Last night, I went to the annual holiday open house at the Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside. This morning, it occurred to me that I should let the Yelp community know about this gem.
If you are not familiar with their amazing work, where have you been for the past 60 years!? Higgins fused glass creations take the form of mobiles, drop-out vases, hinged boxes, rondelays (interconnecting circles or squares that will form a bigger wall of glass), plates, plaques and jewelry. With jewel-like colors and whimsical designs, Higgins fused glass has cast a spell on many a collector. In fact, some pieces of vintage Higgins glass can sell for upwards of $10,000! And, their work is featured in many prominent museums throughout the world. Originally founded in 1948 by Michael and Francis Higgins-their first studio was located on Wells Street in Chicago; they moved the studio to beautiful Riverside in 1966.
Michael and Francis had the foresight to train Louise and Jonathan Wimmer (mother and son) in the technique of glass fusing, and they have both became fine artisans in their own right. They took over the business in 2004 to carry on the Higgins' glass-making tradition and to start a few traditions of their own. I absolutely fell in love with the beautiful new lighting sconce that Jonathan designed for this year's holiday sale (http://www.higginsglass.com/index.php?m=21).
If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift, or better yet, a gift for yourself, you really should check out the Higgins Glass Studio. Their website is www.higginsglass.com. Tell Louise and Jonathan that Scott sent you! ;-)
PS: There are also two well-written books on the subject written by Donald-Brian Johnson and Leslie Pina---Higgins Adventures in Glass and Higgins Poetry in Glass. read more