Meet Warren Norgaard | Artist & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Warren Norgaard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Warren, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I didn’t start out trying to build a “business.” I started trying to build a space.

A space where creativity felt accessible. Where people could walk in intimidated and walk out empowered. Where glass wasn’t precious or exclusive, but playful, expressive, and welcoming.

I’ve always been drawn to teaching. Long before Milkweed Arts, I was helping people discover things they didn’t know they could do. When I began teaching fused glass, I saw how transformative it could be. There’s something about melting rigid material into something luminous that mirrors personal growth.

Opening Milkweed Arts was a leap. I had very little capital, and more belief than certainty. But I knew this: if I could create a studio that centered community over ego, generosity over gatekeeping, and education over intimidation, it could matter.

The thought process was simple. Build the place I wished had existed when I was starting out.

What should our readers know about your business?
Milkweed Arts is a kiln-formed glass studio, retail shop, and education center based in Phoenix. We specialize in fused glass classes, visiting artist workshops, open studio access, and a carefully curated retail experience for glass artists.

Alongside Milkweed, I also own Unique Glass Colors, a manufacturer of glass enamels used by artists across the country. Between the studio and the product line, we support artists at every stage of their journey, from first-time students to seasoned professionals.

What sets us apart is the scale and depth of our educational programming. We offer more kiln-formed glass learning opportunities each year than any other studio in the country. That is something I am deeply proud of. We bring nationally and internationally recognized artists to Phoenix. We create progressive skill pathways. We invest in structured curriculum. We treat glass education seriously.

But what truly sets us apart is culture.

Milkweed is warm. It is generous. It is rooted in the belief that creativity is not reserved for a chosen few. We are known for lifting artists up, not competing with them.

Was it easy? Absolutely not.

There were financial risks. Equipment failures. A variety of challenges. Moments where it would have been simpler to close the doors and choose something safer. I have rebuilt after betrayals. I have invested in new equipment when cash flow said “wait.”

The lesson I’ve learned is this: community is the moat. If you build something that genuinely serves people, they will stand with you.

What I want the world to know is that Milkweed Arts is not just a studio. It is a creative ecosystem. It is proof that kindness and excellence can coexist. It is what happens when you take artistic education seriously and treat people with dignity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting Phoenix for a week, I’d want them to experience both the desert and the creative energy that make this place special. We’d start with the Desert Botanical Garden to understand the beauty of the Sonoran landscape, then explore the Phoenix Art Museum and the murals of Roosevelt Row. We’d tour Taliesin West to see how architecture dissolves into the desert, and spend a Saturday morning at a local farmers market. We’d drive north to Sedona for red rock hiking and that quiet, expansive stillness you can’t quite explain. And somewhere in between all of it, we’d gather friends around a dinner table, because the best part of Phoenix isn’t just the scenery, it’s the people building creative lives here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love this question, because no one builds anything meaningful alone.

First, I have to credit my mom and my grandmother. I was raised by strong women who worked hard, made do with what they had, and never allowed “limited resources” to mean “limited imagination.” They didn’t hand me a business plan. They handed me resilience. They taught me how to keep going when things feel uncertain, and how to make something beautiful out of what’s in front of you.

I also owe a great deal to the early artists and teachers who shared knowledge openly. In the glass world, information can sometimes be guarded. The mentors who chose generosity over gatekeeping shaped how I built Milkweed Arts. They showed me that lifting others up does not diminish your own light.

The broader fused glass community deserves credit as well. The artists who show up for classes. The students who trust us with their first creative attempts. The visiting instructors who travel across the country to teach in Phoenix. The online community that has grown into one of the largest fused glass groups in the world. That ecosystem of artists constantly learning from one another is the real engine behind everything I do.

And honestly, my staff.

Milkweed Arts is not a solo act. It takes instructors, retail staff, behind-the-scenes logistics, and people who care deeply about the experience of every person who walks through the door. Their patience, humor, and commitment are what allow the studio to feel warm rather than transactional.

If I had to summarize it, my shoutout is to the people who choose generosity. The ones who share knowledge. The ones who encourage instead of compete. The ones who quietly say, “You can do this,” when you are not entirely sure you can.

Success may have my name attached to it, but it carries fingerprints from many hands.

Website: https://www.milkweedartsaz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkweedarts

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilkweedArtsAZ

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/milkweed-arts-phoenix

Image Credits
Isaiah Nunez