Glass Catalyst at the WCU Fine Arts Museum - Reading List

The Museum is renowned for its extensive glass collection and for being the site of the historic 1962 Toledo Workshops. Those workshops, led by Harvey Littleton at the invitation of then-Museum Director Otto Wittmann, nurtured the artists now considered pioneers of the American Studio Art Glass movement and, through extension, helped to rejuvenate studio glass in post-war Europe. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the birth of studio glass, TMA presents Color Ignited: Glass 1962-2012, an enticing "coming of age" look at the medium. International in scope, it showcases works by Toledo Workshops participants as well as by the major artists working in the medium since. The exhibition focuses on the role of color--from the conceptual to the political to the metaphoric -- in artistic expression.

This program chronicles the Studio Glass Movement from its inception in the early 1960s. In historic footage and interviews, Harvey Littleton, Dominick Labino, and others discuss the movement's rise and the innovations they pioneered that transformed glassblowing into a celebrated art form. The distinctive styles of three contemporary artists-Labino's sole protegee Baker O'Brien, Shawn Messenger, and Mark Matthews-are also profiled

Section of this documentary series titled "Glass Art: Studio Glass Movement".

A concise history of glassmaking around the world, from Mesopotamia to the present day.

Some of the most astounding antiquities in museums today are pieces made of glass. Not only are they beautiful, with marvelous colors and fanciful shapes, but the fact that these fragile items have survived the millennia is amazing. This volume describes the uses of glass and glassmaking in the ancient world, from their origins in Mesopotamia and Egypt to developments in the late Roman Empire.

Full history of glass and glassmaking. The author tells the story of glass from medieval times to the industrial age. She describes how glass was made and how the glassmakers product was determined by cultural conditions, geography, economy and fashion.