The Kaleidoscope


Stained Glass Design & Instruction



About the Studio...



The Kaleidoscope studio is on private property located in a rural area in Mebane, NC, in Alamance County, just over the Orange County line. Classes and consultations are by appointment only. The studio is moderately sized and is well supplied for the number of students who come through, which lately, is limited to 3 at a time. This limitation ensures that everyone has their own work table and can maintain some distance while working.



Jennifer Austin



I am the owner and instructor at The Kaleidoscope. I have been designing and creating stained glass art since 1995. I began teaching classes in 2000 when I officially opened my studio for business. I have been an instructor for The Carrboro ArtsCenter since 2001, and have also taught for Central Carolina College, Alamance County Arts Council, and have taught Life Enrichment classes in glass art for various retirement communities. Over the years, I have taught hundreds of students the art of stained glass and continue to be completely captivated by glass art of all kinds. I hope to always be a student, teacher, and practitioner of glass art.



-Established in 2000-



The Kaleidoscope Stained Glass opened for students in the Fall of 2000, and with it came what, for Jennifer, felt more like a calling rather than just a job. Having taught hundreds of students and counting, Jennifer continues to seek new opportunities to share her enthusiasm for the magic that only colored glass and light can bring.



Open Studio



Once the basics of stained glass are acquired through the Stained Glass Crash Course ( follow Instruction tab), or the equivalent through privately scheduled sessions (use Contact form to inquire), students are welcome to join Open Studio to continue learning any number of methods (see Menu of Classes on Instruction page) that are skill-level appropriate. There are no registration procedures, contracts or obligations to continue or to complete a set number of classes. Open Studio is pay-as-you-go, open-ended, and students may participate as often as they like to work on ongoing personal projects with guidance available as needed.


Skill Level: All Skill Levels



Kind Words from Students....



I started working with Jennifer two years ago when my daughter gave me a gift certificate to The ArtsCenter. I took a Saturday Workshop and came home with a finished suncatcher. I haven’t stopped going to her studio since. I am now on my fourth project and excited about future ones already in my head. Jennifer is always willing to share her extensive knowledge with those in her studio. She is always supportive and never discourages my ideas, no matter how crazy they seem. She explains things in a simple, easy to understand manner. Stained glass has become a passion and creative outlet for me and I give Jennifer credit for making it fun, possible, and accessible.



Ashleyn Stroud, (retired) Interior Designer

student since May, 2016



I first worked with Jennifer Austin 15 years ago. I saw an ad for stained glass instruction in The ArtsCenter brochure and decided I needed something to do just for me. Our class met weekly and learned the basics of glass selection, cutting, foiling, and assembly to prepare a small window. I was not gifted, but I was thrilled with the chance to make a stained glass window! Years later I took another series of classes, again constructing a window, but using different techniques. Jennifer ably supervised all of us working at different levels on different projects with good humor but guiding us so that we completed projects to be proud of. Both my windows are in my living room to this day. I retired last year and quickly contacted Jennifer, so I could embark on my five- year project, building a stained glass window like one from my former home in Baltimore. A year-and-a-half into the work, I am preparing to copper foil my two hundred + pieces and then solder them together. I know that this window will bring back memories to my family. And, I know I am learning a lot along the way. Jennifer is a wonderful artist, meticulous, an able guide from the first fundamentals of stained glass work to independent projects. Each of us has different needs for her assistance at different times and we pepper her with questions. I enjoy watching other students work through their various projects, too. It is my opportunity to learn a craft which I enjoy vastly, but couldn’t learn on my own.



Sara Clay, (retired) Latin Teacher, Chapel Hill Schools

student since April, 2003



Ten years ago, at the outset of my retirement, I signed up for Jennifer Austin's introductory stained glass workshop. It took! Since then I've produced well over a hundred pieces--too many at this point to keep track of. Jennifer is a gifted teacher/instructor/guide. Though possessed of exceptional expertise, she doesn't intimidate or overwhelm beginners with what she knows. Rather, her students are brought along with just the right mix of instruction and encouragement. She has a light teaching touch, laced with humor and a remarkable perceptiveness as to what each individual student is ready to take in.



Phillip S. Washburn, (retired) United Church of Christ Minister

student since September, 2008





Mebane, NC


info@KaleidoscopeStainedGlass.com