Art Reed

Sweetwater Glass
6411 Fall Clove Road
DeLancey, NY 13752
845-676-4622

Artist Statement:

My interest in early glass and the history of the glass making industry in 19th Century America is a strong influence on my work. Drawing from a vocabulary of 18th and 19th Century designs and techniques, I recreate the characteristics of hand blown utilitarian vessels and tableware. 

Biography:

I was born in Millburn, NJ in 1953. At the age of 12, my parents took me to the 1964 Worlds Fair where I discovered a pavilion where they were blowing glass. I was fascinated by this molten material as it moved, and how these craftsmen seemingly, magically transformed it into an object, but I don’t remember thinking I want to be a glassblower when I grow up. In high school I had a chance to take a class to learn the art of glassblowing. After high school I attended the Hunterdon Art Center in Clinton, New Jersey and then onto the Penland School of Crafts for a concentrated course in glass blowing. I continued practicing in a studio my father helped me build in our garage. In 1975 I attended the Pilchuck Glass Center in Seattle, Washington as a student and returned in 1976 as a studio technician. In the fall of 1979, I found the place of my dreams, a small farmhouse with a large barn, some acreage and a pond. With the help of family and friends I began to convert the early 19th century barn into a studio and gallery and remain there to this day.

Collections:
Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA
Morris Museum of Arts and Sciences, Morristown, NJ
Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
University of Texas, El Paso, TX
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausau, WI
Jones Museum of Ceramics & Glass, Sebago, ME
Numerous Historical Associations throughout the USA

Membership in Professional Societies:
American Crafts Council
Glass Art Society
National American Glass Club

Teaching Experience:
Hunterdon Art Center
Hofstra University
Pilchuck Glass Center
Montclair State
Hartwick College
Artpark Artist