Tweet

With the cold weather in Des Moines, there is a place to warm up right outside of downtown on Keosauqua Way. In a building called Mainframe Studios, an array of artists rent their own shops. Jesse Bogenrief and his business partner, Jesse Ahrendsen, have the warmest shop in the building. Their 2,100-degree oven keeps it that way. Bogenrief and Ahrendsen are glassblowers, and the high temperatures are necessary for melting the clear glass needed to start their projects. 

Their shop is called JJ Gaffers, the JJ part coming from the first letter of both of their names. The men met years ago in northwest Iowa, where Bogenrief’s dad has owned a stained-glass window shop for about 50 years. Ahrendsen used to do a lot of skateboarding around the Bogenrief’s shop and would stop in every once in a while and watch from the bleachers while the men worked. 

Eventually, Bogenrief invited Ahrendsen to help, and so, the team began. The two have known each other for about 20 years, and they put in about 55 hours a week together in the shop, which has a very laid-back feel. JJ Gaffers is full of all different kinds of beautifully blown glass vases, bowls, pendants, ornaments, lamps and other decorative lighting that they made from scratch; they can make just about anything. 

Isabell Akers, a Grand View student, has stopped by the shop to watch them blow glass a couple of times. 

“It was very interesting … it made me speechless,” Akers said. “It was mesmerizing to watch them shape the glass.” 

When watching Bogenrief and Ahrendsen work, it is obvious they have done this before. They have a workflow that makes it look easy. Some pieces have taken well over a year of work and planning. The biggest piece they have worked on was a 19-foot, tornado-shaped sculpture that hangs at Central College. 

Glass blowing is not just a job for Bogenrief; it is about connection. Bogenrief used to spend a lot of time glass blowing with his mom, but just recently, he lost his mom to cancer.

“That’s one of my most memorable pieces,” Bogenrief said. “I did a wall of pinks and purples in the cancer center, where my mom was getting treatments, so … when people are in there, they have something to look at other than a magazine.”

 He has also participated in fundraisers for Hurricane Katrina victims, a couple of nonprofit art organizations and Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer patients. 

Bogenrief wants more people to learn the art. He offers workshops to anybody who is interested in learning. He charges based on what the customer created during their class; some pieces are more expensive to make. Bogenrief said he doesn’t limit his customers. The shop is also kid-friendly, and Bogenrief encourages kids to get involved. 

“You don’t have to schedule a workshop to come hang out,” Bogenrief said. “This is a spot where you can come in and just watch anytime. You don’t have to come in here to purchase something … there is always creativity going on here.”