Stained glass & makers space in OKC
Donation protected
Hello, my name is James Rogers King. I have worked with stained glass for over 20 years and most of that time was on the retail side. I found myself not having time to do the art I love and decided to form my LLC (James Rogers Glassworks LLC) in August 2013. I worked from home for the first year and shared a space in Film Row for the second year. I kept my eyes peeled for some affordable space. I found an opportunity that was too good to pass and recently opened my first business venture, JRK Studios , in a brick and mortar location in Oklahoma City.
The space was a mess when we got it. It included 40 years of paper, dust, and sadly, some dead animals in the walls. My partner and I worked until 2 AM for over a month in the cold nights of February to demo and clean the space. Did I mention there was no heat?! We tore down a water damaged drop ceiling and scraped glue off the cement floor. We had to work around a crazy maze of electrical outlets and freely hanging wires.
All of the time spent on demoing did not allow any time for completing any new stained glass projects. My inventory was low so we were forced to miss a few shows. The space still needs a lot of work.
These funds will help ensure we can pay the rent throughout the year, purchases glass supplies, and create an environment for other makers to share space without the huge overhead of rent. We have a couple of walls to build, a kitchenette, floors to finish, and insulation for the new drop ceiling.
This is a dream I have had for over 20 years now. I remember as a kid drawing out floor plans on graph paper and thinking of all the necessities. This space means so much to me that I lay awake at night making lists in my head of my next steps. I would be extremely grateful for any help you can provide to make this dream happen.
The maker’s movement is strong and is what will hold Oklahoma’s art community together into the future.
Wish List of some building materials needed:
30qty 2"x3" (Home Depot)
48qty 1"x3"
6qty 2"x4"
30qty 4'x8' underlayment (Home Depot)
Box of 2 1/2" Coarse Thread Drywall Screws
8qty(or more) 3/4" Plywood for shelves
The space was a mess when we got it. It included 40 years of paper, dust, and sadly, some dead animals in the walls. My partner and I worked until 2 AM for over a month in the cold nights of February to demo and clean the space. Did I mention there was no heat?! We tore down a water damaged drop ceiling and scraped glue off the cement floor. We had to work around a crazy maze of electrical outlets and freely hanging wires.
All of the time spent on demoing did not allow any time for completing any new stained glass projects. My inventory was low so we were forced to miss a few shows. The space still needs a lot of work.
These funds will help ensure we can pay the rent throughout the year, purchases glass supplies, and create an environment for other makers to share space without the huge overhead of rent. We have a couple of walls to build, a kitchenette, floors to finish, and insulation for the new drop ceiling.
This is a dream I have had for over 20 years now. I remember as a kid drawing out floor plans on graph paper and thinking of all the necessities. This space means so much to me that I lay awake at night making lists in my head of my next steps. I would be extremely grateful for any help you can provide to make this dream happen.
The maker’s movement is strong and is what will hold Oklahoma’s art community together into the future.
Wish List of some building materials needed:
30qty 2"x3" (Home Depot)
48qty 1"x3"
6qty 2"x4"
30qty 4'x8' underlayment (Home Depot)
Box of 2 1/2" Coarse Thread Drywall Screws
8qty(or more) 3/4" Plywood for shelves
Organizer
James Rogers King
Organizer
Oklahoma City, OK
