Join us at Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts on Tuesday September 29th, 2026 from 6:30pm-8:00pm for an artist talk featuring our 2026 Bicycle Glass Scholarship recipients including Evalin Becker, Leah Perrine, and Rachel Phoenix! Each artist will share their glass work with a brief presentation, followed by a Q&A.
About the Scholarship: The Regional Glass Artist Travel Scholarship Sponsored by Bicycle Glass supports glass artists in the Upper Midwest by providing financial assistance for professional development opportunities beyond their home region. The award is intended to foster artistic growth, skill-building, and meaningful exchange within the broader glass community, values shared by Bicycle Glass. Foci MCGA extends sincere thanks to our 2026 guest juror, Chad Holliday, for generously sharing his time, insight, and expertise in reviewing applications and selecting this year’s awardee.
Gratitude to Our Sponsors: This scholarship is made possible through the generous support of Bicycle Glass Co, and anonymous community members. Their commitment to investing in artists and strengthening the regional glass community plays a vital role in sustaining opportunities like this. Foci MCGA is deeply grateful for their continued advocacy and support of emerging and established glass artists alike. Congratulations to all of the awardees on receiving the 2026 Regional Glass Artist Travel Scholarship. We look forward to following their travels and sharing updates from their experiences!
2026 Scholarship Recipients:
Evalin Becker - Minneapolis, MN
Bio: Evalin is a second-generation stained glass artist and painter who focuses on restoration work and currently teaches leaded glass at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. Growing up in her mother’s stained glass studio, she learned from her mother’s coworkers and later studied painting under her mother’s guidance, experiences that continue to inform her professional practice and teaching today.
Proposed Travel / Opportunity: She will attend John Reyntiens’s workshop at Pilchuck in July 2026, drawn to his integration of modern and traditional stained glass approaches. Through the workshop, she aims to expand her technical skills—particularly in sandblasting and hot casting—while building community and learning alongside other stained glass artisans.
Statement of Impact: She seeks to move beyond conventional expectations of traditional stained glass while remaining grounded in the historical knowledge gained through restoration work. By expanding her technical repertoire, she aims to push the boundaries of what stained glass can be within her own artistic practice.
Leah Perrine - Minneapolis, MN
Bio: Leah Perrine has developed her practice through a combination of art market experience, exhibitions, and formal training, including an upcoming show at St. Catherine’s University and coursework at Pilchuck Glass School. She currently works as a production glassblower at a glass lighting company in Minnesota, where she strengthens her technical skills daily. Her growth is grounded in both consistent hands-on practice and an expanding understanding of contemporary glass practices.
Proposed Travel / Opportunity: She will be attending Fabiano Zanchi’s class in Venice in May 2026, where she will learn Venetian glass techniques while collaboratively building a chandelier. The workshop aligns with her long-standing interest in integrating lighting into her glass practice and would further develop her technical and conceptual understanding of illuminated glass.
Statement of Impact: Through this class, she will learn the wiring process and construction of a three-armed Venetian chandelier, strengthening her technical control, precision, and heat management in complex glassblowing processes. These skills would support her goal of building a professional career in glass by refining craftsmanship and integrating traditional Venetian techniques into a personal, expressive style.
Rachel Phoenix - Minneapolis, MN
Bio: Rachel Phoenix is a glassbending neon artist whose work explores the interplay of matter and energy, including glass, neon gases, electricity, and flame. Since beginning her neon practice in 2022, she has participated in multiple courses and workshops, completed commissions, and exhibited in six curated or juried shows, while also integrating neon into experimental installations. Her broader artistic practice spans sculpture, mixed media, and time-based work, supported by grants and community engagement, reflecting a commitment to both technical skill and the ongoing reinvention of neon as an artistic medium.
Proposed Travel / Opportunity: She will attend a multi-day neon cursive lettering intensive in March/April 2026 at Lightwriters Neon in Chicago, taught by director Zoelle Nagib. This opportunity was chosen to gain specialized skills in neon lettering, which are not available in the Twin Cities or other nearby studios.
Statement of Impact: The lettering class will help her master essential neon bends and expand her skills with crossfire and cannonfire torches, complementing her prior experience with ribbonburner techniques. Developing lettering expertise will broaden both her creative and commercial opportunities, allowing her to integrate text into her abstract and sculptural neon work.