Fragile No More: Women Transforming Glass

In June this year we took a little road trip to Virginia Beach, Virginia and on one of our adventure days we went to Norfolk, about a twenty minute drive! It’s a cute town with a gorgeous art museum; The Chrysler Museum of Art.

Across the street you can also visit the Perry Glass Studio & every day of the week at noon they have glass demos with visiting artists.

While we were there we watched a glass blowing demonstration by guest artist Rachel Van Liere.

During the demo she created a beautiful Stag, historically associated with the German city Lauscha where Van Liere currently works and lives.

During the demo Van Liere discussed her role in glass blowing and how she studied in Virginia and then moved to Germany to internship; then never left.

It was obvious that she LOVES what she does and where she lives.

As an artist myself I love seeing other women find joy in their craft and bring joy to others with their creations.

Y’all know already that I am a huge cheerleader of other women doing cool art & making a difference in the world.

For this post I am going to highlight some more glass artists like Van Liere.

This post has been on my list to do for a bit so when I was able to see an artist doing a demo at the Perry Glass Studio I felt the time was right.

I have been a great fan of glass & Pyrex, Corning since I was a little girl baking in the kitchen with my grandma. I currently have a little collection of my own pieces.

I know, I know what you are thinking Pyrex is not blown glass….but I wanted you to know where my love of glass started! This is also a nod to my Mammy & my first favorite woman in my life. Read a previous blog post – Where it all Started!

I have not yet been to visit the Corning Glass Museum in Upstate New York but it is on my list! Fingers crossed next year!

Women Who Helped Build the American Studio Glass Movement

The Corning Museum of Glass’s landmark 2026 exhibition “Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio,” celebrates artists whose contributions were historically overlooked. Featured artists include Toots Zynsky, Ginny Ruffner, Kathleen Mulcahy, Audrey Handler, Ruth Tamura, and many others.

These artists offer rich material because of their innovation, storytelling, and influence:

1. Toots Zynsky
2. Ginny Ruffner
3. Karen LaMonte
4. Judith Schaechter
5. Deborah Czeresko
6. Amber Cowan
7. April Surgent
8. Nancy Callan

Together, they represent a wide range of techniques—from blown and cast glass to stained glass, engraving, and kiln-formed work—and have significantly expanded the possibilities of glass as a contemporary fine art medium.

I asked ChatGPT to tell me the different types of Glass Art – It came up with 14 & made sure to tell me that artists tend to combine the mediums.

1. Stained Glass
2. Blown Glass
3. Kiln Formed (Fused)
4. Cast Glass
5. Lampworking (Van Liere’s Demo)
6. Coldworking
7. Engraving & Etching
8. Pâte de Verre
9. Mosaic Glass
10. Dichroic Glass
11. Glass Painting
12. Glass Printing (sounds like something I might like)
13. Neon & Light Art
14. Architectural Glass

I found a great article about Trailblazing women in Stained glass written in 2025. The article features women from the 19th & 20th centuries.

Another article I found is from the Seattle glass festival – Refract – the website highlights the festival and Women in Glass who are being talked about!

The first place I ever saw a glass blowing demo was in Seattle in 2006; yes, that’s right twenty years ago!

When Andrew and I met in 2017 we realized that we both enjoy glass and glassblowing! We have been to visit Chihuly exhibitions in North Carolina, Seattle, St. Louis, Louisville, and an upcoming trip to Grand Rapids. He is our favorite glass artist!

Something to note about Chihuly is that he has glass artists who work for him to create his vision & bring his ideas to fruition.

Some of his notable co-creators are women :

Patricia Davidson

Toots Zynsky

Joey Kirkpatrick

Flora C. Mace

Elaine Hyde

The female artists behind the famous male artist! A story we have heard before on Glass Canvas!

Let’s gather the truth while it’s still glowing: behind many of the world’s most celebrated glass sculptures were women whose hands, skill, and vision kept the furnace burning.

As always thank you for reading & changing the narrative for women in world of creativity!

Until next time!

See you soon – M.E

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