In 1974 Harvey K. Littleton developed a process for using glass to create prints on paper. Littleton, who began as a ceramicist and became a leading figure in the American Studio Glass Movement, expanded his curiosity around the experimental potential of glass into innovations in the world of printmaking. A wide circle of artists in a variety of media—including glass, ceramics, and painting—were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine, NC to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton.

The selection of works presented in Stained with Glass echoes the range of makers who worked with Littleton, including Dale Chihuly, Cynthia Bringle, Thermon Statom, and Littleton himself, and features imagery that recreates the sensation and colors of stained glass. Upending notions of both traditional glassmaking and printmaking, vitreographs innovatively combine the two into something new. The resulting prints created through a process of etched glass, ink, and paper create rich, colorful scenes reminiscent of luminous stained glass.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator.

Image: Cynthia Bringle, Dye Porch Shed, 2005, siligraphy from glass plate with digital transfer on BFK Rives paper, edition 16/20, image: 14 ¾ × 22 ¼ inches, sheet: 20 ¼ × 27 inches. Gift of Maurine Littleton, 2020.67.038. © Cynthia Bringle.