[PA-NJ Glassblowers] Harvey Littleton, the founder of American Studio Glass, dies at 91

Tony Patti gaffer at glassblower.info
Sun Dec 15 18:34:32 EST 2013


Karl Carter just sent me this link; it is sad day for studio glass.

 

http://www.urbanglass.org/glass/detail/harvey-littleton-the-founder-of-ameri
can-studio-glass-dies-at-91 

 


Harvey Littleton, the founder of American Studio Glass, dies at 91

 

Harvey Littleton, the glass and ceramic artist who is widely acknowledged as
the founder of American Studio Glass, died on December 13, 2013, at his home
in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, at the age of 91.  A letter circulated by
his family states that his death came "after a long decline."  A private
celebration of his life, and that of his wife, Bess, who died in October
2009, will be held by the family on January 11th.

 

Littleton was born in 1922 in Corning, New York.  His physicist father was
head of research and development at Corning Glass Works.  Littleton would go
on to pursue glass as an art material in contrast to his father's scientific
pursuit.  After serving in WWII, he would eventually earn a bachelor's
degree from University of Michigan in industrial design, then an MFA from
Cranbrook in ceramics in 1951.  Littleton's father never approved of his
son's decision to pursue art and design rather than science, and their
complicated relationship may have helped fuel the son's quest to realize
small-scale glassblowing outside of a factory setting.  

 

Littleton would prove this concept during the 1962 glass workshop he taught
at the Toledo Museum of Art.  Many people consider this event the start of
the studio glass movement, which freed glass from industry and made it
available for purely artistic expression.  

 

Littleton's launch of glass art courses at the University of Wisconsin,
Madison, in 1963 marked the first academic study of glass as a material for
art in the United States.  The rapid adoption of glass in art programs in
universities across the U.S. that would follow was partly responsible with
the rapid growth in the use of this new material for art.  

 

Among Littleton's former students are Dale Chihuly and Marvin Lipofsky,
among many others.  His lifelong friendship with Erwin Eisch of Germany, and
his frequent international travels, were responsible for Studio Glass
getting a foothold in Europe.  In 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and
moved from Wisconsin to Spruce Pine, North Carolina, where he lived until
his death.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Hospice and Palliative Care
Center of Mitchell County
<http://www.hospicemc.com/how-you-can-help/donate/> . This organization is
cited by the Littleton family as one "that has provided invaluable support
in the care for Harvey."  Another place to donate, according to the family's
letter signed "Carol and Erle, Tom, Maurine, John and Kate," is the Penland
School of Crafts "Harvey and Bess Littleton Scholarship Fund
<http://penland.org/support/endowed_scholarship_funds.html> ," which
provides one full scholarship for a two-week summer session in hot glass.

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/urban-glass/blog/Harvey_Littleton.jpg

 

Other interesting links about Harvey Littleton:

 

http://www.cmog.org/article/harvey-k-littleton-and-american-studio-glass-mov
ement

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Littleton

 

http://washingtonglass.blogspot.com/2013/12/in-memoriam-harvey-k-littleton.h
tml

 

http://www.littletongallery.com/artists/littleton/

 

http://d3seu6qyu1a8jw.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/images/Littleton-ar
ticle-img.jpg


Tony Patti
  
 <http://www.glassblower.info> www.glassblower.info
  
 <mailto:gaffer at glassblower.info> gaffer at glassblower.info

 <http://www.glassblower.info/qr-code.html> QR Code for Tony Patti -
www.glassblower.info

 

 

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