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