Studio glass had its first advocate in the 1930s through 1950s in Frederick Carder, founder of the Steuben Glass Works with Thomas J. Hawkes.
Harvey Littleton at Penland School of Crafts, Courtesy of Penland School of Crafts
The most influential catalyst came in 1962 with Harvey K. Littleton, a ceramics professor at the University of Wisconsin. Littleton believed glass would become an accessible art medium if artists in small studios could perform the hot-glass technique of blowing. He and Dominick Labino, an industrial glass wizard and director of research at the Johns-Manville Fiberglass Corporation presented glass workshops at the Toledo Museum of Art that proved its possibilities and gave studio glass its real impetus.
Littleton went on to create freeform, ‘slumped’ (melted) art glass that, like all good executions, challenged our perceptions. He later set up a pioneering program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which produced such artists as Dale Chihuly.
Littleton’s influence continues to this day in the sheer number of university glass programs that provide a strong technical and artistic grounding. Within a decade of the Littleton/Labino lectures, more than 50 American colleges and universities had glass programs, often founded by Littleton’s students. Marvin Lipofsky started the glass program at California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of Arts). Sam Herman extended Littleton’s sphere of influence to London, becoming head of the glass department at the Royal Academy of Art. It doesn’t stop -- or even start -- there.
At secondary schools, notably Punahou High School in Honolulu, glass programs are giving youngsters a head start, much as music schools work to further their prodigies’ talents.
Brooklyn’s Urban Glass’s Bead Project is a scholarship program for low-income women interested in acquiring a new skill to help provide supplementary income. Participants learn the art of glass bead making and jewelry making as well as business skills needed to successfully market their work. In this way, the center perpetuates the cottage industry tradition of Appalachia, with craft as a vehicle for achieving a better life.
Today, even the humble tumbler, because it touches thousands of lives, offers us a new appreciation for a material that, centuries ago, was seen as nothing less than a metaphor for God’s own brilliance.
Glass blowing at Penland School of Crafts, Courtesy of Penland School of Crafts
Anne Gould Hauberg talks about the Studio Craft Movement and Pilchuck Glass School.
Artists like William Morris help execute the designs of Dale Chihuly. Together they create vessels that are amazing in their creativity and execution - See the Artist’s Bio and Work HERE
We filmed glass artist brothers, Einar and Jamex de la Torre for the COMMUNITY episode.
30 Artists who work with Glass are represented in the Exhibition - see the Glass works online HERE
Want to draw a storyboard that illustrates how artists make a blown glass object? Download a lesson plan HERE
Many of America’s important Glass artists are featured in the Book. Learn more about the Book and where to order HERE
Over 4 hours of video available online. To view a list of all video content click HERE
