Christopher Mosey of iGNiS Glass has moved his glass studio onto the 1800th block of Rossville Avenue into a 5,000-square foot space which will have a hot shop for glass blowing, a cold shop for grinding sculptures, and a show room for on-site sales.
Mosey purchased the space from artist Terry Cannon who bought the 40,000 square foot warehouse in 2006. The former warehouse now houses iGNiS Glass Studio, Contrapasso Dance Studio, ImageWorks, The Chattanooga Pulse and Mr. Cannon’s own Loose Cannon Studio. According to Mr. Mosey, Cannon’s aim has been “to create a community of creative people who work along side one another.”
iGNiS Glass will be especially interesting to those who want to watch Mosey blow and sculpt glass. The show room will feature a number of windows which allow customers full view of Mosey at work in the hot shop, and passers-by will be able to stop and watch the process through the studio’s glass garage doors.
Eric Myers, principal architect of Elemi Architects, and Collier Construction collaborated on a number of innovations and ideas for opening up Mr. Mosey’s studio so that shoppers can simultaneously browse the glass sculptures and watch the process. The studio’s cinderblock walls and 18 ft. ceilings accommodate the two 3,000 degree furnaces and additional industrial-sized equipment.
The idea for the space, explained Mr. Myers, was to allow as many people as possible to watch Mr. Mosey at work. Having seen him blow glass, Darnell Bice, project superintendent at Collier Construction, explained that “anyone visiting Loose Cannon will want to stop and watch him work from the sidewalk. His business will be derived from people shopping in that area.”
Since its inception in 2001, Mr. Mosey’s studio has produced and sold a steady stream of original functional and sculptural art to glass collectors and fine art galleries nationwide. While the studio is currently open to customers, the date for the grand opening has yet to be determined.
Contact Christopher Mosey at 423 265-2565 for more information.