Connie Beckers in her shop

UPDATED 1/3/23

Connie Beckers is an award winning glass artist working in North Minneapolis, MN. Connie retired in March of 2020 just as the Pandemic hit the US. For the 25+ years prior to that, she created her own line of glass art then opened a retail shoppe with handmade gifts from 100 local artists, custom picture framing and a variety of art classes.

She began her career in 1995 with an introductory stained glass class through Minneapolis Community Education. She has since pursued additional training in stained glass and kiln-working at J Ring Glass Studio in St Paul, MN and Gaytee-Palmer Stained Glass in Minneapolis.

Connie began selling her creations on consignment at local gift and coffee shops. Next were craft fairs and then on to fine art festivals. She even hosted and organized shows of her own to help promote the work of her artist friends. She began teaching stained glass in 2000 and added glass fusing classes in 2015.

Also during this early time in her career, Connie devoted several years helping organize a local arts organization to build a strong network of artists in North Minneapolis; artists who would participate in, and be recognized for, their contributions to community enrichment.

When she left the organization in 2009, Beckers opened a gift shoppe in her neighborhood featuring consigned artwork from the the varied and talented people she has met in her journey. Over the years, The Goddess of Glass & Friends is filled with the work of over 100 local artists and offers custom picture framing and a variety of art classes!

ACHIEVEMENTS

2018 – Voted Best Place to Take a Class by MN Women’s Press, 2nd year in a row!
 2018 – Yelp Top 10 DIY Workshops across the U.S.
2017 – Board of directors, Backpack Project MN
2017 – Voted Best Place to Take a Craft Class by MN Women’s Press
2015 – 20 years a glass artist, 5 years retail store, 60th birthday
2013 – Juror, Uptown Art Fair
2012 – Twin Cities Business Journal#14 of the Top 25 GLBT Owned Businesses
2011 – Twin Cities Cash Mob Winner at The Goddess of Glass & Friends
2011 – National Television debut on DIY TV’s “I Hate My Kitchen”
2010 – Minneapolis Arts Commission Award for Community Involvement in Public Art for “Awakening”, a stained glass window installed in the Loring Park Community Arts Center.
2010 – Opened a gift & framing shoppe, The Goddess of Glass & Friends
2007 – 2010 – Served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission Public Advisory Panel
2009 – First Prize in MN State Fair Creative Activities for Stained Glass Bungalow Lantern
2008 – Juror, Edina Art Fair
2008 – Coordinator, Parkway UCC Fall Arts Festival
2003 – 2009 – Founded and coordinated the Northside Arts Collective’s annual Spring Art Party
2004 – Appointed to the Minneapolis Arts Commission
2004 – The Funky Bungalow featured in Star Tribune article on Artistic Abodes
2004 – Began teaching stained glass through Mpls Community Ed
2000 & 2004 – The Funky Bungalow featured on the Minneapolis-St Paul Home Tour

MEDIA

The Goddess made her national television debut in November 2011 on the DIY Network’s “I HATE MY KITCHEN.” Producers asked her to create a glass tile back splash for a kitchen make over. The video has since been taken down but I do have a CD!

Winner of Mpls Arts Commission award for Community Involvement in Public Art
The window on the left was commissioned by The Friends of Loring Park in 2004 and was completed and installed in August 2009.  The design is by Reynaldo Diaz, an artist and resident of the eighborhood. Connie worked with apprentice Sarah Ruehmann and assistant Sherry Nolan to transform Rey’s color pencil drawing into the magnificent window you see here. The artists incorporated both Tiffany-style stained glass and kiln-made glass to stay authentic to the artist’s rendering. Click here for more on that project.

Through a contest on Facebook, The Goddess of Glass won a visit from a Cash Mob on National Cash Mob Day, March 24, 2012. The competition went over about 10 days exclusively on Facebook with The Goddess of Glass sliding in at the last minute with 1,003 votes for the win. There were about 150 people at her little shoppe that day and the sales gave a nice boost to the monthly total. The event was covered by local media The Camden News and the North News. However, KARE 11 was the only major media outlet to show up and report. Click on this link for the video. And click here for another local media story about supporting small businesses.

  • The Insight News community newspaper featured The Goddess of Glass in a cover story. Click here.
  • Connie was the Northside Arts Collective’s Featured Artist in February 2012 . Click Here
  • View my YOU TUBE videos

StarTribune business reporter, Neal St Anthony, wrote about the renaissance of small businesses at Lowry & Penn, North Minnepoliss on May 27, 2012.