Higgins Glass refers to any piece of

art glass Art glass is a subset of glass art, this latter covering the whole range of art made from glass. Art glass normally refers only to pieces made since the mid-19th century, and typically to those purely made as sculpture or decorative art, with ...

fused glass Glass fusing is the joining together of pieces of glass at high temperature, usually in a kiln. This is usually done roughly between and , and can range from ''tack fusing'' at lower temperatures, in which separate pieces of glass stick together ...

fashioned by

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

and Frances Higgins, of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, United States, during the last half of the 20th century. Their work combines a

Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

-esque visual aesthetic with an emphasis on functionality of the finished pieces. The glass is especially prized for two reasons: first, its distinctive aesthetic virtue, and second, the uniqueness of the fused glass processes first developed and used by the Higgins.

Personal history

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Michael Higgins was named Head of Visual Design at the

Chicago Institute of Design Institute of Design (ID) at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), founded as the New Bauhaus, is a graduate school teaching systemic, human-centered design. History The Institute of Design at Illinois Tech is a school of design ...

. Frances Stewart was an assistant professor of Art at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. While working towards her master's degree, Frances studied under Michael at the Institute and their mutual fascination with glass fusing techniques quickly led to a personal as well as professional relationship. They were married in 1948 and immediately set up a studio to cooperatively explore the then-unknown field of modern

glass fusing Glass fusing is the joining together of pieces of glass at high temperature, usually in a kiln. This is usually done roughly between and , and can range from ''tack fusing'' at lower temperatures, in which separate pieces of glass stick together ...

. Because they worked so closely together in the studio, all of their work is simply signed "higgins" which is understood to mean "Michael and Frances Higgins".

Professional history

By 1950 the Higgins' finished products were appearing in upscale retail stores like

Marshall Fields Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...

Bloomingdales Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...

and others. In 1951 their work was featured in the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

's "Designer Craftsman Exhibit" and the "Good Design Show" presented at the Chicago

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...

. They quickly became recognized as pioneers in the emerging field of studio glass and their association with the Dearborn Glass Company in the mid-1950s led to a small mass production of Higgins Glass, particularly ashtrays. Today their work is considered highly collectible and is prized by both museums and private collectors alike.Donald-Brian Johnson and Leslie Piña: ''Higgins: Adventures in Glass''. Schiffer Publishing: Atglen, PA 1997,

References

Image:treeframie.jpg, A Higgins "framie" captures summer trees.

External links

Institute of Design IIT website

Higgins Glass website
*Biggest Collection of Higgins Rondelays
Michael and Frances Higgins Glass Studio Rondelay Screen 1950s
Warm glass Glass art

Personal history

References

Further reading

External links