Fritz Dreisbach

Called the “Johnny Appleseed” of the Studio Glass Movement, Fritz Dreisbach has taught over three hundred classes in over 180 studios across the country. One of the earliest disciples of the American Studio Glass Movement, Dreisbach’s style has evolved over many decades but consistently plays with the idea of control over the medium of glass versus chance developments in his works. Innovating with the chemistry of glass, its color, optics, and shape, Dreisbach takes inspiration from many historical influences, such as the Italian Renaissance and Claes Oldenberg. The intricately-detailed goblets presented here demonstrate the artist’s mastery of the techniques associated with optic ridges. His crystal, or clear glass, works are rare. In the early 1970s when Dreisbach was teaching at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, he had an exhibition of crystal works at Sigfried Gallery, the local university gallery. It was during this time that Dreisbach went through a “period of color austerity” for three to four years, when he worked primarily in crystal glass.

Dreisbach first attended Hiram College in Ohio, where he obtained his B.A. in 1962. He was then awarded his M.A. in Teaching at Oberlin College. In 1965, Dreisbach received an MFA in Painting at the University of Iowa and later, in 1967, procured an MFA in glassblowing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked with Harvey Littleton and Dale Chihuly. From 1971-1985, Dreisbach spent time at the Penland School of Crafts.

As a founding member of the Glass Art Society, Dreisbach has received many accolades, including the Brychtova/Libensky Award from the Pilchuck Glass School, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Glass Art Society, and a fellowship from the American Craft Council. Dreisbach’s works can be found in the collections of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Toledo Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Dreisbach currently lives and works on Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington.