola! The space is really coming together.