Born: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., March 25, 1951
B.F.A. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I., U.S.A., 1973
Education
1979
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, Special Student Advanced Glass Program (Fall Semester)
1973
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, Independent degree project video/glass/sculpture (August)
1973
B.F.A. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
1971
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, Glassblowing Workshop (June through August)
1970
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deere Isle, Maine, Glassblowing Workshop (August)
Honors
2022
SWC Champions, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
2017
Masters of the Medium Award, James Renwick Alliance, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
2016
Corning Specialty Glass Residency, Corning Museum of Glass, Sullivan Park Science and Technology Center, Corning, NY, U.S.A
2015
Smithsonian Visionary Award 2015, Smithsonian Institution & Smithsonian Women’s Committee, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
2013
Glass in Venice Award 2013, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Venice, Italy
2013
Women of Excellence Civic Award, Women’s Center of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, U.S.A.
2008
Elected to the College of Fellows, American Craft Council, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
2006
Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts, Providence, RI, U.S.A
1999
Innovation in a Glassworking Technique, UrbanGlass Annual Award, New York, NY, U.S.A.
1997
Bavarian State Prize, Die Bayerische Staatsregierung, Munich, Germany
1988
Rakow Commission, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, U.S.A
1986
Visual Artist Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts,Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
1984
Research Grant, Stichting Klankschap (Foundation), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Music recording and research, Ghana (1984-1985)
1982
Emerging Visual Artist Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Artist-in-Residence (August), Pilchuck Glass Center, Stanwood, WA, U.S.A
1981-82
Artist-in-Residence Grant (in conjunction with the New York Experimental Glass Workshop), New York State Council on the Arts, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Guest Lecturer/Visiting Artist
2023
Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, Washington, U.S.A.
Artist Talk
2022
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, U.S.A.
"Glassblowing, Exploration, Collaboration, Experimentation" workshop with Therman Statom.
2021
Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, Vermont, U.S.A., Vermont Glass Guild Anniversary Exhibition, Keynote Speaker
2019
Winter Speaker Series, Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI, U.S.A.
2018
Glass Art Society Conference: “Il Percorso de Vetro - The Glass Path”, Venice, Italy,
Glassblowing Demonstration - Venini and Co. Fornace, Glassblowing Demonstration - Effetre Fornace, San Pietro Church, Venini Panel
“Engineering New Art Forms”, Page Hazlegrove Lectureship in Glass Art 2017, MIT Glass Lab, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Massachusetts
“Meet the Masters of the Media”
Visarts in Rockville, Maryland
https://jra.org/scw-masters-lecture
(James Renwick Alliance 2017 Masters of the Medium Award)
2015
Chrysler Museum of Art, Perry Glass Studio, Lecture and Residency, Norfolk, Virginia (September 2015)
Pittsburgh Glass Center, Art on Fire, Honorary Artist, Lecture, Demonstration, Pittsburgh, PA (September 2015)
The Smithsonian Craft Show (April 2015), guest speaker, Washington, DC
Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Lecture, Toronto, Canada
Hooks Epstein Gallery, Lecture, Houston, Texas
2014
Habatat Galleries, Lecture, West Palm Beach Florida
2013
Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design, Lecture and Demo
National American Glass Club, Lecture in collaboration with The New Bedford Museum of Glass
Ohio State University, Cleveland, Ohio, Visiting Artist and Lecturer
2012
SOFA Chicago, Pioneers of American Studio Glass, Part Two panel discussion
Corning Museum of Glass “Celebrating 50 Years of American Studio Glass” seminar. The Double X Factor Lecture by Toots Zynsky
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Panel with William Warmus and Matthew Szosz, Washington, DC
Glass Art Society 2012 Conference, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo OH, History Panel, Bill Warmus Moderator
Toots Zynsky and Peter Hoch The Glass Panel, Dual lecture, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
2010
Harvard University, visiting lecturer
SOFA WEST, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Guest Lecture Series: Artist Mentor Discussion: Toots Zynsky and Harue Shimomoto
2009
SOFA WEST, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Guest Lecture Series: Open Doors
Nantucket Atheneum, Nantucket, MA Guest Lecture Series
2008
Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design Tuesday Talks Lecture Series
Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Living Glass History Project, in-studio live webcam video conference guest lecturer/interactive interview (“virtual” visiting artist educational program pilot course).
2006
Toots Zynsky Lecture and Workshop, Fundacion Centro Nacional del Vidrio, Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, Segovia, Spain
2005
Notojima Glass Art Museum, Notojima-machi, Japan, Toots Zynsky Lecture and Workshop
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI, U.S.A, Guest Lecturer
College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI, U.S.A., Guest Lecturer
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, Guest Lecturer
2004
Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, N.Y, U.S.A, Guest Lecturer
Sarutahiko Jinjya Shoha Museum, Ise, Japan Guest Lecture accompanying solo exhibition
Corning Museum Of Glass, Corning, N.Y, U.S.A, Guest Lecturer
UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, N.Y, U.S.A, Guest Lecturer and demonstration
2003
Toots Zynsky Seminar, special glass making techniques workshop and lecture, Kanazu Forest of Creation, Fukui, Japan
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL, USA, Guest Lecturer
2002
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Guest Lecturer
2000
American Craft Museum, New York, NY, USA, Guest Lecturer
1999
Koganezaki Glass Museum, Kamogun, Japan, Guest Lecturer accompanying solo exhibition
Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey, Mexico, Guest Lecturer accompanying exhibition
1998
Delaware Museum of Art, USA, Guest Lecturer
1997
Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI, U.S.A., Guest Lecturer
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, U.S.A, Guest Lecturer
1996
Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Guest Professor, Glass Program, Second Semester
1995
Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, Washington DC, U.S.A, Guest Lecture
1994
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, U.S.A., Guest Lecture
1992
Glass Art Society 22nd Annual Conference, Mexico City, Mexico, Guest Lecture
Lecture read by Jean Luc Olivié of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
1990
Zürich, Switzerland, Sanske Gallery, Guest Lecture
1988
28th Seminar on Glass, the Corning Museum of Glass, NY, U.S.A, Guest Lecture
Yamaha Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
1987
External Examiner, West Surrey College of Art, Farnham, England
Glass Program, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, Guest Lecture
1986
External Examiner, West Surrey College of Art, Farnham, Surrey, England
1985
Cincinnati Art Center, Cincinnati, OH
B.A.G. Conference, West Surrey College of Art, Farnham, Surrey, UK, Guest Lecture
1984
G.A.S. Conference, Corning, NY, Guest Lecturer
UCLA, Artist-in-Residence,Spring Semester, Los Angeles, CA
1983
Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Guest Lecture
“The Fine Art of Private Commissions”, Dimock Gallery, George Washington University, Washington, DC, Guest Panelist
1982
“Contemporary Glass”, Art History Program, New York University, New York, NY, Guest Lecture
Continuing Education Program Lecture, “Contemporary Glass”, Scarsdale, NY
Glass Program, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, Guest Lecture
1981
“Alternative Education Programs in Glass Arts”, Glass Art Society Conference, Seattle, WA, Guest Panelist
Video Performance, Collaboration with Buster Simpson, Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle, WA (for G.A.S. Conference)
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, Guest Lecture
1979
Glassblowing Workshop with Therman Statom, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
1975
“Studio Glass Movement in the U.S.”, Williams College, Williamstown, MA. Guest Lecture
Related Professional Experience
2016
Residency: Corning Specialty Glass Residency, Corning Museum of Glass, Sullivan Park Science and Technology Center, Corning, NY, USA
2013
Research Residency: Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Vittore Branca International Center for the Study of Italian Culture, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy (June 2013)
2010
Research Residency: Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Vittore Branca International Center for the Study of Italian Culture, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy (0ctober to November 2010)
Advisory Committee AIDA/Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts, New York, NY, USA
2009-2012
Board of Trustees Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI USA
2004-present
Board of Governors Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI USA
2004-2019 PASA (Providence After School Alliance), Board Directors, Providence, RI, USA
2002-Present
Advisory Board, Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Ebeltoft, Denmark
Board of Trustees, Festival Ballet Providence, RI, USA
Advisory Board, Urban Glass, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2001-2
Designed and produced the ten torches for the Torch Relay, Paralympics Opening Ceremonies Salt Lake City, Utah
1996
Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Guest Professor, Glass Program, Second Semester
1991-92
Designed and executed series of limited edition pieces for E.O.S. Murano, Italy
1984-85
Ghana, 6 months special research project, to record and research the living music of Ghana in collaboration with the Ghanaian Ministry of Culture, the Institute of African Studies, Legon, Ghana and the Klankschap Foundation, Holland
1984
Invited by VENINI, Spa of Venice, Italy to design a special series of “unique” pieces to add to their line.
U.C.L.A., Artist-in-Residence, Visiting Critic, Los Angeles, CA
Pilchuck Glass School, Instructor, Special Workshop in Fusing, Slumping, Pate-de-verre
1981-83
During this time the artist executed a variety of special projects in glass, including work for advertising firms, production companies, and designs for production.
1981-83
TEAM OF FIVE who reestablished and rebuilt the Second New York Experimental Glass Workshop, Department Head, Hot Glass Program and established alliance with Parsons School of Design/The New School Faculty, Crafts Program
1982
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington. Artist-in-Residence (August)
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deere Isle, Maine, Instructor Hot Glass Workshop (July)
1980-81
New York Experimental Glass Workshop, Assistant Director
1980
Pilchuck Glass Center, assisted Dan Dailey, Hot Glass Workshop
1971-73
Assisted Dale Chihuly in the founding and establishment of the Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, U.S.A.
Professional Positions
1983-present
Toots Zynsky (studio), Inc., President/CEO and Artist (creator of unique works of art)
1981-1982
Parsons School of Design/The New School, New York, NY, USA Part-time faculty
1980-1983
New York Experimental Glass Workshop (Now UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, NY)
Assistant Director, Head of Educational Program and Hot Glass Facility