Marrowbone Glassworks Brings Glassblowing to Central City

Glass artists James Arnett, Jared Neal, and Adamm Curry bring diverse experiences and creative styles to their craft, together co-founding Marrowbone Glassworks, Huntington’s first public-facing glassblowing studio and retail shop. Arnett and Neal sat down with us to share more about the business, their individual journeys with glass, and how Marrowbone came to be.

On a Saturday in May of 2025, the group planned a trip to the nearest glassblowing studio, Athens Hot Glass in Athens, Ohio, and left with inspiration. Arnett, Marrowbone’s Co-Founder and Creative Director, said that after getting a sense of the studio in Athens, the team thought, “There’s no reason we can’t do this here.”

Neal, Marrowbone’s Co-founder and Technical Director, said that the group figured out there was a niche for glass in Huntington. “Aside from what is already being created for collectors, we wanted to find a way to continue the trade here as well, and share what we've learned over the course of time that we've been glassblowers and associates in the glass industry,” Neal said. He also added that through this business, they want to create a model that Marrowbone is honoring and paying tribute to the history of not just Huntington glass, but West Virginia glass. “[We want] to be able to create a tradition, aside from what has already been created for collectors, and to create a new generation of collectors and a new generation of glass blowers with our trade here,” Neal added. 

The leadership team behind Marrowbone brings firsthand industry experience to the studio. Neal began working in glass at Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia, in 2020, where he learned factory production, glassware design, and the business side of selling glass, skills that continue to shape his work today as a studio owner. “Aside from just making glass, you’d think the trade is 75 percent skill and 25 percent sales, but it’s actually the opposite,” Neal said. “Being a talented glassworker doesn’t always translate to being able to sustain yourself without those sales skills.”

Next to him, Arnett has worked in the glass industry since 2023, where he worked at Blenko, designing glass and focusing on marketing and social media. “In terms of glass working, I am an assistant to the gaffer, and also oversee the marketing, branding, and bookkeeping,“ Arnett said. “I think one of the things that makes us different from being just an artists' studio is that we have people who are working the glass, and then we have me, who's doing the work to try to sell the glass,” he added. 

Curry, Marrowbones Co-founder and Gaffer, has been working in the glass industry since 2023, with experience at Blenko Glass as well. 

Regarding the glassmaking process at Marrowbone, Arnett and Neal stated that the group begins by discussing the creative, technical, and studio directions for each piece. From start to finish, Neal emphasized that collaboration is most important, not just in the creative design process, but also in the glassblowing process. “A lot of people look at art as an independent sport, right? But really, glass is a team sport,” Neal said. “Like, it's very difficult to work glass solo. When you're ready to transfer glass after it's blown, somebody has to come and bring you a punty so you can transfer it and finish the glass. In our situation, we try our best to help each other out and bring that punty to the gaffer to be able to stick things up and finish the ware,” he added. 

Balancing full-time day jobs, the team also plans their glassblowing sessions around who is available in the studio. Arnett explained that production depends on how many gaffers are present, with pieces designed for one-, two-, or three-person teams. “If we’re planning a three-person piece, we wait until all of us are here,” Arnett said. “Other items, like the bunnies, are single-person ware and don’t require extra hands.” 

Inside the Marrowbone studio, visitors will find standard glassblowing hand tools alongside the studio’s core equipment. This includes a furnace for melting glass, a glory hole used to reheat and shape pieces, a working bench, and an annealer, which functions as a cooling oven that slowly brings finished glass, often worked at temperatures near 1,800 degrees, down to room temperature. Arnett shared that the team frequently searches for scrap metal to create one-of-a-kind molds. “I am constantly combing antique malls and flea markets,” he said. “There is not a random piece of iron scrap that I cannot find a good use for.”

Arnett and Neal said when they founded Marrowbone, they certainly wanted to pay homage to the many industrial glassblowing companies that were once in the area and throughout West Virginia. Rainbow Glass, Huntington Tumbler Glass Company, and Owens-Illinois were once booming glass industries located here in the West Huntington community. Neal said, “[Marrowbone] is a good way to get a good hands-on and visual representation of the historical trade." Neal pointed to 125 years of West Virginia glass as an inspiration for the studio. 

Marrowbone has quickly become an active part of the community, participating in pop-up events and welcoming the public through open houses and glassblowing experiences. Arnett shared that the group will also be joining the First Saturday Art Markets at West Edge, offering an opportunity to connect with the artists and shop for one-of-a-kind pieces. Balancing their creative work with day jobs, the group has embraced a “Retail by Appointment” model, ideal for those unable to visit on weekends. Arnett encourages supporters to stay up to date on events and available inventory by visiting their website. For questions about retail appointments, inquiries can be made through Facebook or Instagram.