Stephen Montoya
Clifton Crofford
The $75,000 required to keep SiNaCa Studios’ programming intact has been met, and in no time, too.
In mid-June, SiNaCa sent out an SOS alert that the studio desperately needed funding to keep the 3D art programming it’s been offering students and the public since 2011.
In late June, the studio, which is the only one of its kind in North Texas, not only reached its fiscal goal but exceeded it, according to Clifton Crofford, executive director of SiNaCa.
“We did it,” Crofford wrote in an email on July 1. “Thanks to the incredible community support and the generous pledges from our donors, we have raised $84,809. This remarkable achievement lays a strong foundation for the SiNaCa Studios 'Glassroots' Revival campaign.”
SiNaCa is located in the Near Southside in an old gas station turned “Glass Station” at 1013 West Magnolia. SiNaCa stands for the periodic table of elements that combine to make glass, Si (silicone), Na (sodium), and Ca (calcium).
“We had some big pledges come through, but it was the small $50 to $5, and even $1 pledges that helped us reach this goal,” Crofford said. “Every dollar counts and to see this happen shows how much of an impact we truly have in the community,”
Inside the once greasy mechanic shop garage bays is a studio where the boundaries of 3D art can be pushed by pros and novices alike. The hottest section of the studio consists of three fire boxes that blaze around 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Other disciplines of glass art being taught at SiNaCa include flameworking, and kiln-forming techniques.
SiNaCa also features glass artists from all over the country, with free events to the public with a full narration of the process the artist is going through.
Since opening in 2011, SiNaCa has taught glass art to more than 30,000 students and become the only public access studio for making glass art in North Texas.
SiNaCa also provides unique and impactful outreach programming for children and adults with partners like One Safe Place, the Fort Worth school district, Cook Children’s Medical Center, and veterans programs.
It’s also great for date nights, too.
“I had a hard deadline for the end of June to meet $75,000 and we got there,” Crofford said. “I'm really incredibly impressed honestly that the community showed up, that some calls came out of the blue and that we really got the community's attention.”
Crofford said the revival campaign was based around SiNaCa’s ice cream social on June 22, an event that paid off with well over $25,000 in donations, he said.
What added to the sense of urgency was SiNaCa co-hosting the 2025 annual Glass Art Society conference in Fort Worth along with UT Arlington. The conference is expected to bring more than 1,000 glass artists, professionals, businesses, and institutions from more than 20 countries.
“I want to thank every single one of you who made this effort a success,” Crofford said. “I extend my deepest gratitude to the incredible group of dedicated and passionate people who make up the SiNaCa Studios team, the SiNaCa Studios board of directors, and a special thanks to The Ethos Project for their support during one of the most challenging chapters of the SiNaCa story.
“We will remain diligent, we will adjust, and we will persevere. SiNaCa Studios has a lot planned for the future, and we are immensely grateful for your support and for believing in us."