Museum of Glass - Bob Woodruff Foundation

Museum of Glass

Hot Shop Heroes

Location: Washington State

Issue Area: Rehabilitation and Recovery

The Museum of Glass, co-founded by Dale Chihuly, introduced Hot Shop Heroes in 2013 in partnership with the Warrior Transition Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. These glass-blowing and flame-working classes have proven particularly effective for participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Teams of veterans collaborate in an urgent, dangerous, creative environment to produce works of art, while Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense mental health professionals oversee and assess individual progress. This Bob Woodruff Foundation grant enables the Museum of Glass to develop an online operations guide and curriculum so other glass studios can replicate the program. Hosting the content online helps ensure that competent and skilled instructors deliver this effective program in collaboration with Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense mental health providers. This relatively small BWF grant will expand this renowned creative and therapeutic program to 72 new locations, providing a tremendous return on investment.