Why Become a Sponsor?

  • ✽ Preservation ✽

    Preserve a Rare Craft.

    Glass fusing is a centuries-old process that’s still evolving. By supporting Helios, you're helping keep this tradition alive, innovative, and accessible to new generations.

  • ✽ Education ✽

    Expand Accessibility to Classes & Workshops.

    With more space comes more classes, workshops, and hands-on learning—including beginner-friendly glass fusing, advanced kilnforming, and youth programs in TWO class spaces.

  • ✽ Community ✽

    Support Community-Centered Spaces.

    Helios has always been about people. We’re known for being friendly, unpretentious, and radically supportive. Donating means joining a community that believes art is for everyone.

  • ✽ Visibility ✽

    Contribute to a New Gallery.

    A new art gallery means more visibility for glass as a fine art form — and a stage for innovative, community-rooted, and collaborative exhibitions.

  • ✽ Collaboration ✽

    Support Artistic Collaborations.

    Helios isn’t just a studio—it’s a connector. We help artists realize complex visions & collaborate across disciplines. You’re funding the spark & the space that makes big ideas happen

  • ✽ Public Art ✽

    Make Space for Public Art.

    Helios is a behind-the-scenes hero in many Austin public art projects (like Entre Agua y Estrellas at Barton Springs). Your support grows our capacity to say “yes” to more.

Dear friends of Helios,

Something beautiful is taking shape, and I’d love your help bringing it to life.

Most of y’all know me, or at least know of me. I’m Kristine Shafer, owner of Helios Fused Glass Studio (aka ATX Fused Glass LLC), and I’ve been looking for a new home for Helios since the summer of 2023. Those of you who call our current 3,000 sq ft studio home know exactly why: we’ve grown. Not just in numbers, but in scope, in community, in creative ambition.

The studio is now a whirlwind of energy: individual and group classes, private projects, public commissions, collaborations, shared tools, books, and an ever-growing library of molds and books. Sometimes we’re all in there at once, side-stepping around each other, trying to make space to create. We’ve done so much with so little room. But it’s time. We need a place that matches the scale of this vision for Helios.

The Vision: A New Home for Creativity in Austin

We found it: a 1952 Mid-Century Modern gem at 705 Wallingford Bend Dr, Austin, TX 78752. This building sits like a crown of Austin’s industrial and architectural history, and it’s ready for a new chapter with spaces for:

  • A brand new art gallery in the front lobby

  • Rentable artist studios in the upstairs office suites

  • Storage, work space, and breathing room downstairs for our fused glass studio

This space doesn’t just solve our problems. It opens doors for artists to create, for the public to connect, and for glass and community to flourish together.

Even better, our new neighbors, the landlords, and even Austin city council members are excited to welcome us. They see the value of this project, and I hope you do, too.

But Here’s the Honest Truth

The building’s age brought surprise challenges: outdated systems, crumbling infrastructure, old patchwork renovations that needed full replacement. I planned for delays and setbacks. I secured a loan. I set aside a contingency budget that I hoped would cover it all.

I’ve now personally invested over $100,000, and we’re heading into month five of what was meant to be a three-month renovation.

So — this is my ask.

Will you help?

With your sponsorship, we can cross the finish line and open Helios’s expanded new home. Sponsorships will help cover:

  • Completing the expanded spaces

  • New Tables, chairs, and workspaces

  • Launching the gallery

I know it’s a big ask, but every sponsorship directly supports artists, creativity, and the future of glass art in Austin.

Thank you for being part of the Helios family. Whether you’ve taken a class, created your masterpieces here, or simply believe in the power of community and creativity, I’m grateful. Your support means everything.

Let’s build this next chapter together.

With love, respect, and deep gratitude,
Kristine Shafer
Owner, Helios Fused Glass Studio
3% Cover the Fee

This donation is not tax deductible. All donations are being used to cover moving and operational costs due to delays. It will show up as ATX Fused Glass LLC on your statement.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

African Proverb