The Stained Glass Project:Windows That Open Doors

07/26/2026

Just a few highlights from an unforgettable week

🛶 Canoeing
🌊 Waterfalls
🎣 Fishing
🌲 Exploring
😂 Lots of laughs

07/24/2026

Experiences like this are what make our program so much more than an art class.
During our time at PEEC, students participated in a variety of outdoor programs designed to build confidence, teamwork, and connection with nature. From hiking and orienteering through the woods to team building challenges, ropes courses, and campfire conversations, students stepped outside their comfort zones and learned new skills.

Thank you to Pocono Environmental Ed Center for giving our students the opportunity to explore, collaborate, and grow together in a completely new environment 🌲

07/24/2026

A look back at a year of making ✨

From learning how to score and cut glass to soldering finished pieces, our students have spent the past year building skills and confidence in stained glass processes.

Every finished window had hours of patience, creativity, and problem solving poured into it. All the hard work put in really shows in the finished pieces.

07/23/2026

Giving back has always been at the heart of our program.

Each year, our students choose a cause important to them which will inspire their second window. This year, they chose to support forest conservation, donating their stained glass windows to the Pocono Environmental Education Center. PEEC’s environmental education programs help people of all ages build a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world, making them a meaningful partner to receive this year’s windows.

We’re grateful our students had the opportunity to not only donate their artwork, but also experience PEEC’s beautiful campus and programs firsthand. More photos of our wonderful field trip coming soon 🌳🏕️

06/19/2026

Sometimes I look around the studio and it still feels surreal to be there.

These photos give a look back throughout the past year, from touring the empty space shortly after Scout purchased the building to restoring our studio throughout the year. There’s also some photos included from when Uarts was closing and the community coming together during that time.

When we moved into The Village of Industry and Art as the first tenant in November, it felt significant for The Stained Glass Project to have a space that was just ours.

For me, it was personal. I spent years in this studio as a student at Uarts, pretty much every hour that I was awake and not at work. Getting the chance to bring the studio back to life and now see the next generation of students learn and discover glass in the space has been a full circle moment and something I never imagined possible when the school closed. I look forward to the program continuing to grow in the space as the whole building comes back to life and is filled with creativity again.

Thank you to Scout for believing in this building and to everyone at VIA for being part of creating this vibrant new community within this historic space 🏛️

06/17/2026

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming back Paula Mandel and Joan Myerson Shrager, the founders of The Stained Glass Project.

Over 20 years ago, Paula and Joan created a program that combined stained glass, mentorship, and community service, opening doors for hundreds of young people through the arts.

It was wonderful to share our new home at VIA, introduce them to this year’s students, and show them how their vision continues to grow 💜

06/16/2026

At the Stained Glass Project, every student creates two windows each year. Today, we’re looking back at the first windows our students created this year ✨

The first window is a learning experience. New students complete the LOVE sign project, a pattern designed to teach the whole stained glass process with a variety of cuts and a need to use every machine. Returning students create a design of their own in the same size, building on the skills they’ve already developed.

The first window is theirs to keep.

The second is where students use everything they’ve learned to create an original design that will be donated to a nonprofit organization they care about.

These photos capture some of those first windows and the artists behind them 💜

06/13/2026

Some progress shots from throughout the year ✨

It’s easy to admire a finished window. It’s harder to see everything that went into it.

The late afternoons in the studio. The broken pieces recut. The reworked designs. The frustration in learning something new.

These progress shots show that what goes into every finished piece, months of commitment, creativity, and growth. We’re so proud of what our students accomplished this year!✨

12/02/2025

It’s Giving Tuesday! 💜

The Stained Glass Project is growing and we need your support now more than ever! We’ve expanded into the former Uarts glass studio in the new Village of Industry and Art while continuing our work at Woodmere Art Museum as well.

This means more students, more creativity, and more opportunity. Our new space needs to be completely rebuilt, as everything in the space was scrapped during the Uarts bankruptcy process.

To meet this moment, we need your support. Every dollar helps us provide free arts education and a safe, inspiring community for Philadelphia teens.

Help us open even more doors for Philly’s youth by donating here ✨
https://www.windowsthatopendoors.org/donate

11/10/2025

A wonderful video from the beginning days of the program!

In the fluorescent lighted basement of a stately old church in an uneasy part of town, a special ritual unfolds every Wednesday evening.