Q. Who were the key women glass artists in the earliest days of the studio glass movement (in the US and internationally)?

Gail Bardhan's article "Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women Working with Glass" (2010), offers excellent background information on the early women pioneers of glass art. This article mentions artists like Madame Nora, Matilda Ledig, and Jaroslava Brychtová. It is a great place to start when searching for women in the earliest days of studio glass.

"There at the Beginning: Early Studio Glass from the Parkman Collection," a 2017 CMoG blog post, features four women who were early studio glass artists:

• Suellen Fowler
• Nancy Freeman
• Pauline Solven
• Patricia Esch

You might also find the "Masters of Studio Glass: Toots Zynsky" exhibition page and the "Masters of Studio Glass: Toots Zynsky" video on the CMoG website of interest.

Print Resources

The following include additional information and perspectives on women in the early studio glass movement.

• Kohler, Lucartha. Women Working in Glass. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub. Ltd., 2003.

Kohler's book features the following women glass artists who were active in the 1960s:

• Paula Bartron
• Asa Brandt
• Jane Bruce
• Pat Esch
• Audrey Handler
• Harriet Hyams
• Joan Reep
• Pauline Solven
• Sylvia Vigiletti
• Mary White

• Zynsky, Toots. "Women Who Helped Pave the Way." The Glass Art Society Journal (2012): 52.

​Zynsky discusses the influence of the following women glass artists on her work:

• Jaroslava Brychtová
• Ann Wolff
• Audrey Handler
• Sylvia Vigiletti
• Ruth Tamura
• Paula Bartron