ARTISTS AS ENTREPRENEURS

Jan Smith, Executive Director of the Bergstrom Mahler Museum, explained how Harvey Littleton was a professor at U. W. Madison in the ceramics department.  He had a passion to explore glass as an art form.  His father was chief physicist at Corning Glass and inventor.  In 1962, Harvey Littleton set out to change the art world by making it feasible for artists to blow glass in studios and use it in educational programs.  Students have progressed in this art form from blowing glass to sculpting, carving and making things out of 800 lbs. of cast glass.  The Legacy of Harvey Littleton and his Students (50^th Anniversary of Studio Glass 1962-2012) is being featured at the Bergstrom Mahler Museum September 14, 2012 through February 24, 2013.  The exhibition features the work of Harvey Littleton and his early students who have carried on his legacy by further developing and sharing glass as a studio art.  Some featured artists include:  Christopher Ries, Dale Chihuly, David Huchthausen, Tom McGlauchlin, Audrey Handler, Gary Beecham, Fritz Dreisbach, Michael Taylor and Marvin Lipofsky.